CJ Joins Korea Sports Council as Official Partner
Provides Korean Food to Athletes
Operates Korea House to Promote Korean Culture and Cuisine
OB Beer and Paris Baguette Also Sponsor Activities
The opening of the Summer Olympics, held in Paris, France for the first time in 100 years, is just about a week away. The domestic food industry, which deals with food, alcoholic beverages, drinks, and baking, plans to focus on promoting K-food in Europe to capitalize on the Olympic boom.
CJ Group, National Representative of K-Food and K-Culture
Exterior view of Korea House operated by CJ Group in downtown Paris during the 2024 Paris Olympics period [Photo by CJ]
According to related industries on the 18th, CJ Group, as an official partner of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, will support the Team Korea athletes with Korean food products during the 2024 Paris Olympics, held from the 26th of this month to the 11th of next month, and will promote Korean culture and cuisine at the Korea House throughout the event.
CJ CheilJedang, CJ’s food and food service affiliate, presented a Bibigo package consisting of various products such as bone rib soup, king dumplings, whole shrimp dumplings, and rice tteokbokki to the swimming team at a media day event held last month at the Jincheon Training Center. During the Paris Olympics, Korean food will also be provided to Team Korea athletes at the Korea House athlete lounge.
The Paris Olympic Korea House, set up by CJ in the heart of Paris, will serve not only to support the national team but also as a "national promotion center" to introduce Korean culture and food to visitors from around the world during the event. CJ is participating as the title sponsor of Korea House and jointly developed the key visual for Korea House.
Additionally, various joint marketing collaborations such as on-site promotions and global digital expansion will be conducted. Within Korea House, dedicated promotional spaces for CJ Group and 'bibigo'?the 'CJ Group Pavilion' and 'bibigo Zone'?will be established to convey the message that CJ is the best K-culture icon.
At the CJ Group Pavilion, globally popular CJ Group’s mainstream products and content (K-food, K-beauty, K-drama, K-movie, K-pop) will be showcased through videos, images, poster walls, and photo booths. The bibigo Zone, inspired by Korean ‘markets,’ will present a space where visitors can experience the taste and value of Korean cuisine through K-street food, which is currently gaining interest in Europe.
Before the opening of the event, the Korea House opening ceremony dinner on the 25th will be handled by CJ CheilJedang’s Korean food globalization project ‘Cuisine. K.’ Cuisine. K is a project launched by CJ CheilJedang in May 2023. Following the philosophy of CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, who aims for "people worldwide to enjoy Korean food at least once or twice a week," the project discovers and nurtures promising Korean chefs.
CJ Group has supported the national team for seven years, including this Olympics, in partnership with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee. Since last year, CJ Corporation has been listed as a first-class official partner (holding company division) of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee. Kim Hong-gi, CEO of CJ, said, "Through the Korea House marketing collaboration at the 2024 Paris Olympics, we will contribute to promoting Korean culture worldwide."
K-Alcoholic Beverages and K-Desserts Cheer for Medal Challenges
OB Beer’s Cass is participating as the only domestic alcoholic beverage brand as an official partner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the Paris Olympics. Cass will lead cheering marketing during the event with Cass Fresh and the non-alcoholic beverage Cass 0.0. This is the first time a non-alcoholic beverage from an alcoholic brand has been designated as an official global partner of the Olympics. Therefore, Cass 0.0 can be easily accessed anywhere, such as local restaurants and homes, regardless of the situation or time while enjoying Olympic events. OB Beer also plans to operate 'Cass Pocha,' themed on Korean alcoholic beverage culture, at Korea House near the Eiffel Tower.
Baek Ha-jun, CEO of OB Beer, emphasized, "Cass has been with people during moments of celebration and cheers," adding, "It is a beer brand that aligns with the spirit pursued by the global festival, the Olympics."
SPC Group’s bakery brand Paris Baguette is also an official partner of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and supports Team Korea, the national team. About 30,000 bakery products, including bread and desserts made at five Paris Baguette stores in Paris, the home of bread, will be sponsored to the local training camp and Korea House. Paris Baguette signed a sponsorship agreement with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee in May and acquired rights to use the committee’s emblem and official partner name, as well as marketing promotions utilizing the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and Team Korea emblems, national team, and character ‘Dally’ until the end of 2028.
In addition, Coca-Cola’s sports drink Powerade plans to provide beverages for athletes throughout the venues during the event. They have appointed fencing national team member Oh Sang-wook, swimming national team member Hwang Sun-woo, and table tennis national team member Shin Yu-bin as brand models and are running the 'My Moment, Unstoppable Power' campaign. Coca-Cola has been an IOC Olympic partner for nearly 100 years since the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.
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