McDonald's Olympic action

With a Chicken McNugget in one hand and his ski poles in the other, U.S. ski team member and defending moguls world champion Patrick Deneen answered the question, "How do you McNugget?" for an upcoming television ad showcasing McDonald's sponsorship as the official restaurant of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. With a broad smile, Deneen dipped his McNugget in one of the restaurant's signature sauces before launching into the powdery snow surrounding him.

The commercial was one of a number of signature programs the international fast-food chain announced during a webcast this month. For the eighth consecutive Olympic Games, McDonald's is the official food provider for the Olympic athletes. Three Olympic McDonald's restaurants will be opened in Vancouver and Whistler to feed the more than 10,000 athletes, coaches and officials and the more than 3,000 media representatives expected at the Games.

"Athletes continue to tell us they love our quality food when training or celebrating wins at the Games, and it's one of the reasons we're proud to be the only brand serving them as the Official Restaurant of the Olympic Games," McDonald's chief marketing officer Mary Dillon said. "We're thrilled our food can play a special role in their lives and for our more than 58 million customers every day around the world."

In addition to Deneen, U.S. Olympians such as snowboarders Graham Watanabe and Kelly Clark, speed skaters Jennifer Rodriguez and J.R. Celski, hockey players Dustin Byfuglien and Angela Ruggiero, and Paralympic alpine skier Sean Halsted will be featured on the company's cups and bags at 15,000 of the restaurant's U.S. locations starting Feb. 1.

McDonald's Olympic ties date back to the 1968 Winter Games when the restaurant airlifted some of its signature items to U.S. athletes craving McDonald's burgers and fries in Grenoble, France. In the more than four decades since, the fast-food giant has expanded its Olympic efforts to include programs like McDonald's Champion Kids where children ages 6 to14 from around the world get to experience and report home on the Games first-hand. McDonald's Champion Kids debuted during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. For Vancouver, kids from the U.S., Germany, Ukraine and England will attend the Games, meet athletes and visit the Olympic Village.

U.S. Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson served as a judge and helped select the 10 U.S. children who will represent the United States as McDonald's Champion Kids.

"It's an amazing program, it's for kids and it really gives them the opportunity to see what the Olympics are about," said Johnson, who captured an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Games in Beijing. "I was inspired by the kids' creativity and the effort they put into their essays. It was incredible to tell the winners they were heading to the Games. The Olympic Games changed my life and I'm excited to watch the Games impact the lives of the 2010 McDonald's Champion Kids."

Kids aren't the only non-athletes getting in on the McDonald's Olympic action. The restaurant will honor 300 of its highest performing employees from locations across Canada by making them members of the McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew.

The crew will serve a menu of favorites to the world's finest athletes and coaches during the Games. That menu will include some items specially created for Vancouver. Some include the Crème Brulee Crunch McFlurry and the S'mores Pie, a pocket-like crust filled with melted chocolate and marshmallow. The restaurant's Happy Meals will also feature interactive toys of the Vancouver Olympic mascots.

"It's going to be an unforgettable experience," Champion Crew member Drew Kuramoto said.

McDonald's has joined forces with other 2010 Olympic sponsors in an effort to make the Games carbon neutral for the first time in Olympic history. The restaurant's three Olympic venues will be fitted with energy-efficient lighting and equipment. The equipment from those restaurants will be reused at McDonald's restaurants in Canada after the Winter Games have ended.

The recent webcast was just a sneak peak into the many Vancouver Olympic Winter Games promotions McDonald's has planned. The company will announce more Olympic campaigns in a global news conference on Feb. 11, the day before the Opening Ceremony, from Vancouver.

"In addition to feeding the athletes, there is something for everyone to celebrate the Games at our 1,400 McDonald's restaurants across Canada," said McDonald's Canada president John Betts. "We want our customers to know McDonald's is their Olympic Games headquarters and we look forward to welcoming the world to celebrate with us."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Annabelle Tometich is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.

Tags: 2010 Olympic Winter Games , Annabelle Tometich, Dustin Byfuglien, J.R. Celski, Jennifer Rodriguez, Kelly Clark, McDonald’s, Patrick Deneen, Sean Halsted, Shawn Johnson, Vancouver, Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games