Coca-Cola to give outstanding young people the chance to carry Olympic Flame
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Music stars and Olympic hopefuls back Coca-Cola's London
2012 Olympic Torch Relay nomination campaign to find the UK's
'Future Flames'
LONDON, 1 June 2011: Coca-Cola today joins forces with Dizzee
Rascal, Eliza Doolittle, You Me At Six and a number of London 2012
hopefuls to launch a nationwide search for inspirational young
people - our Future Flames - to carry the Olympic Flame during the
London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay next summer.
To recognise and reward the positive contributions made by young
people every day in the UK,
The event will include appearances and performances by music artists, athletes and inspiring young people - our Future Flames Ambassadors - who embody the types of people the Future Flames campaign aims to celebrate. The event will be followed by a national 'Torch Tour' as Coca-Cola travels around the UK this summer to encourage everyone to nominate the Future Flames from their area.
The search to find the UK's Future Flames comes as a survey by Populus reveals that while 89% of 16-24 year olds undertake activities that contribute to their local community, such as volunteering and fundraising, less than half (47%) of older people recognise this contribution to society. In addition, only one in ten (10%) respondents agreed that people think teenagers are kind, and just 9% agreed that people think they are considerate. However, 79% of adults do recognise that society's perception of teenagers is negative and 72% feel that more needs to be done to improve this.
Simon Baldry, Managing Director at Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd (CCE), comments: "Coca-Cola Enterprises is proud to be a local business operating across the length and breadth of Great Britain, working closely with our local communities. Coca-Cola's London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Future Flames nomination campaign will bring the excitement of the Olympic Games right into the heart of those very communities and CCE is working closely with our customers across GB to ensure that this once in a lifetime opportunity will be fully activated in-store."
Dizzee Rascal:
Eliza Doolittle:
Judo Commonwealth Championship gold medallist Tom Davis, 28, London:
Future Flame Ambassador Andrew Lofthouse, 19, Stockport volunteers with StreetGames, a groundbreaking national charity which develops sport in disadvantaged communities and makes sport accessible to young people regardless of their social circumstances. Andrew has been selected as an Ambassador Future Flame to inspire everyone to nominate people they know that might be like him for the chance to become a Future Flame. At 16, Andrew became one of the youngest instructors of Thai Boxing, using it to change his horizons at a difficult time in his life. He is now chairman of charity Young Bank, volunteers in his community and mentors other young people. "I really want to help inspire other people to change their lives for the better, so being part of the search for other Future Flames to join me is amazing. We need to show people that if you put your mind to something and stick together as a community you can do awesome things."
ENDS
Notes to editors
About Coca-Cola and the Olympic Movement
The Coca-Cola Company has been continuously associated with the Olympic Games since 1928 - longer than any other corporate sponsor of the Olympic Movement. The Company works with National Olympic Committees in more than 200 countries to help athletes train and compete. More than 90 percent of Coca-Cola's investment in the Olympic Games is directed to athlete development, supporting National Olympic Committees, and to assisting staging the Games. Products of The Coca-Cola Company refresh athletes, volunteers, officials and spectators during the Olympic Games. The Coca-Cola Company is the exclusive nonalcoholic beverage provider to the Olympic Games through 2020.
About Coca-Cola and the Olympic Torch Relay
The Coca-Cola Company's first official involvement with the Olympic Torch Relay occurred with the introduction of the International Olympic Torchbearers Program, sponsored by Coca-Cola, for the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, a program that was reprised in Lillehammer in 1994. London 2012 marks the eighth time that Coca-Cola has served as a Presenting Sponsor of the Olympic Torch Relay including Atlanta ('96), Nagano ('98), Salt Lake City ('02), Athens ('04), Torino ('06), Beijing ('08) and Vancouver ('10).
What is the Olympic Torch Relay?
The Olympic Flame is one of the enduring symbols of the Olympic Games, representing peace, unity and friendship. As it is carried around the UK for the Olympic Torch Relay it will bring the spirit of the Games to everyone.
Lit in Olympia, Greece, in a traditional ceremony, the Olympic Flame will be taken on a short relay in Greece before arriving in the UK on 18 May 2012.
On a 70-day journey across the UK, the Flame will be carried by 8,000 Torchbearers, generating excitement as it makes its way to London and the Opening Ceremony of the Games. The Flame will come within a one-hour journey for 95 per cent of the population of the UK - with entertainment, shows and concerts marking its arrival at each stop.
What is an Olympic Torchbearer?
Olympic Torchbearers will run one leg (approximately 300 metres) of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.
Coca-Cola will award Torchbearer places to nominees who, in the opinion of the judges, most deserve to carry the Olympic Flame.
Succesful nominees will run one leg of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay which takes place between 19th May and 27th July 2012.
What is the entry criteria?
Nominations can be made at www.cokezone.co.uk until 05/09/11. We're looking for young people of Britain who have a passion for sport and active lifestyles, music and dance and/or the community and environment.
All nominations will be judged by an independant judging panel. Shortlisted nominees will then make it through to the final stage of judging which will feature an undisclosed number celebrity judges.
The judges will be looking for nominees to demonstrate why they deserve to be an Olympic Torchbearer. In particular, judges will be looking for nominees that show how they use their passion to bring happiness to others and what their future ambitions, aspirations or goals are.
About Coca-Cola Enterprises:
Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. is the world's third-largest independent Coca-Cola bottler. CCE is the sole licensed bottler for products of The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
In Great Britain (GB) Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd (CCE) employs around 4,500 people across England, Scotland and Wales at manufacturing sites, regional offices and depots.
CCE is committed to minimising the environmental impact of its products and operations, with a particular focus on sustainable packaging, water stewardship, and energy and climate protection.
CCE makes, sells and delivers the following products in GB for The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC): Coca-Cola, diet Coke, Coke Zero, Fanta, Dr Pepper, Sprite, Schweppes, Schweppes Abbey Well, glacéau, Relentless, Powerade, Oasis and 5 Alive. CCE in GB also makes, sells or delivers Monster, Appletiser, Ocean Spray and Capri-Sun on behalf of other brand owners.
CCE has the largest share of soft drinks in the UK [1] with on-going brand and product innovation continuing to reinforce this position of leadership within the category. Coca-Cola is the UK's number one selling soft drink [2] and remains one of the most innovative brands in the world today.
