Coca-Cola to headline sponsorship for national games
SOFT drinks giant Coca-Cola – alongside Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) – has announced it is the Headline Partner of the 2026 National Summer Games in partnership with Special Olympics GB.
The National Summer Games is a partnership that puts athletes with intellectual disabilities in the spotlight as role models and showcases their talent on a national stage for all to see.
At the heart of this partnership between Coca-Cola and Special Olympics GB is a new national campaign which will roll out from July and will feature athletes from the team to celebrate their journey from local beginnings to a national competition, while also shining a light on them as athletes and role models.
The Special Olympics GB National Summer Games will bring together more than 1,200 athletes from across England, Scotland and Wales to take part in a series of single-sport competitions alongside a multi-sport event taking place in Birmingham from 27-30 August.
Mitch Camp, Special Olympics GB athlete and chair of its Athlete Leadership Team, said: “My journey started at my local club Special Olympics St Albans, and it’s taken me further than I could have ever imagined.
“Being part of Special Olympics GB has given me the chance to compete, grow and represent something bigger than myself. When people see what we can do, it changes how we’re viewed and what people believe is possible. Partnerships like this with Coca-Cola really matter.”
This marks the first time for the Special Olympics GB National Summer Games where Coca-Cola GB and UK bottler and distributor CCEP will come together in a co-ordinated partnership.
Alongside the firms’ role at Headline Partner, colleagues from across Coca-Cola GB and CCEP will volunteer across the games, with CCEP providing products across them.
Holly Firmin, senior community partnerships manager at CCEP, said: “Coca-Cola and Special Olympics GB have been partners for nearly 50 years, and this summer we’re bringing the two sides of the Coca-Cola system together to show up for athletes in more places – with colleagues volunteering on the ground at the Games, and activations like Meals That Matter running alongside.
“From the field of play to the supermarket shelf, we’re helping make sure Special Olympics GB athletes are seen, celebrated and recognised as the role models they are. It’s a partnership I’m incredibly proud to be part of.”
