The Coca-Cola Company has today invited everyone to Move to the Beat in celebration of the nation’s Future Flames – inspirational young people selected by Coca-Cola to become Olympic Torchbearers – as it announced plans to host four special city celebrations – presented by Coca-Cola, along the route of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.

The four large-scale, free-ticketed special evening celebrations will be held in Cardiff’s Cooper’s Field on May 25th, Glasgow’s George Square on June 8th, Temple Newsam Park in Leeds on June 24th, and Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham on June 30th. Each event will be headlined by one of the UK’s foremost music acts, with the full line up to be confirmed later this spring.

As a Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola is helping the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and host Local Authorities to bring music and celebration to every corner of the UK through the Olympic Torch Relay’s Evening Celebrations, showcasing up and coming music talent along with some of the country’s best loved stars.

The Coca-Cola Company, the longest continuous sponsor of the Olympic Movement, is encouraging everyone in the UK to register for free tickets to the events in Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds and Birmingham and to bring friends and family along to celebrate their local Future Flames and to participate in the magic of the Olympic Games. All tickets for this event are available via registration at http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/coca-colacelebrations.

James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, said:
“London 2012 represents the most ambitious sponsorship activity in our 84 year history as a Worldwide Olympic partner.  We know that music brings people together in celebration and we’re delighted that by fusing music and sport, we’re giving young people even more opportunities to participate in the magic of London 2012.  We’re calling on everyone to register for tickets for the four special city events so that they can come down and Move to the Beat in celebration of the local Future Flames who have carried the Olympic Flame through their community.”

These exciting events mark the next step in Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Olympic Torch Relay, uniting its two campaigns, Move To The Beat, which fuses music and sport to bring teens closer to the Olympic Games through a unique collaboration with GRAMMY award-winning producer Mark Ronson and chart topping dub-step vocalist Katy B, and Future Flames, Coca-Cola’s Olympic Torch Relay campaign which celebrates the best of British youth by giving them the once in a lifetime chance to carry the Olympic Flame.

Details of the full line ups of the Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds and Birmingham events will be announced in due course. To register for the chance to get free tickets, please visit http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/coca-colacelebrations.

ENDS

For further information, please contact Blue Rubicon on behalf of Coca-Cola:
Ali McInerney, David Godfrey, Jack Hart: 020 7260 2700 cocacolaolympicpress@bluerubicon.com or firstname.lastname@bluerubicon.com

Notes to editors

About the Olympic Torch Relay Evening Celebrations
To register for the chance to get free tickets for the Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds or Birmingham Evening Celebrations, please visit http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/coca-colacelebrations.
Further details about the 61 Evening Celebrations, including how to attend are currently being finalised.  More information will be available through www.london2012.com/olympictorchrelay nearer to the start of the Olympic Torch Relay.

About Coca-Cola Future Flames
Coca-Cola is using its sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic Games to shine a light on the best of British youth by recognising, rewarding and inspiring the young people who use their passions to help make Britain Burn Brighter. As a Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay, we are rewarding those who have made a positive contribution to their local communities and the environment with a once in a lifetime opportunity to carry the Olympic Flame. As part of this commitment, Coca-Cola has commissioned a Pavilion to celebrate the best of British youth.

About Coca-Cola and the Olympic Movement
The Coca-Cola Company has been continuously associated with the Olympic Games since 1928 – longer than any other corporate sponsor of the Olympic Movement. The Company works with National Olympic Committees in more than 200 countries to help athletes train and compete. More than 90 percent of Coca-Cola’s investment in the Olympic Games is directed to athlete development and to assist in staging the Games. Products of The Coca-Cola Company refresh athletes, volunteers, officials and spectators during the Olympic Games. The Coca-Cola Company is the exclusive nonalcoholic beverage provider to the Olympic Games through to 2020.

About Coca-Cola and the Olympic Torch Relay
The Coca-Cola Company’s first official involvement with the Olympic Torch Relay occurred with the introduction of the International Olympic Torchbearers Program, sponsored by Coca-Cola, for the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, a program that was reprised in Lillehammer in 1994. London 2012 marks the eighth time that Coca-Cola has served as a Presenting Sponsor of the Olympic Torch Relay including Atlanta (‘96), Nagano (‘98), Salt Lake City (’02), Athens (‘04), Torino (’06), Beijing (‘08) and Vancouver (‘10).

What is the Olympic Torch Relay?
The Olympic Flame is one of the enduring symbols of the Olympic Games, representing peace, unity and friendship. As it is carried around the UK for the Olympic Torch Relay it will bring the spirit of the Games to everyone.

Lit in Olympia, Greece, in a traditional ceremony, the Olympic Flame will be taken on a short relay in Greece before arriving in the UK on 18th May 2012.

On a 70-day journey across the UK, the Flame will be carried by 8,000 Torchbearers, generating excitement as it makes its way to London and the Opening Ceremony of the Games. The Flame will come within a one-hour journey for 95 per cent of the population of the UK – with entertainment, shows and concerts marking its arrival at each stop.

What is an Olympic Torchbearer?
Olympic Torchbearers will run one leg (approximately 300 metres) of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, which takes place between 19th May and 27th July 2012.

Coca-Cola has awarded Torchbearer places to nominees who, in the opinion of a panel of judges, most deserve to carry the Olympic Flame.

Olympic Football in Glasgow
Glasgow is a Host Venue for the Olympic Football Tournament and eight matches will kick-off at the city’s Hampden Stadium on the 25th, 26th & 28th July and 1st & 3rd August.   Ticket information can be found at: http://www.london2012.com/hampden-park