The London Assembly finds fast food and sugary drinks inappropriate for the athletic contest

By: Sean Flynn, Junior Writer July 06, 2012 @ 2:54 PM

While McDonald’s finalizes plans to open its largest store in celebration of the London Olympics, it doesn’t appear that the celebratory sentiment is shared by all. Opponents of the burger giant and Coca-Cola are increasing their efforts to ban the popular fast food giants from the London 2012 Games according to the Huffington Post.

The London Assembly has voted on a call to ban the two mega sponsors from the London 2012 Games. The argument is that high-calorie drink and high-fat fast food companies should not financially support the display of the world’s best athletic talent, reported the Huffington Post.

The motion agreed upon on Wednesday calls for a host of issues to be addressed for future Olympic Games. Plans call for the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to recommend that the International Olympic Committee selects sponsors with no relation to unhealthy food or drink and for the Mayor of London to encourage the organizers to select sponsors for sporting events that don’t include food or drink. Lastly, the motion calls for restrictions on advertising at major sporting events by food and drink companies, according to The Telegraph.

Both companies have a long history with the Olympic Games making the potential ban that much more difficult. Coca-Cola is the longest-running sponsor of both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games dating back to 1928, according to the Coca-Cola website. McDonald’s became a sponsor in 1968, when the company airlifted hamburgers to U.S. athletes in Grenoble, France after they reported being homesick for McDonald’s food, according to McDonald’s.

Sean Flynn is a Junior Writer for The Daily Meal. Follow him on Twitter @BuffaloFlynn

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