Jamie Oliver Wants New Olympic Sponsors

Jamie Oliver wants new Olympic sponsors

If Jamie Oliver has his way, there won't be any Golden Arches decorating the Olympics this year—just gold medals. England's beloved celebrity chef, an advocate for healthy eating and children's nutrition, wants to prevent certain brands from sponsoring the Olympics. Announcing this ambition for the first time in an interview with the Telegraph, he singles out McDonald's and Coca-Cola.

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Oliver has his sights set on the 2020 Olympics in Japan (not this summer's Rio Games) and has already approached investors with the idea. He has started raising funds for a food certification that will highlight only ethically sourced items with a certain nutritional standard. He hopes only brands that meet his criteria will be eligible for sponsorship.

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Coca-Cola has been a sponsor of the Olympics since 1928, and McDonald's has been involved since 1976.

With such long legacies, it's not surprising that this isn't the first time someone has questioned the role of companies like this at the biggest athletic event in the world. Some may recall "Chipgate" during London's 2012 games, when customers couldn't buy only fries from fish-and-chips shops; they had to buy fish and chips due to contractual restrictions from McD's. The controversy led many to question the validity of a fast-food company at the Olympics in the first place.

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Oliver tells the newspaper, "It's probably my most audacious thing I've dreamt up. And I don't know if I have what it takes to pull it off."

Let the games being.

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