ABSTRACT
From the very beginning of the Olympic movement, civic leaders and entrepreneurs have recognised the political and economic benefits of hosting the Olympic Games, while sponsors have aligned their products with the philosophies of Olympism in the pursuit of ever greater market share. Despite the close relationship between the Olympics and commerce, it has only been over the last two decades that the Olympic movement has capitalised on its global reach and sought to intensively commodify its product. Before the 1980s, the Olympics were supported largely by local business, sponsors and governmental funding, despite the tenets of the ‘amateur spirit’ which demanded that the Games remain ‘pure’ and free from the evils of commercial ventures. Companies such as Kodak and Coca-Cola have been associated with the Olympics since 1896 and the 1920s respectively, and more recently, The Olympic Program (TOP) has provided sponsors with exclusive arrangements designed to showcase their products to a cumulative audience of around eight billion people.
