Partnership places CCEP front and centre at Games
DRINKS giant Coca-Cola has been named as the Official Soft Drinks Partner for the upcoming Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The partnership between Commonwealth Games, The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) was announced at the firm’s East Kilbride bottling plant after Phil Batty, chief exec at Glasgow 2026, Team Scotland chief exec Jon Doig and Scottish gymnast Eilidh Gorrell took a tour of the plant’s operations.
Speaking at the tour, Batty said: “We’re proud to welcome back one of the world’s most iconic brands to the Commonwealth Games sponsor family. Coca-Cola joins us with a wealth of expertise in elevating the spectator experience at major events, while also encouraging behaviour change when it comes to sustainability, which supports our ambition to deliver the greenest Games yet.”
At the Glasgow 2026 Games, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Powerade and Smartwater will all be Official Soft Drink, Sports Drink and Water providers respectively throughout the event, which runs between 23 July and 2 August.
In addition to The Coca-Cola Company and CCEP’s sponsorship of the Commonwealth Games, the drinks giants will also be an Official Partner of Team Scotland throughout the competition.
Beyond the Games themselves, CCEP has also partnered with the environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful on a project to clean up the riverbanks closest to the Commonwealth Games sports venues at the Clyde. CCEP will provide funding and volunteer support towards the project.
CCEP will also work closely with the venue waste management team to support recycling efforts across the tournament and all CCEP bottles sold at venue outlets will be recyclable, with the 500ml bottle range made from 100% recycled plastic.
The drinks giant has already cemented its partnership with sporting teams across the UK. Recently, CCEP invited team members from the Special Olympics to tour the East Kilbride site in March.
Stephen Moorhouse, general manager at CCEP GB, said: “Supporting the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow feels particularly special for us, because we have strong roots through our local operations in East Kilbride.
“Working with our partners on the ground, we’re focused on creating a positive impact for communities across Glasgow and an enjoyable experience for the thousands of people set to attend the Games.”
