Atos Origin - 2016 partnership

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced an extension to its current partnership with Atos Origin through to 2016, including the XXII Olympic Winter Games (2014) in Sochi, Russia, and the Games of the XXXI Olympiad (2016).

Atos Origin has been a key technology provider for the Olympic Movement since becoming the Worldwide Information Technology Partner in 2001.

IOC President Jacques Rogge welcomed the extension to the Olympic partnership and the continued involvement of Atos Origin in the Olympic Games. “The Olympic Games would not happen without the use of Information Technology.” Rogge said. “We rely on Atos Origin’s world class expertise and experience, and I am absolutely delighted to announce that the IOC will continue its partnership with Atos Origin for a further four years through to 2016”.

Gerhard Heiberg, Chairman of the IOC Marketing Commission, said, “Atos Origin has been a TOP Partner for over eight years and has already committed to partnering with the Olympic Movement through to 2016. The association of its brand with the Olympic Games, as well as its proven capability to deliver major IT solutions, has brought its organisation global recognition.”

Jean-Benoît Gauthier, IOC Director of Technology, said Atos Origin had played a critical role in the success of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, “Atos Origin is able to work with different stakeholders and technology partners, bringing them together to provide a seamless IT solution for the Olympic Games. Atos Origin has demonstrated its ability to deliver a very complex IT system for the Olympic Games on time and to budget through several editions of the Games. In Beijing this process involved years of preparation, over 4,000 IT experts, and 200,000 hours of testing. I’m delighted we will able to rely on Atos Origin for at least another four years.”

Thierry Breton, Chairman and CEO of Atos Origin, said, “We are particularly proud of our long-term partnership with the International Olympic Committee - a relationship based on enduring trust. We will continue to surpass ourselves from one Olympiad to the next, and will commit to deliver high level services as part of our mission for the Olympic Games. Managing this highly complex project and bringing together all the necessary cutting-edge technologies require a unique expertise - the ability to optimally combine processes, technologies and the skills of both our staff and of other partners".

For further information, please contact the IOC Communications Department, Tel: +41 21 621 60 00, email: pressoffice@olympic.org

To contact Atos Origin: Marie-Tatiana Collombert, Tel: + 33 1 55 91 26 33,
email: marie-tatiana.collombert@atosorigin.com

About the International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), created in 1894, is a non-governmental organisation with volunteer members who represent its work around the world, and an administrative staff based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The IOC and its 205 National Olympic Committees worldwide promote the Olympic Movement, whose vision is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport. In addition to selecting the host city and coordinating the staging of the Olympic Games, the IOC and NOCs collaborate with a range of organisations and their members in the public and private sectors to place sport at the service of society. The main goal is to promote the values of Olympism, which include excellence, respect and friendship.

The host city of the 2016 Olympic Games will be announced at the 121st IOC Session, to take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2009.

Worldwide Partners currently confirmed for Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 are:

Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos Origin, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung and Visa.

Atos Origin, Panasonic and Samsung have extended their partnership until 2016.

Coca-Cola’s partnership continues through to 2020.

About Atos Origin

Atos Origin is an international information technology services company. Its business is turning client vision into results through the application of consulting, systems integration and managed operations. The company's annual revenues are EUR 5.5 billion and it employs over 50,000 people in 40 countries. Atos Origin is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic Games and has a client base of international blue-chip companies across all sectors. Atos Origin is quoted on the Paris Eurolist Market and trades as Atos Origin, Atos Worldline and Atos Consulting.

As the Worldwide IT Partner for the Olympic Games, Atos Origin is responsible for developing, running and securing key information systems for the Games, including:

- Core Games management systems for accreditation, workforce management, medical services, sports entries and athletes’ qualification

- The Games Info system for the collection and dissemination of all competition data on the Intranet and Internet to the world’s media

- Operations management of pre-Games central operations, management of the Technology Operations Centre, and coordination of the IT systems at all Games venues

- Security of the Games IT infrastructure

Olympic Legend Presents Torch to Coca-Cola
2009-07-26 18:09

Sergey Bubka, IOC Member and Olympian, made sure an official Beijing 2008 Olympic torch found a new home today amid the extensive Olympic memorabilia on display at the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, USA.

The Beijing Olympic torch joins a collection of Olympic memorabilia that includes seven other Olympic torches, thousands of Olympic-themed pins and artefacts dating as far back as the 1928 Olympic Games, all commemorating the 80-year partnership between Worldwide TOP Partner Coca-Cola and the Olympic Games.

Sergey Bubka, President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, also holds the world record (6.15 metres) in pole vaulting and is a six-time World Champion and Olympic gold medal winner in the event. He attended the ceremony which was directed by Philip Mooney, Director of Heritage Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, who serves as the official archivist of the company.

“Coca-Cola has always embodied the shared optimism and inspiration that is so central to the Olympic Movement,” said Bubka. “Thank you to Coca-Cola for playing such a critical role as a sponsor and representing the spirit of the Games and its enduring traditions so well for the past 80 years.”

The Coca-Cola Company has been involved in eight Olympic Torch Relays over the years”, said Mooney. “These Torch Relays bring the excitement of the Olympic Games to people directly, and we continue to share that spirit today by giving visitors to the World of Coca-Cola an opportunity to see a real Olympic torch up close. This is also part of our vision of continually refreshing the attraction so that our guests have a unique experience every time they visit.”

Visa encouraged kids to draw on their imaginations
2009-07-26 18:09

Visa “Olympics of the Imagination” programme launched four years ago and, since that time, millions of kids have taken part in the competition. Even more impressive is the 255 children from 44 countries aged 10 to 14 who have gotten to attend the Olympic Games in Beijing thanks to Visa.

