Coca-Cola and the Olympic Games History
THE BEGINNINGS
The Coca-Cola Company and the modern Olympic Games have enjoyed a mutual growth and common historical bonds. In 1886, Atlanta pharmacist John S. Pemberton invented the secret formula for Coca-Cola. Six years later, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, of France, conceived the idea for a new Olympic Games. In 1896, the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, with 311 athletes from 13 nations. At the same time, Coca-Cola was becoming available outside the United States.
AMSTERDAM 1928
The 1928 Olympic Games, which included 46 nations, marked the beginning of The Coca-Cola Company's Olympic involvement - a presence that would continue to grow to this day, through sponsorships, donations and innovative support programs. That summer, a freighter delivered the U.S. Olympic Team and 1,000 cases of Coca-Cola to the Amsterdam event. This was also the first time Olympic Games competitions were held for women, in track and field events. Meanwhile, the tradition of lighting an Olympic Flame at the Games was revived from ancient times.
LOS ANGELES 1932
The Coca-Cola Company continued its support of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1932 with the introduction of an Olympic Games scoreboard record indicator, compliments of The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Los Angeles. While more than 200 teenagers, dressed in white jackets and gloves, served Coca-Cola to crowds of 105,000 in the Los Angeles Coliseum, the indicator broadened the stadium experience by displaying the 18 world records broken. Coca-Cola also distributed three million miniature cutouts listing Olympic Games records to young people around the United States.
In 1934, Johnny Weismuller, swimming gold medalist in 1924 and 1928, became the first Olympic athlete to endorse a Coca-Cola product when he was featured with actress Maureen O'Sullivan on Coca-Cola