According to Xinhuanet, Peter Franklin, world wide director of Olympic Management for the Coca-Cola Company said at a meeting with Beijing IOC officials that Coca Cola is considering sponsoring the torch relay of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
The torch relay will start in Athens, go through the Himalayas and end in Beijing.
Franklin said it would be a very interesting experience and will help bring the Olympic spirit to millions of people along its route. He added that the torch relay will also be a good opportunity for China to present itself to the rest of the world as a large number of journalists will cover the event.
Five of the major sponsors of the Games have extended their sponsorship contracts with the IOC up to 2008, which means one billion dollars (U.S.) in funding for the Beijing Games.
Franklin says that his company’s support of the Beijing Games is based on the fact that China is Coca Cola’s fourth biggest market in the world today and is growing rapidly. On average, Chinese people drink an average of nine cans of Coca Cola every year.
