Going for gold at the Atlanta '96 Olympic Games
Going for gold at the Atlanta '96 Olympic Games
Six custom-built Opel Blazers, free tickets to the 1996 Olympic Games, Rp 5 million handed over every night during the Games, and one million free bottles of Coca-Cola -- the soft drink giant is gearing up for the biggest event to hit its hometown of Atlanta since, well, Coca-Cola itself was invented.
To be announced to key customers in Surabaya today, the company's 1996 Olympic Games campaign is designed to ensure Indonesians gain maximum enjoyment from the world's biggest sporting event. Prizes will be awarded nightly during the Games in live broadcasts on RCTI.
"We want to bring Olympic fever to Indonesia," said Jannus Hutapea, Public Relations and External Affairs Manager for PT Coca-Cola Indonesia. "Sport is a source of national pride and an integral part of healthy living. We'll be giving all possible support to our athletes to help them do us proud in Atlanta.
"In addition to supporting international events, Coca-Cola has long been committed to boosting local sports. In 1994, it was the first private firm to receive a national award from the government for sports promotion and development in Indonesia. It is a major sponsor of national and international events taking place here, including soccer, badminton, golf, athletics and most recently, basketball.
Support has come in a variety of ways. Last year, for instance, the company kicked off a special drive to help develop future world champions as part of Indonesia's 50th anniversary. Special cans of Coca-Cola featured pictures and biographies of five of the nation's top athletes and illustrations of the popular sport of basketball.
Rp 20 from the sale of each can was donated to sports development and grass-roots programs in Indonesia, raising a total of Rp 250 million. Coca-Cola worked closely with the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Hayono Isman, in devising the campaign and selecting athletes.
National sports organizations, including those for badminton, archery, boxing, soccer and basketball were also consulted. Athletes were selected according to their success in world competition, sportsmanship, personality and suitability as role models for young Indonesians.
They included Susi Susanti, three-time All England Champion, Olympic gold medalist and most dominant female badminton player in recent history; Nurfitriyana Lantang, one of the country's top female archers; boxer Albert Papilaya; Mardi Lestari, one of the fastest sprinters in Asia; and Kurniawan, the talented young soccer player from West Java who has played with top-rated teams in Europe.
Interestingly, Kurniawan's soccer career started early in the Haornas/Coca-Cola Cup, the country's longest-running youth sports event. Coca-Cola has sponsored the Cup for more than 10 years.
Efforts to promote basketball have included a visit to Indonesia by Houston Rockets star, Hakeem Olajuwon, and his inclusion in a locally-produced Coca-Cola television commercial.
"The Olympic campaign is to kick off on April 15 and run until August 5," said Hutapea. "We'll be backing up our lucky draws with three-minute television vignettes highlighting historic moments from past Olympics."