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Otsuka Pharmaceuticals signed a partnership contract for the 17th Asian Games (Incheon 2014) and the 18th Asian Games (Hanoi 2019) at the General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia that was held in Manila, the Philippines on January 18. This contract makes Otsuka Pharmaceuticals’ POCARI SWEAT the official drink of the Asian Games, the largest sports competition in Asia, through 2019 and the sole Japanese corporate sponsor.
The first Asian Games were held in 1951 in New Delhi, India and only 500 competitors from 11 countries participated. At the 16th Asian Games, however, which were held in 2010 in Guangzhou, China, 9704 competitors from 45 countries participated, making the Asian Games the largest sporting event in Asia. The Asian Games are referred to as the Asian Olympics, governed by the Olympic Council of Asia, and boasts the largest number of sporting competitions in the world. They are held once every 4 years, and starting with the 2019 Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, they will be held on the year before the Olympics, a timing which is expected to further increase their profile as a prelude to the Olympics.
Hanoi, with a population of 6.5 million, is the second-largest city in Vietnam. After it was announced that the 2019 Asian Games would be held in Vietnam, the Vietnamese government announced plans to accelerate investment in infrastructure nationwide, and it is said that Vietnam’s GDP growth between 2008 – 2025 will be the highest in the world. POCARI SWEAT’S brand recognition appears poised to increase along with Vietnam’s rapid growth.
The population of Asian Games member countries totals approximately 3.8 billion*1, which accounts for about half of the world population. Otsuka Pharmaceutical believes that sports are an important element of health for people in Asian countries, which are growing and changing dynamically, and will supply POCARI SWEAT as the official drink. This ion beverage is sold in 17 countries and regions, mainly in Asia. POCARI SWEAT quickly replenishes fluids and electrolytes lost through perspiration to support athlete conditioning and aid maximum performance. Otsuka Pharmaceutical is currently the sole Japanese partner of the Games.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical first expanded overseas 40 years ago, starting with Asia (Thailand in 1973, Taiwan and Indonesia in 1974). The OIAA*3 Division is currently expanding both pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals*4 businesses in Asian and Arab countries and business scale has grown tenfold in the last decade.
Otsuka Pharmaceuticals has been an active partner at three past Asian Games (the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, and the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar). During each of these games, Otsuka set up base camps for POCARI SWEAT, the official beverage of the games, in the athletes’ village to provide support activities, focusing on water replenishment, to ensure that the competitors stayed in good condition. Through these activities, Otsuka built a good relationship with the Olympic Council of Asia.
The Incheon Games will open on September 19. The slogan for the Incheon Games is “Diversity Shines Here,” indicating the goal of an athletic competition where all of the competitors can come together as a single family while still respecting each other’s individuality.
In 2014 and 2019 POCARI SWEAT will be the symbol that unites everyone in the Otsuka Group. We look forward to continuing to receive your support and encouragement in the future.