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."