Molson Coors Canada has unveiled the 10 athletes it will be supporting before and during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games through its “Fund a Champion” program.
Each member of the team, which includes ski cross athlete Georgia Simmerling, bobsleigh team member Cody Sorensen, short track speed skater Jessica Hewitt and pairs figure skater Eric Radford will be given a portion of the $100,000 Molson Coors Canada has pledged as they finalize their preparations for the Olympics in February.
Madeline Burch, marketing manager, Molson Canadian, Molson Coors Canada, tells MiC the brand’s Olympic plans also 
include making Molson Canadian’s Victory Bottle available to people across the country with 625 ml versions in stores during the games.
Molson Canadian’s Victory Bottle was first made famous by the Canadian women’s hockey team following their Gold medal win at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and has since been sent to Canadian winners at events like the Junos and Grey Cup, says Burch. This is the first time the smaller size (the usual celebration size is three litres) will be available to Canadians for purchase.
Burch says the beer brand’s role as an official supporter of the Canadian Olympic Team allows the company to expand its target beyond the typical LDA to 34-year-old male audience it reaches through its sponsorship of hockey in Canada.
“The Olympics are a time when the entire country comes together so our target market for the campaign is really quite broad, ranging from LDA to 50 or 60,” she says.
In addition to sponsoring Canadians as they prepare for the Olympics, Molson Coors Canada will be bringing its passport beer fridge to Canada House in Sochi, as well as 58,000 beers to help athletes and visitors at Games celebrate, adds Burch.
The beer company will also unveil a media campaign around the Games closer to the end of the year.
Photo (left to right): Georgia Simmerling of Canada’s Olympic team, Ferg Devins, chief corporate affairs officer, Molson Coors Canada and Cody Sorensen from Canada’s Olympic team at the “Fund a Champion” launch event.
