McDonald's(R) to Sponsor 'Champion' Children From Around the World at Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

McDonald's(R) to Sponsor 'Champion' Children From Around the World at Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

August 08, 2007

Olympian Michael Phelps to Serve as Global Ambassador


    OAK BROOK, Ill., Aug. 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- As part
of McDonald's ongoing commitment to children, the company
will launch its newest Olympic Games program, McDonald's
Champion Kids, on Aug. 9, 2007 in Beijing.

    ( Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070807/AQTU080LOGO)  

    The program will enable up to 300 kids from around the
world to travel to the 2008 Olympic Games to share their
stories and experiences with their local communities and
hometown news outlets.  Through this once-in-a-lifetime
journey, the children will have the chance to see the
Games, meet Olympic athletes, visit cultural sights and
interact with kids from across the globe.  

    Six-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps will
serve as McDonald's Global Ambassador for the program. 
Joining Phelps to kick-off the program at a special media
event Aug. 9 in Beijing will be International Olympic
Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge, Executive Vice
President of the Beijing Organizing Committee of the
Olympic Games (BOCOG) Mr. Wang Wei, People's Republic of
China Olympic gold medalist and McDonald's Champion Kids
Ambassador in China Guo Jingjing, and other local
dignitaries.

    "With the McDonald's Champion Kids program, we are
making a significant investment to give hundreds of children
the experience of a lifetime," said Mary Dillon,
McDonald's Global Chief Marketing Officer.  "These
kids will reach out to thousands more, connecting with
their worldwide peers to communicate the sights and sounds
of the Olympic Games and the fascinating culture of China. 
It's another example of our commitment to the enrichment of
children."

    Support for the Program

    "McDonald's unique Champion Kids program mirrors
the passion we have for bringing together youth from around
the world, connecting cultures and communities as only the
Olympic Movement can," said IOC President Jacques
Rogge. 

    "McDonald's is providing a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity for children around the world," said
Phelps. "For the kids to experience China and the
world's greatest sporting event at one time is simply
incredible."

    McDonald's Olympic Games Activation

    In addition to the McDonald's Champion Kids program,
the company will 
    activate its most comprehensive Olympic Games plan to
date, which 
    includes: 

    -- Feeding the World's Athletes - For the seventh
consecutive Games, 
       McDonald's will be the Official Restaurant of the
Olympic Games.  The 
       company is planning to build four restaurants in
Beijing. One 
       restaurant will be in the Athlete's Village, where
McDonald's will be 
       the only branded restaurant to feed the athletes,
giving them a taste 
       of home while in China.  The three other McDonald's
restaurants will 
       serve spectators, officials and coaches, as well as
the 20,000 media 
       expected on site. Customers will find a wide variety
of products, 
       including favorites such as the Big Mac(R) sandwich
and World Famous 
       Fries(TM), as well as Premium Chicken offerings and
Fruit n' Yogurt 
       Parfaits. 

    -- McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew - McDonald's will
honor an 
       unprecedented number of restaurant employees by
bringing 1,200 best of 
       the best restaurant crew from China and around the
world to the Games 
       to experience the fun and excitement of serving the
world's best 
       athletes, as well as spectators and media. 

    -- Giving Back - As part of McDonald's Olympic Games
tradition to give 
       back to the host city, the company will make a
lasting contribution to 
       the host city of Beijing through Ronald McDonald
House Charities(R). 

    -- Bringing the Games to Life - McDonald's restaurants
around the world 
       will bring the excitement of the Games to life for
their customers in a
       variety of local promotions and activities.


    McDonald's Olympic Games History

    McDonald's became an Official Sponsor of the Olympic
Games in 1976 and has a long-standing commitment to the
Olympic Movement. At the 1968 Olympic Winter Games,
McDonald's airlifted hamburgers to U.S. athletes competing
in Grenoble, France, after they reported being homesick for
McDonald's food.  Since then, the company has served its
menu of choice and variety to millions of athletes,
coaches, their families and fans. The Beijing 2008 Olympic
Games mark McDonald's sixth Olympic Games as a Worldwide
Partner and seventh as the Official Restaurant of the
Olympic Games. McDonald's current sponsorship will continue
through the 2012 Games in London.  

    McDonald's is the leading global foodservice retailer
with more than 30,000 local restaurants in 118 countries.
Approximately 70 percent of McDonald's restaurants
worldwide are owned and operated by independent local men
and women. Please visit http://www.mcdonalds.com to learn
more about the company.

    For free video content from McDonald's, please log on
to http://www.thenewsmarket.com/mcdonalds to preview and
request video.  



    For more information, please contact:

    Lisa Howard, McDonald's
    Tel:   [phone]
    Email: [e-mail]

    Ben Lincoln, GolinHarris
    Tel:   [phone]
    Email: [e-mail] 

    McDonald's Olympic Press Kit:
     http://www.mcdepk.com/2008OlympicGames