Drinks sign up to sport

Euro 2000 may be grabbing the sporting spotlight, but plenty of other brands are lining up behind some of the summer's other major events.

Golf, cricket, tennis, rowing and racing are all getting into full swing for the summer of sport, trusting that not everybody will have their full attention on events in Belgium and Holland.

Wimbledon fortnight starts later this month, and the All England Championship remains a prestigious event for brands to be linked with. Britvic is once again a key sponsor through the Robinsons squash brand, although Coca-Cola is the official cola. Australian wine brand Jacob's Creek is the official wine for the championships.

Perrier, official water for Wimbledon, has produced specially-designed one-litre bottles and 330ml cans for the event, and the distinctive French mineral water will also be seen at Henley and Royal Ascot.

"Leading brands like Perrier associate themselves with conspicuously newsworthy and stylish events, and these shape the attitudes and drinking habits of consumers," said Nikita Droin, managing director of Perrier Vittel UK.

Anheuser-Busch will be continuing its push to make Michelob the beer brand most associated with major golf events. The imported beer is a corporate sponsor for the 2001 Ryder Cup and has already begun to promote this association at European tour events.

The cricket test series between England and West Indies begins this week. The legendary Ian Botham will be heavily involved with Scrumpy Jack cider, which is the official pint of the England team. Botham will feature in on-trade promotional activity and write for the website www.scrumpyjack.com.

Trinidadian lager Carib, imported by Enco Products of Hertfordshire, is sponsoring West Indies, with logos on the players' shirts and other branding.