Special Olympics Great Britain (GB) has today announced Coca-Cola – alongside Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) - as the Headline Partner of the 2026 National Summer Games – a partnership designed to put athletes with intellectual disabilities in the spotlight as role models.
Special Olympics GB is a movement that uses sport to create a world where people with intellectual disabilities are seen, valued and taken seriously. As a founding partner, The Coca-Cola Company has been part of that journey since 1978.
At the heart of the partnership is a national campaign, launching next month, which will feature Special Olympics GB athletes and celebrate the journey from local community clubs through to national competition – shining a light on athletes as role models and helping more people to see, recognise and be inspired by people with an intellectual disability.
“We believe in the power of sport to bring people together and inspire change," said Dusan Stojankic, General Manager, Coca-Cola GB. "This partnership is about recognising the dedication, talent and potential of athletes with intellectual disabilities, and helping to give them the visibility they deserve. By working together with Special Olympics GB, we hope to inspire more people to see these athletes as role models and believe they can follow in their footsteps.”
Special Olympics GB’s National Summer Games will bring together more than 1,200 athletes from across England, Scotland and Wales, with a series of single-sport competitions taking place nationwide, alongside a multi-sport event in Birmingham from 27-30 August.
For some athletes, the Games will be a stepping stone to the world stage, and to subsequently apply for selection for the 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Chile.
Beyond its National and World Games opportunities, Special Olympics GB has a network of more than 100 grassroots sports clubs, which offer year-round training and competition opportunities for people with an intellectual disability across 27 sports.
Mitch Camp, Special Olympics GB Athlete and Chair of its Athlete Leadership Team said: “My journey started at my local club Special Olympics St Albans, and it’s taken me further than I could have ever imagined.
Being part of Special Olympics GB has given me the chance to compete, grow and represent something bigger than myself. When people see what we can do, it changes how we’re viewed and what people believe is possible. Partnerships like this with Coca-Cola really matter.”
For the first time at the Special Olympics GB National Summer Games, Coca-Cola GB and UK bottler and distributor Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) are coming together in a co-ordinated partnership, which combines brand platform with local activation.
Alongside its role as Headline Partner, colleagues from both Coca-Cola and CCEP will volunteer across the Games, with CCEP also supporting events through the provision of product.
Additionally, following a hugely successful launch in 2025, CCEP is collaborating with Co-op to bring its Meals That Matter meal deal campaign back to supermarkets across the country. Through the campaign, Special Olympics GB athletes are featured prominently at hundreds of Co-op supermarkets nationwide, with a donation made to its transformational work when Coca-Cola products are purchased with selected meal deals.
Holly Firmin, Senior Community Partnerships Manager at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, said: "Coca-Cola and Special Olympics GB have been partners for nearly 50 years, and this summer we're bringing the two sides of the Coca-Cola system together to show up for athletes in more places – with colleagues volunteering on the ground at the Games, and activations like Meals That Matter running alongside. From the field of play to the supermarket shelf, we're helping make sure Special Olympics GB athletes are seen, celebrated and recognised as the role models they are. It's a partnership I'm incredibly proud to be part of."
Laura Baxter MBE, Chief Executive of Special Olympics GB, said: “This partnership is about putting our athletes where they belong, in the spotlight.
When people see Special Olympics GB athletes for who they are - competitors, teammates and role models - it changes perceptions and opens up new possibilities. With Coca-Cola’s support, we’re working to redefine how intellectual disability is seen in sport and society. The Games will be a powerful moment to bring that to life on a national stage.”