Olympic spirit
Scot Smythe, Senior Vice President of Visa International, says, "We believe that the unifying nature of the Olympic Games brings together people and communities in a way so as to enhance their lives. The Visa “Olympics of the Imagination” embodied that spirit, bringing together the young people from 18 nations to demonstrate through art the Olympic spirit."

Use your imagination

The programme challenged school children to use their imaginations to create a piece of art based on the theme of global unity: “Show how the Olympic Games connect different cultures and capture the Beijing theme – One World, One Dream.” The winners were given the opportunity to come to Beijing as a guest of Visa Inc.

Thirty winners were chosen based on their various themes: “Dare to Dream”, “Games for Peace”, and “Unified World” were just a few of the innovative ideas thought up by kids from across the globe. The programme began in March of last year and the 30 winners were selected from Brazil, Canada, Caribbean, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

Each country funnels into China

One of the winners, Brianna Hartness of Canada, drew a picture of the Earth with all the countries’ flags channelling into China. The caption read, “Each country funnels into Beijing for the Olympic Games, bringing with them a whirlwind of excitement, energy and competitive spirit.”

McDonald’s honoured kids in its latest programme
2009-07-26 18:09

What do eight-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps and 17-time Olympic sponsor McDonald’s have in common, besides their love of food? The American swimmer was named the Global Ambassador for McDonald’s Champion Kids programme in August 2007.

Eight gold medals
Just days after breaking the record for most gold medals in a single Olympic Games, Phelps visited Beijing with 34 McDonald’s Champion Kids, taking pictures and answering questions. About what he thinks a champion is, Phelps said, “I think the biggest thing is never giving up. You know, there are some things that aren’t always easy, but you just push through the hard times and it all pays off.”

Two hundred kids travelled to China
The programme was created to inspire and engage young people worldwide in activities that encourage sport, fitness and fun, while providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them to experience the Olympic Games first-hand.

This programme has brought more than 200 kids from around the world to Beijing. During their stay, the children are meeting athletes, visiting cultural sights, and attending Olympic events, leaving them with a multitude of stories and experiences to share with family and friends.

A full schedule
“Bringing these kids to Beijing to witness the Olympic Games and the wonders of China is another example of our commitment to children’s well-being,” said Johan Jervoe, Vice President, McDonald’s Global Marketing. More importantly, these kids are making new friends and creating memories that will last them a lifetime.

“McDonald’s has proudly partnered with the Olympic Games for 40 years, and each time, we strived to create programmes that capture the unique spirit of the Games and to engage our customers worldwide,” said Jervoe.

Another first at the Games thanks to Panasonic
2009-07-26 18:09

Giving new meaning to the phrase “the bigger the better,” twelve-time Olympic sponsor Panasonic has been supporting the Olympic Movement since the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games. It is providing more equipment than ever in Beijing, beating the Athens 2004 Olympic Games record by more than one-and-a- half times more devices.

Large array-type speakers

The state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment Panasonic is contributing includes: large-screen display systems, surveillance cameras, broadcast equipment and professional audio systems. RAMSA LA-3 large array-type speakers were unveiled at the Opening Ceremony. Gary Hardesty, Panasonic’s Audio System Consultant says: “This new speaker system features improvements that were designed especially for the Olympic Games, and draws on technology that was developed for our previous, large-venue audio systems.”

A truly large large-screen
Also on show during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be the company’s ASTROVISION large-screen display systems. And according to Panasonic’s Technology Director for the Olympic Project, Yoshiyuki Goto, ASTROVISION displays were first used at the Los Angeles Games in 1984 and have been used in the last 12 consecutive Games. He adds: “As you can imagine, they’ve brought some truly spectacular images to viewers over the years.”advanced, practical HD solutions as the industry transitions to high definition,” says Tadao Shimozuru, Director of Matsushita Electric’s Professional System AV Business Unit.

Coca-Cola’s Top Environmental Sponsorship
2009-07-06 16:43

To coincide with the 8th World Conference on Sport and the Environment, which is being held in Vancouver, Canada, Worldwide TOP Partner Coca-Cola has announced details of its environmental action plan.

The plan demonstrates how the company is using the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games as a forum to showcase its ”Olympic Games Sustainability Programme” and its ongoing environmental commitments.

The Programme was created through consultation with WWF-Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation, and includes targets of 100% collection of all PET containers in the Olympic Village and the venues during the Games, and 100% reduction in Olympic carbon emissions.

Live positively and run with the Torch
Coca-Cola is also rewarding Canadians who Live Positively and reduce their environmental footprint, by providing them with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to carry the Olympic torch in the build-up to the Games. Any Canadian who increases the amount they recycle, conserves energy and water and/or sets examples of environmental sustainability, can nominate themselves to become an Olympic torchbearer by logging on to www.icoke.ca.

Coca-Cola has announced that Gerald Butts, President and CEO, WWF-Canada has been nominated by Coca-Cola as its first environmental Olympic torchbearer. He said: “We are excited by Coke’s commitment to introducing an Olympic Games Sustainability Programme at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and by its efforts to support Canadians in living more sustainable lives."

“Congratulations to Coca-Cola,” says Linda Coady, Vice President, Sustainability, VANOC. “This is an example of a business using its Olympic sponsorship to incorporate and highlight environmental innovation in its own practices.”

For more information on Coca-Cola’s environmental programme in Canada visit:

http://www.cocacola.ca/corporate_responsibility_environment.htm