BMW, Munich 2018 at SportAccord; Rio 2016 Locks Up $700 Million in Sponsorships

BMW Joins Munich at SportAccord

Of three 2018 bid cities, only one had a sponsor speak on their behalf.

Ian Robertson of BMW joined Munich 2018 in their presentation on Thursday. He spoke as representative of the auto manufacturer, explaining why BMW supported the bid.

"I think today we showed a new team," Munich 2018 bid leader Katarina Witt said, noting the inclusion of Ian Robertson, head of BMW's marketing and sales. "This is our strongest presentation so far."

Remarking BMW's burgeoning global marketing partnerships with the Olympic Movement, which also includes London 2012 and the NOCs of the U.S. France, Greece and China, Robertson went on to underline the economic potential of staging the Games in Germany.

He noted that through their sponsorships, Germany companies already now funded 50 percent of the revenues of the seven winter IFs on the Games program.

"Winter Games in Munich 2018 would of course encourage them to stay on for decades and even increase their support," Robertson said. "And that will mean much greater winter sport sponsorship everywhere and a much stronger Olympic Movement as a result."

After the presentation, Robertson told reporters that BMW was considering a worldwide Olympic sponsorship.

Samsung chairman Kun Hee Lee joined PyeongChang 2018 on stage, but did not speak. Yang Ho Cho, who leads the bid and Korean Air, did not speak on behalf the airline, also sponsoring PyeongChang.

Annecy did not have any sponsors speak on their behalf.

Rio 2016 Locks In $700 Million in Local Sponsorships

Sponsorship deals with Brazilian bank Bradesco and communications companies Embratel and Claro have secured $700 million in sponsorship for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The Brazilian Olympic host city says it wants to limit local sponsorships to its target of $1.2 billion to avoid having too many sponsors but still not have to rely on government funds.

"The target we have now is not to need any funds from the government. We want to only use private money," Rio 2016 CEO Leo Gryner said at SportAccord in London.

"If we manage to get the money we need to stage the Games we will look to reducethe number of sponsors to reduce the clutter and make it better for our partners."

Sponsors Bid for London Ad Space

For the first time in Olympics history, sponsors will bid in an online auction for outdoor advertising space for the London 2012 Games.

The auction, which opened April 4, is open to top tier sponsors including McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Visa for the first two weeks.

Bidding will be available to tier two and tier three sponsors in the third week. The auction closes on July 1 making any unsold space available to non-sponsors.

"We are making it a drip process over a number of weeks to keep it easy for buyers. What we have here is fair, open andtransparent process," LOCOG Commercial Director Chris Townsend told The Media Guardian.

The auction includes various packages including space close to the Olympic venues and in surrounding cities.

Coke VP Stresses Youth in Sponsorship Strategy

Olympic TOP sponsor Coca-Cola is looking for youth, creativity and flair with its future forays into sport.

"We want to work with partners to do something that others did not think possible," Coke's VP for global partnerships Scott McCune told SportAccord delegates Wednesday.

"We want to inspire youth to participate in sports. We have an ambition to be in every country and encourage children into sports."

McCune was in London to lead a 45-minute "Hot Topic" discussion aptly titled "The Future of Sports Sponsorships" alongside American TV journalist Gregg Moss.

Coca-Cola is a charter member of the TOP sponsorship program launched by the IOC in 1986.

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With reporting from Isia Reaves Wilcox and Matthew Grayson

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