Sponsors are becoming more visible at the Winter Olympics with product placement and arena shoutouts

MILAN — Eileen Gu and all the other freestyle skiers wait for their scores by a large Powerade-branded cooler, then glide away without taking a drink.

Bottles of the blue sports drink are stacked in hockey penalty boxes. Even the tissues in figure skating's drama-packed ''Kiss and Cry'' area are branded.

One way the Olympics generally stand out is by the absence of advertising on courses, rinks and slopes. But increasingly at the Milan Cortina Games, sponsors are creeping into the action.

''We continue to open up those opportunities for partners,'' International Olympic Committee marketing director Anne-Sophie Voumard said Wednesday, noting sponsor products can now ''organically be present'' more widely.

The change has seemingly accelerated since French luxury goods maker LVMH prominently placed its Louis Vuitton brand at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

''It seems like there's been an increasing need and desire from the sponsors for the IOC to show greater value in the TOP program (for the biggest partners)," Terrence Burns, who has worked for the Olympic body in marketing and consulted for sponsors and hosting bids, told The Associated Press.

There's product placement on TV, even if it is still restrained compared to most American sports. Spectators inside the Olympic arenas hear shoutouts by the announcers and see logos on the big screen.

The IOC is looking to create extra value in its TOP program, which has been a financial success for the organization over four decades. There are 11 TOP sponsors in Milan, after peaking at 15 in Paris. Revenue in 2025 dropped a bit to $560 million in cash and services compared to $871 million in 2024.

Watching a hockey game in the arena is different

An Olympic hockey game looks clean and non-commercial on TV to NHL fans used to seeing sponsors on the boards. It's a little different in the venue.

''This is the Corona Cero wave!'' roars an announcer, attaching an alcohol-free beer brand to efforts to liven up fans at a quiet afternoon game with a wave around the arena.

An automaker gets a mention with the ''Stellantis Freeze Cam'' and an interview with a boxer during the intermission between periods is ''thanks to Salomon,'' a skiwear brand that signed a sponsor deal with the Milan Cortina organizing committee.

''I think it's a psychological ‘Attaboy' to see your brand on a board somewhere in and around the Olympics," Burns said. "I get it, but show me how that helps you sell more things.''

A long-term trend ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

The Olympic Charter, a kind of constitution for the Games, says any logo in an Olympic venue must be approved ''on an exceptional basis,'' but the IOC has gradually relaxed its restrictions.

''The Olympic world moves slow, and it should. It's a 3,000-year-old brand, so they've got to be careful with it,'' Burns said.

Barely a decade ago, the ''clean venue'' policy was so strict that IOC staff checked the hand dryers in arena bathrooms to make sure they had their manufacturer's brand covered with tape.

The Paris Olympics saw medals delivered to the podium in Louis Vuitton-branded boxes before athletes were handed a phone for ''the Olympic Victory Selfie, presented by Samsung," a new tradition that's continued at the Milan Cortina Games.

Voumard, the IOC's marketing director, acknowledged the need to "be mindful of the legacy of those (Olympic) Games and the uniqueness of the presentation.''

New opportunities

The Los Angeles Olympics will break new ground on sponsorship.

For the first time, the IOC has approved the selling of naming rights for venues in a pilot program. The volleyball venue in Anaheim will keep its Honda Center name, just like it does for NHL games, and Comcast is putting its brand on a temporary arena for squash.

Burns predicts the IOC might come under pressure from Los Angeles organizers to take further sponsor-friendly steps, and might need to push back on some requests to protect the Olympic brand.

''It's not unreasonable to think that LA would look to what happened in Paris with Louis Vuitton or even Samsung on a podium,'' Burns said.

"It's their fiduciary responsibility to try to make as much money as they can. So they're going to be looking for any and all opportunities to generate incremental revenue from sponsors. That's the IOC's role as a franchisor to protect that."

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AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar contributed to this report.