As the long-term Worldwide Insurance Partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements from 2021 to 2028, we can connect with even more people and businesses to help them get ready for life. The partnership has already covered the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 (postponed to 2021), Beijing 2022, and now the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, Milano-Cortina 2026 and LA28. This partnership is a big opportunity to drive impact on our strategy along the dimensions of people, business, and brand, and strongly aligns with our corporate values such as fostering a global mindset, diversity, and equality.
Getting ready for Paris 2024
A passion and profession
Eike Bürgel has led the Olympic and Paralympic Program at Allianz since 2018. We recently asked her about the benefit of this partnership for the Allianz brand, people, and business, and she shared the sports discipline she’s most excited about.
Allianz is one of just fifteen Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partners. What does this partnership entail?
On the people side, nothing else empowers, unites, and brings out the best in people like sports – and the Olympic and Paralympic Movements embody the essence of sports and connecting people from all around the world.
From a business perspective, the partnership offers us a unique platform through which we can address current and potential customers worldwide – individuals, families, businesses – and inspire our own employees. We have the chance to enhance our presence in growth markets, expand our strong position in our core European markets and become the insurer of choice in the sports ecosystem.
On the brand side, we’re thrilled to be part of a global community of athletes, sports enthusiasts and fans and can connect with more people than ever before. By connecting our purpose with the Olympic & Paralympic visions of building a better and more inclusive world through sport, we can help more individuals, families, and businesses feel confident about the future.
Allianz has launched a dedicated campaign for the Road to Paris 2024. Can you explain what “Get ready for the best” is all about?
Get ready for the best is a belief that we progress in life when we prepare for the best, rather than fear the worst. And as the Worldwide Insurance Partner this means getting people ready – for sports, for Paris 2024, for life.
While we support athletes year-round in their careers and through mentoring initiatives like The Buddy Program, our focus in the next few months is how we can prepare our customers, fans and the Olympic and Paralympic Movements and its athletes for Paris 2024.
One way we’re telling this story is through our social media campaign as the athletes prepare for the biggest moment of their lives. But it’s not just about the athletes – we’re also celebrating the unsung heroes who help make Paris 2024 happen, such as Chef Charles and the team who will prepare around 40,000 meals per day at The Athletes’ Village.
By being present on the “Road to Paris 2024”, we’re not only celebrating victories but standing with the athletes and key players along the way.
What are you particularly looking forward to at Paris 2024?
Paris 2024 will be the first Summer Edition of the Olympic Games for Allianz. After COVID-19, we will see full stadiums again. We will see fans cheering and that will be amazing. We are looking forward to exciting our customers and business partners, exciting Olympic and Paralympic Games fans, and engaging our employees as we enjoy seeing the athletes competing again.
Paris 2024 will be younger, more inclusive, and more sustainable. It will be the first ever Olympic Games with full gender parity, with the IOC allocating the same number of quota places to female and male athletes.
The Games will also take place right in the heart of Paris. The opening ceremony will be along the Seine. ‘’New’’ urban sports such as breakdance will make their debut. In addition, the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee aims to set a new benchmark for sustainability at the Olympics. This includes using existing infrastructure and leveraging renewable energy.
Together with millions of spectators on site and viewers at home, we want to feel the positive and unifying power of sports and remind ourselves what’s possible when we overcome societal divides.
You’ve been responsible for the partnership since it was announced in 2018. What is your personal Olympic Games highlight?
Everybody has their Olympic or Paralympic Games moment when you first connect with the Movements or the athletes. For me, it’s the 100 meters. I remember first watching it with the whole family in front of the TV as a little kid back in 1984 during the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984.
Many years later, I was lucky enough to be in the stadium in Beijing to see one of my Paralympic role models Heinrich Popow win gold in the 100m there. Tokyo 2020 was another story again – this time, watching from an empty stadium. Each had its own special atmosphere and I hope that in Paris, the athletes get the recognition they deserve in front of a cheering crowd.
Together with the team, we are very much looking forward to creating many of these Olympic and Paralympic Games moments for our colleagues and customers around the world – whether in Paris or at home.
Further information
About Allianz
The Allianz Group is one of the world's leading insurers and asset managers with around 125 million* private and corporate customers in nearly 70 countries. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Allianz is one of the world’s largest investors, managing around 737 billion euros** on behalf of its insurance customers. Furthermore, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz Global Investors manage about 1.7 trillion euros** of third-party assets. Thanks to our systematic integration of ecological and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, we are among the leaders in the insurance industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 2023, over 157,000 employees achieved total business volume of 161.7 billion euros and an operating profit of 14.7 billion euros for the group.
* Including non-consolidated entities with Allianz customers.
** As of December 31, 2023.
** As of December 31, 2023.
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