Olympic Idea Drowns in Beer

image of Olympic Idea Drowns in Beer

For the first time ever, the International Olympic Committee has made a deal with the alcohol industry to sponsor events that celebrate the marvels of human achievement.
But criticism and opposition is rising against such harmful practices.

This year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) signed on alcohol industry giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) as a part of its sponsorship program. Membership in the program is a coveted position for the exposure it provides. It is also expensive because the sponsorship deal earns billions of dollars for the IOC.

The IOC partnership with the world’s largest beer producer is highly ...

For the first time ever, the International Olympic Committee has made a deal with the alcohol industry to sponsor events that celebrate the marvels of human achievement.
But criticism and opposition is rising against such harmful practices.

This year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) signed on alcohol industry giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) as a part of its sponsorship program. Membership in the program is a coveted position for the exposure it provides. It is also expensive because the sponsorship deal earns billions of dollars for the IOC.

The IOC partnership with the world’s largest beer producer is highly controversial. The profit maximization interests of the alcohol industry – selling a harmful, carcinogenic, addictive product to ever more (young) people everywhere – contradicts directly the IOC’s own vision.

“Building a better world through sport” is the IOC vision, and sport is meant to serve humankind.

For example, in 2020 the World Health Organization – UNICEF – The Lancet Commission on the Future of the World’s Children identified two existential threats to children: among them the existential threat of predatory commercial exploitation that is encouraging harmful and addictive activities that are extremely deleterious to young people’s health. The alcohol industry is included.

“(The Olympic Commitee) will not accept commercial associations with products that may conflict with or be considered inappropriate to the mission of the IOC or to the spirit of Olympism” (Olympic marketing file, 2023 Edition)

The sponsorship deal is valued at $1.725 billion, according to Times of India.

Read more about unethical practices of AB InBev and why it matters here.

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Olympic Idea Drowns in Beer

85 emails sent

This year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made a deal with alcohol industry giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) as a part of its sponsorship program.

Membership in the program is a coveted position for the exposure it provides. It is also expensive because the sponsorship deal earns billions of dollars for the IOC.

The IOC and AB InBev announced the deal on January 05, 2024, for the next three Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

It is the first collaboration between the Olympics and a beer company. The sponsorship deal is valued at $1.725 billion, according to Times of India. It means an avalanche of alcohol marketing will flood TVs, social media, and public places for AB InBev to get more people to consume alcohol. The Paris Olympics will open on July 26, and the deal also includes the 2026 Winter Games in northern Italy. The more popular, perhaps more commercially relevant event is the Los Angeles Olympics, scheduled for 2028.

The IOC partnership with the world’s largest beer producer is highly controversial and the deal between the IOC and Big Alcohol is harming the young generation.

The profit maximization interests of the alcohol industry – selling a harmful, carcinogenic, addictive product to ever more (young) people everywhere – contradicts directly the IOC’s own vision.

“Building a better world through sport” is the IOC vision, and sport is meant to serve humankind. But alcohol is a major cause of death and disease among children and young people, especially.

Alcohol is the second largest risk factor for disease burden in the age group 10-24 years. Alcohol is the largest risk factor for disease burden in the group 25-49 years.

In 2020, the “UNICEF-World Health Organization-Lancet Commission on the Future of the World’s Children” identified two existential threats to the health and well-being of the world’s children: the climate emergency and predatory commercial exploitation, such as marketing of alcohol and tobacco.

In addition to the harm alcohol companies are causing with their products and practices, the alcohol industry has a horrible human rights track record. Anheuser Busch InBev engages in unethical and predatory practices around the world.

Allowing alcohol marketing during the Olympic Games means to allow and facilitate the exploitation of millions of children and young people, by an alcohol company that is already causing serious harm to people and communities worldwide.

We call on the IOC and all national Olympic Committees to live up to that responsibility and to place the future of our children before the profit greed of alcohol companies.

We call on the IOC to reverse the decision to turn the Olympics into an alcohol marketing bonanza.

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Subject:

Dear President of National Olympic Committee,

We all want to see our children healthy and happy. People care deeply about thriving children who grow up in safe and healthy environments to live up to their fullest potential. “Building a better world through sport” is the IOC vision, where sport is meant to serve humankind.

But the world’s children are not thriving. And the deal between the IOC and Big Alcohol is harming the young generation.

I am deeply concerned about this deal between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev). This collaboration, announced on January 05, 2024, for the next three Summer and Winter Olympic Games, marks a troubling departure from the principles of the Olympic movement.

Alcohol causes significant harm to children globally. It ranks as the second most significant risk factor for illness among kids aged 10-24 and as the primary risk factor for death and disease among young people aged 25-49.

The biggest reason for this massive alcohol harm hurting our children is the profit maximization agenda of alcohol companies. Children around the world are massively exposed to marketing from alcohol companies. They seek to exploit children’s developmental vulnerability to gain consumers for their addictive and carcinogenic products early on. The alcohol industry makes huge profits from marketing alcohol directly to children.

In 2020, the “UNICEF-World Health Organization-Lancet Commission on the Future of the World’s Children” identified two existential threats to the health and well-being of the world’s children: the climate emergency and predatory commercial exploitation, such as marketing of alcohol and tobacco.

In addition to the harm alcohol companies are causing with their products and practices, the alcohol industry has a horrible human rights track record. Anheuser Busch InBev engages in unethical and predatory practices around the world.

That is why it is deeply troubling that the International Olympic Committee under your leadership is providing a massive platform for the beer giant to reach children with harmful messages, promoting harmful products.

Allowing alcohol marketing during the Olympic Games means to allow and facilitate the exploitation of millions of children and young people, by an alcohol company that is already causing serious harm to people and communities worldwide. It means that Olympic sports won’t serve humanity, but instead will help a giant alcohol company to continue exploiting children.

Children have a fundamental right to be protected from harm, including predatory corporate behavior by alcohol companies, such as Anheuser Busch InBev, the world’s largest beer producer.

According to the IOC Charter, “The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind…” Clearly, making the Olympics into a platform for the alcohol industry to reach billions of children with harmful marketing is antithetical to this goal.

The IOC’s own stated marketing mission is to “not accept commercial associations with products that may conflict with or be considered inappropriate to the mission of the IOC or to the spirit of Olympism.”

We call on the IOC and all national Olympic Committees to live up to that responsibility and to place the future of our children before the profit greed of alcohol companies.

We call on the IOC to reverse the decision to turn the Olympics into an alcohol marketing bonanza.

I urge you to stand with us in solidarity and take decisive action to terminate the partnership with AB InBev. Let us reaffirm our commitment to promoting health, unity, and the true spirit of sport.

Together, we can ensure that the Olympic Games remain a beacon of hope and inspiration for generations to come.

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