The Olympic Games would be nothing without the thousands of athletes who gather every four years to compete at the very highest level. But nor would it be such a grand spectacle without the companies and brands which stump up the sponsorship to fund it. Such brands have been competing commercially for more than 100 years.
At the first modern games in Athens in 1896, among the companies contributing to the cost was the British travel agency Thomas Cook and Son, which was appointed “official passenger agent” . The package holiday pioneer negotiated discounts with railway and cruise ship companies for competitors and spectators. They also assisted customers from their base in a hotel in the Greek capital.
Over a century later, the Olympics branding system has evolved into three complex tiers of marketing and licensing programs. At the lowest layer are each competing country’s National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and National Paralympic Committees (NPCs). These include the British Olympic and Paralympic Associations, more commonly known as Team GB and Paralympics GB .
This level of sponsorship involves partner companies which support domestic sports development and Olympic teams. For Team GB this includes Aldi, NatWest and TikTok. Next up is the host nation’s Organising Committees of the Olympic Games (OCOGs), which manage their own commercial program to support the staging of the Games.
Paris 2024’s official partners include Accor Hotels, Air France and Le Coq Sportif. A.