McDonald’s Complete Olympic Sponsorship Renewal

McDonald’s has officially announced the extension of its worldwide Olympic sponsorship until 2020.

The declaration of the deal had been expected since Tuesday of this week.

The IOC and McDonald’s chose to publicly showcase their renewed partnership at the first ever Winter YOG (Youth Olympic Games) in Innsbruck, Austria.

The new $100 million deal will cover Sochi 2014, Rio 2016 and Pyeongchang 2018 as well as the 2020 Olympics (and the Youth Olympic Games across the period) after the current agreement expires after London 2012.

The relationship between the IOC and McDonald’s dates back to 1968 when the fast-food chain dispatched hamburgers to feed American athletes competing at the Winter Games in Gernoble.

The official association was first established in Montreal in 1976 and McDonald’s then became a worldwide sponsor of the Games in 1997.

IOC (International Olympic Committee) President Jacques Rogge and McDonald’s President and CEO Don Thompson have both expressed their contentment with the agreement.

Rogge stated, “We are delighted that McDonald’s, our long-time and valued Olympic Partner for more than 35 years, is continuing its ongoing commitment not only to help fund the Olympic Games but also to support the Olympic Movement around the world and ultimately the athletes themselves”.

Thomspon added, “We share the Olympic ideals of teamwork, excellence and being your best. Those ideals are at the heart of what McDonald’s stands for and how we’ve brought the Games to life. Feeding the athletes is a tradition we are extremely proud of, and we look forward to continuing our role in helping to make the Games possible”.

The chairman of the IOC’s Marketing Commission, Gerhard Heiberg, also offered his take on the deal.

“We are very pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with McDonald’s, and we appreciate the quality menu that McDonald’s delivers at the Olympics as the Official Restaurant of the Games.

“We believe that the long-term agreements we have in place with leading companies are a testament to the continued strength and appeal of the Olympic Games as a global marketing platform for sport”.