The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
WORLD cricket governing body, the International Cricket Council have entered into a five-year global tactical joint venture with the international leading beverage company, Coca-Cola to celebrate one of the world’s most popular sports – cricket together with its global events.
The five-year agreement, announced on Thursday will see The Coca-Cola Company’s brands becoming exclusive non-alcoholic beverage partners of the ICC until 2023. It includes all ICC events around the world including the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales, the ICC men’s and women’s T20 World Cups in Australia in 2020, the ICC Women’s World Cup 2021 in New Zealand and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India in 2023 amongst other global tournaments.
According to the statement released by ICC, significantly, the partnership will strategically align both the ICC and The Coca-Cola Company for the long-term by combining the strength of The Coca-Cola Company’s diversified portfolio of over 500 brands as well as worldwide reach with ICC’s ambition to expand the sport’s footprint globally.
Commenting on the partnership, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “It is our pleasure to welcome Coca-Cola on board as an ICC partner for the next five years. As one of the world’s biggest sports with more than 1 billion fans we are delighted to partner with Coca-Cola, one of the biggest brands in the world.
“The ICC is committed to growing the game worldwide and the popularity of the three formats with pinnacle global events in each makes this an exciting time for major brands to be associated with our sport.”
Speaking on the occasion, Thirumalai Krishnakumar, President, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, said: “Cricket is a global sport and a passion shared by more than a billion people across gender, generations and cultures. In-line with our long history of partnering with major sporting events globally, our strategic partnership with ICC, reinforces our long-standing commitment to refresh sports fans and enhance their entertainment experience. We look forward to delighting our consumers with our diverse portfolio and engagement opportunities to create unique experiences for fans through the next five years and even beyond that.”
Vijay Parasuraman Vice President – Marketing, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia: “Consumers at the heart of Coca-Cola’s beverage portfolio. The company is acutely attuned to their preferences and continuously looks at innovative ways to connect people with our brands. As part of our partnership with ICC to inspire moments of optimism and happiness amongst consumers, we will also offer fans a chance to watch the 2019 ICC World Cup matches live.”
The Coca-Cola Company has an eight-decade long association with Olympics, four decades with the Fifa and nearly 25 years with Rugby World Cup. The associations stem from Coca-Cola’s philosophy of being part of consumers’ lives and their passions.
ICC’s partnership with Coca-Cola brings an end to their long standing relationship with another global beverage giant, Pepsi who have sponsored previous Cricket World Cups.
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