Sponsors – supporting the Games, building legacies
June 28, 2007
The RBC mascot greets children at the Paralympic Emblem launch in Whistler
Who will pick up the majority of this billion-dollar tab?
Sponsors, both worldwide and national, are companies that commit
significant amounts of funding, products or services in return for
the opportunity to associate with one of the most recognizable
brands on the planet – and to contribute to an event
that will inspire generations of audiences around the world.
Hosting the Games without the support of sponsors would not only be
burdensome for host communities, such as Vancouver and Whistler,
but impossible.
Many sponsors, one goal
Sponsorship at VANOC is split into various levels. Worldwide International Sponsors (also known as TOP sponsors) are signed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and have rights to promote themselves in association with the Games, both Summer and Winter, around the globe. These sponsors include prominent corporations such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and VISA, who sign on for multiple Olympic and Paralympic Games. While Vancouver 2010 has seven TOP sponsors (Atos Origin, GE, Omega and Samsung, in addition to the three mentioned above), several more are expected to join before the 2010 Winter Games begin.
Sponsorship at VANOC is split into various levels. Worldwide International Sponsors (also known as TOP sponsors) are signed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and have rights to promote themselves in association with the Games, both Summer and Winter, around the globe. These sponsors include prominent corporations such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and VISA, who sign on for multiple Olympic and Paralympic Games. While Vancouver 2010 has seven TOP sponsors (Atos Origin, GE, Omega and Samsung, in addition to the three mentioned above), several more are expected to join before the 2010 Winter Games begin.
Domestic sponsors are engaged by VANOC for the right to market
the Olympic and Paralympic Games within Canada. These
sponsors’ support ranges, financially speaking,
anywhere from $3 million to $200 million, and are designated into
three categories: National Sponsors, Official Supporters and
Official Suppliers. VANOC currently has nearly 25 sponsors at the
National level, and expects to engage over 50 by Games time.
Beyond dollars and cents
Sponsor support extends well beyond simple cash contributions.
From every phone call placed at VANOC headquarters and made
possible by Bell Canada, to the Omega timepieces that will record
the fastest athletes on ice and snow in 2010, to Teck
Cominco’s gold, silver, and bronze that will be shaped
into medals to decorate champions as they ascend the podium,
sponsors provide essential goods and services that are necessary to
the success of the Games.
Petro-Canada’s commitment to the Games includes fuel and fuel-related projects as well as support for Canada’s athletes
More services provided by sponsors include the following:
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Need a lift? – General Motors gets athletes, spectators and officials where they need to go, with a range of hybrid, biodiesel and alternative fuel vehicles that help VANOC reduce greenhouse gases and stage environmentally sustainable Games
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It’s a wrap – By the time the international spotlight is on Vancouver and Whistler, the cities will be vibrant in the “look” and colours of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. Readying these host communities for their close-up is 3M, an Official Supplier that will cover, or “wrap,” cars, buses and buildings – and even a few 160-metre ships – with designs inspired by the 2010 Winter Games
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Flying high – Air Canada will fly Canadian teams – and their dreams for podium success – to the Beijing, Vancouver and London Games in 2008, 2010 and 2012
Investing in Olympic and Paralympic legacies
The IOC International Sponsorship Program accounts for approximately $201 million in total Games revenue. Domestic sponsorship accounts for approximately $760 million. This accounts for 71 per cent of the total revenue generated by the Games. It’s a level of sponsorship that Neeta Soni, director of marketing and client services at VANOC, calls “unprecedented.”
The IOC International Sponsorship Program accounts for approximately $201 million in total Games revenue. Domestic sponsorship accounts for approximately $760 million. This accounts for 71 per cent of the total revenue generated by the Games. It’s a level of sponsorship that Neeta Soni, director of marketing and client services at VANOC, calls “unprecedented.”
“This level of sponsorship engagement is rare in
Games history, or in the history of any event –
especially when you consider that it takes place in a country with
Canada’s population,” said Soni.
“It serves as a strong indication of the interest there
is nationally in showcasing Canada and supporting Canadian
athletes, and also of how these sponsors identify with the values
of the Games.”
Soni noted that many Games sponsors are also contributors to Own
the Podium 2010 (OTP), a sport initiative designed to help Canada
become the number one nation at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, from
a medal count perspective, and to place in the top three countries
overall at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
While sponsors contribute directly to the staging of any Olympic
or Paralympic Games, they also play an important role in building
the legacies that will last, long after the Flame is extinguished
and all of the athletes and spectators have returned to their daily
lives.
Sponsors impact all of us, not just in the execution of the
Games, but the associated economic, social and environmental
legacies.
“That’s the connection,”
said Soni, “From sport and the arts to technology,
education and volunteerism, these companies are supporting
something that is meaningful for all of us.”
Related information:
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For a complete list of TOP sponsors, click here.
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For a complete list of domestic sponsors, click here.
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For more information on the VANOC operating budget, click here.
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