Coke Recruits Pro-Green Olympic Torchbearers

Olympics torchbearers (l. To r.) Douglas Stoup, Igor Chestin, George Kazantzopoulos, Ioannis Karras, Coke representatives Anastasia Sideri and Dirk Veryser, torchbearer Wang Lee-Hom, and Liu Hong-Liang.

Coca-Cola is combining its global presentation of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay with its environmental advocacy by lining up local pro-green celebrities to carry the flame to the summer games.

Coke launched the Olympic Flame tour last Sunday with a ceremony at Ancient Olympia in Greece, where the first Olympic games were held. The torchbearers planted an olive tree in Pierre de Coubertin Grove, founder of the modern Olympics.

Torchbearers included Igor Chestin, director of the World Wildlife Fund in Russia, global explorer and environmentalist Douglas Stroup and George Kazantzopoulos, vice president of the Hellenic Institute for Environmental Management.

Ancient Olympia was badly damaged in a fire last year, and Coke is aiding the reforestation effort there with a $2 million donation.

“We’ve looked at the Olympic Torch Relay as a way to reinforce Coke’s commitment to environmental sustainability,” said Coca-Cola spokesman Petro Kacur. “The environmental platform as a theme really resonates with our markets around the world.”

Coke has a roster of 100 locally prominent environmentalists who will be torchbearers at events planned around the world leading up to the Beijing games in August. “The Journey of Harmony” is the theme for the tour, which will encompass more than 85,000 miles on five continents over 130 days.

At some locations, Coke will have signage at pre-torch ceremony celebrations or post-ceremony clean-up events.