McDonald’s® Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games

For Immediate Release

One-Year-Out Fact Sheet

OAK BROOK, Ill. - Feb. 12, 2009 - There is just one year to go until the 2010 Olympic Winter Games get underway in Vancouver, Canada. As a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Movement, McDonald’s is preparing to once again feed the athletes and share the excitement of the Games with millions of customers across the globe.

Feeding the World’s Best Athletes

As the Official Restaurant of the Olympic Games and the only branded foodservice retailer, McDonald’s is planning three new Olympic venue restaurants:

• Two in the Olympic Villages located in Vancouver and Whistler
• A third in Vancouver for media
• Menu favorites will be served by the McDonald’s Olympic Champion Crew made up of top performing restaurant employees from across Canada
• Spectators will be able to share in the Olympic Spirit and enjoy McDonald’s quality and variety at any of the more than 40 McDonald’s restaurants located in the Vancouver and Whistler areas.

McDonald’s Champion Kids^®

The McDonald’s Champion Kids program debuted in Beijing at the 2008 Olympic Games as part of McDonald’s ongoing commitment to kids. The program provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the Games first-hand.

• For Vancouver, children from Canada and around the world will attend Olympic events and ceremonies, meet athletes, visit the Olympic Village, tour the sites of Vancouver and Whistler, and receive their own gold medals from Olympic champions.
• Some of the children also will serve as special youth correspondents to share their experiences with their hometown news outlets.

Giving Back

As part of McDonald’s Olympic tradition of giving back to the host country, Ronald McDonald House Charities™ will make a lasting contribution to Vancouver that will live beyond the Games.

Environment

In keeping with a green Olympic Games, McDonald’s three new Olympic venue restaurants will be fitted with energy efficient lighting and equipment.

• The equipment and materials from these restaurants will be reused and recycled at McDonald’s restaurants in Canada after the Games have ended.

McDonald’s Canada

As host country and where the first McDonald’s restaurant outside of the U.S. opened in 1967, McDonald’s Canada will activate a wide variety of programs and promotions leading up to and during the Games to celebrate Canada’s Olympic Spirit nationwide. Activities include:

• Special menu promotions
• Television commercials
• Selecting McDonald’s Olympic Champion Crew and Champion Kids from across Canada
• Alliances with top Canadian athletes such as speed skater Cindy Klassen, figure skater Patrick Chan and diver Alexandre Despatie
• McDonald’s Canada will provide ongoing support for McDonald’s 2010 Hopefuls, a program that celebrates the importance of family and community on the journey to the pinnacle of sport. More information is available at www.hopefuls2010.ca.

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, which first began more than 40 years ago. 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 Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games mark McDonald’s seventh Olympic Games as a Worldwide Partner and eighth as the Official Restaurant of the Olympic Games. McDonald’s current sponsorship will continue through the 2012 Summer Games in London.

About McDonald’s

McDonald's is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 31,000 local restaurants in more than 100 countries. More than 75 percent of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by franchisees and affiliates. More information about the Company is available at www.aboutmcdonalds.com.
 
© 2009 McDonald's