Fast-food row over Olympics sponsors

Fast-food giants are today at the centre of a new row over plans to use the Olympics to promote their products.

McDonald's and Coca-Cola hope to trigger a huge surge in sales through multi-million pound deals to sponsor the Athens Games.

Both companies are preparing mass-marketing campaigns which are their most ambitious yet. But doctors in Britain fear the move will fuel the spiralling obesity problem. They say the world's greatest sporting event should not be associated with such companies and believe organisers should axe them as sponsors.

One in five Britons is dangerously overweight while the number of obese adults worldwide has rocketed from 200million to 300million in the

last eight years. Fast-food firms face mounting criticism over their role - with McDonald's and Coca-Cola widely regarded as two of the worst offenders.

McDonald's, the "official restaurant" for the Games, will have a string of outlets in the athletes' village in Athens, with branches outside for spectators.

It plans global advertising campaigns using the Olympic five rings logo, presenting its meals as a good source of energy for those burning off calories.

Adverts for Coca-Cola will seek to persuade consumers they can share the feelings of global unity created by the Games because the drink is available worldwide.

Dr Ian Campbell, chairman of the Government's National Obesity Forum, said: "These companies are using the Olympics to associate themselves with health and activity at the same time as promoting unhelpful sources of calories such as sugary, fizzy drinks and high-fat foods."

Neither firm will reveal the

value of the sponsorship deals but both describe their investment as "very significant". Both claim they are fulfilling their social responsibilities by offering consumers choice and stressing the importance of exercise.

A Coca-Cola spokeswoman said: "Our brand is about connecting and uniting people. That is what the Olympics are about."

McDonald's says the sponsorship deal is an opportunity to communicate the importance of activity and a healthy lifestyle. Mike Love of McDonald's Europe said: "We see it as part of our social responsibility. It is all about the balance of energy in, energy out."

Jude Cohen of London-based charity Weight Concern said: "There is something terribly hypocritical about McDonald's and Coca-Cola sponsoring the world's greatest sporting event. There are simply not enough hours in the day for most people to burn off the calories you get from eating fries and a Big Mac."

A spokeswoman for the International Olympics Committee said: "McDonald's and Coca-Cola have always been very strong supporters of Olympic values. The key point is that they offer choice. You can go to McDonald's and order a salad if you want."