Procter & Gamble Continues Commitment to Olympic Movement With Worldwide TOP Sponsorship Program Deal, New U.S. Olympic Committee Donation

CINCINNATI, July 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced the most far-reaching global partnership for the next five Olympic Games from London 2012 through the 2020 Olympic Games.  

The breadth of P&G's portfolio, which includes 22 brands generating $1 billion or more in annual sales, and the depth of P&G's reach to four billion people worldwide, makes this the most far-reaching Olympic partnership.  Some of P&G's most iconic brands participating in the partnership include Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Always, Whisper, Crest, Pantene and Olay.

The company also reaffirmed its continuing support of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and announced an additional $50,000 donation to help cover training and expenses for elite U.S. athletes.  The company said that the new global Olympic partnership only adds to its support of the USOC, a deal which began leading into the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and one which will now also run through 2020.

"We are thrilled to continue our commitment to the global Olympic Movement with our new global Olympic partnership, but also by showing the families of all U.S. Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls that we appreciate their dedication to Team USA," said Kirk Perry, Vice President, North America, Procter & Gamble.  "We are proud to help the USOC with this new, additional donation and continue to value our partnership with this organization whose purpose of improving lives through sport so closely matches our own of touching and improving more lives, more completely."

Perry added that due to the success seen during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, P&G is in the early stages of evaluating plans to host a family home facility at the London 2012 Olympic Games for all U.S. athletes, similar to the one in Vancouver at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.  The P&G Family Home was a place where all U.S. athletes and their families could relax, do laundry, entertain their children, and participate in other family activities.

"P&G is proud to support the Olympic Movement for the next 10 years," said P&G Global Marketing and Brand Building Officer, Marc Pritchard.  "But, we know from our successful results in Vancouver that this is about much more than a sponsorship.  For P&G, it's about partnering with the IOC to make life better for athletes, moms and their families as we take the Olympic Movement to our four billion consumers around the world that our brands already serve."

P&G will continue helping athletes, moms and families immediately.  As part of the 'Proud Sponsor of Moms' campaign, the company will continue its 'Thank You Mom' program in conjunction with the IOC's inaugural Youth Olympic Games to be held in Singapore from Aug. 14-26, 2010.  P&G will help up to 25 moms of Youth Olympic athletes from around the world, including three mothers of U.S. athletes, with their travel and lodging costs so they can be in Singapore with their children as they compete.  

IOC President Jacques Rogge said, "Procter & Gamble is a first class company and we are absolutely delighted to announce we will be partnering with them through 2020.  P&G's global reach and consumer insight will be a real boost in our efforts to communicate the Olympic values to a worldwide audience and their financial support over the next decade will benefit the entire Olympic Movement including the athletes themselves."

P&G has partnered with the moms of six high-profile Olympians from across the world and the mom of a U.S. Paralympian.  They will provide the type of insight only the mom of an Olympian can share in an effort to most effectively deliver 'Proud Sponsor of Moms' programs to touch and improve the lives of athletes, moms and families around the world.  The moms include:  Debbie Phelps (mom of U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps), Marlene Shirley (mom of U.S. Paralympic sprinter Marlon Shirley), Jennifer Bolt (mom of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt), Rosemary Jones (mum of Australian swimmer Leisel Jones), Cao Lihua (mom of Chinese beach volleyball player Xue Chen), Aster Menagesha (Mom of Ethiopian long-distance runner Meseret Defar) and Pat Radcliffe (mum of British long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe).

To celebrate the dedication and sacrifice of moms, families and their Olympians, P&G will produce a documentary video series called "Raising an Olympian, The P&G Momumentary Project."  The video series will tell the stories of Olympic hopefuls as seen through the eyes of their moms.  It will air leading up to and during the London 2012 Olympic Games and will aim to answer the question, "What does it take to raise an Olympian?"

"As we look forward to the next Olympic and Paralympic Games, we are thankful for P&G's commitment to the USOC and to the moms of our athletes," said USOC Chief Executive Officer Scott Blackmun. "The generosity of P&G helps shape the athletes of our nation.  With the announcement of the new IOC sponsorship, P&G has shown its dedication to the Olympic Movement, not only domestically, but on a global scale."

About Procter & Gamble

Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes approximately 135,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About the USOC

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the sole entity in the United States whose mission involves training, entering and underwriting the full expenses for the U.S. teams in the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. In addition to being the steward of the U.S. Olympic Movement, the USOC is the moving force for support of sports in the United States that are on the program of the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. Please visit www.teamusa.org for more information.

SOURCE Procter & Gamble