[ad_1]
Two health experts urged Olympic organizers on Wednesday to cut ties with Coca-Cola, saying current huge sponsorship deals allow the U.S. company to “whitewash” unhealthy sugary drinks with sport.
The call comes after criticism over the large number of plastic bottles used to serve drinks to fans at the Paris Olympics.
Advertisements for Coca-Cola carbonated beverages, which have sponsored the Olympics since 1928, are ubiquitous at events in the French capital.
But Trish Cotter and Sandra Mullin of global health group Vital Strategies said these sugary drinks had “little to no nutritional value” and it was wrong to promote such unhealthy products in sport.
Sugary drinks are a “major driver” of a range of serious health problems worldwide, including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, the authors wrote in a commentary in the journal BMJ Global Health.
They added that Coca-Cola’s products also contribute to global plastic pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and consume large amounts of water.
“If the Olympic movement continues to partner with Coca-Cola, it risks becoming an accomplice in exacerbating global malnutrition, environmental degradation, and climate change,” the authors wrote.
“For the good of athletes, spectators and the planet, it is time for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to end its relationship with Coca-Cola.”
Coca-Cola did not respond to a request for comment.
“Responsible attitude”
The IOC defended its partnership with the soft drinks company, noting it also offers sugar-free beverages including water, tea and coffee.
“We are incredibly proud of our nearly 100-year partnership with The Coca-Cola Company,” Anne-Sophie Voumard, general manager of television and marketing services at the IOC, said at the daily news conference.
“From the IOC’s perspective, Coca-Cola is taking a responsible approach to supporting the athletes’ families and fans and playing an integral role in the delivery of the Olympic Games,” she said.
In 2020, the American food and beverage giant signed a joint agreement worth $3 billion to extend its sponsorship of the Olympics.
The partnership will last until at least 2032.
Cote and Mullin noted that Coca-Cola had more sports sponsorships last year than any other brand, including sports apparel companies like Nike.
“This strategy ultimately creates a golden opportunity to ‘sports launder’ unhealthy products,” they wrote.
The World Health Organization has called on countries to impose taxes on sugary drinks.
A petition launched ahead of the Olympics called “Kick fizzy drinks out of sport” has gathered more than 109,000 signatures and has been backed by a range of public health organisations including the World Obesity Federation.
– plastic bottle –
Environmental NGOs have also criticised the amount of plastic used to hold drinks at the Paris Olympics.
Coca-Cola said in May that nearly 10 million of the 18 million drinks served during the Olympics would be “free of single-use plastics.”
Fanta, Sprite and Coca-Cola are being served in reusable cups at Olympic venues, a move some say goes against the Games’ promise to be the greenest ever.
The Atlanta-based giant said it had to use plastic due to “technical and logistical limitations.”
Georgina Grenon, head of sustainable development at the Paris Olympics, said that although 700 drinking fountains were installed at the competition sites, plastic bottles were used in places where glass bottles could not be used as an alternative to drinking fountains.
Grenon said this year’s Paris Olympics should still achieve the goal of reducing single-use plastics by 50% compared to the 2012 London Olympics.
[ad_2]
Source link
