OAK BROOK, Ill. — As a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Movement, McDonald's is preparing to once again feed the athletes at the 2010 Olympic Games. With just one year to go until the games get underway in Vancouver, Canada, McDonald's has announced its sponsorship activities.
Olympic restaurant venues
As the Official Restaurant of the Olympic Games and the only branded foodservice retailer, McDonald's is planning several initiatives, including:
- Three new Olympic venue restaurants, two in the Olympic Villages located in Vancouver and Whistler and a third in Vancouver for media
- Selecting McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew, made up of top-performing restaurant employees from across Canada, to provide service at the Olympic venues
McDonald's Champion Kids
The McDonald's Champion Kids program debuted in Beijing at the 2008 Olympic Games featuring a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for kids to experience the Games first-hand. 2010 Champion Kids activitivies include:
- For Vancouver, children from Canada and around the world will attend Olympic events and ceremonies, meet athletes, visit the Olympic Village, tour the sites of Vancouver and Whistler, and receive their own gold medals from Olympic champions
- Some of the children also will serve as special youth correspondents to share their experiences with their hometown news outlets
Giving back
As part of McDonald's Olympic tradition of giving back to the host country, Ronald McDonald House Charities will make a contribution to Vancouver.
Environment
In keeping with a green Olympic Games, McDonald's three new Olympic venue restaurants will be fitted with energy efficient lighting and equipment. The equipment and materials from these restaurants will be reused and recycled at McDonald's restaurants in Canada after the Games have ended.
McDonald's Canada promotions
Being located in the host country where the first McDonalds restaurant outside of the United States opened in 1967, McDonald's Canada will activate a wide variety of programs and promotions leading up to and during the Games to celebrate Canada's Olympic Spirit nationwide. Activities include:
- Special menu promotions
- Television commercials
- Alliances with top Canadian athletes, such as speed skater Cindy Klassen, figure skater Patrick Chan and diver Alexandre Despatie
- McDonald's Canada will provide ongoing support for McDonald's 2010 Hopefuls, a program supports 26 amateur athletes who are training intensively in their respective winter sports to realize their Olympic dream at the 2010 Vancouver Games. More information is available at www.hopefuls2010.ca.
The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games mark McDonald's seventh Olympic Games as a Worldwide Partner and eighth as the Official Restaurant of the Olympic Games. McDonald's current sponsorship will continue through the 2012 Summer Games in London.
