P&G's Olympic Playbook: Inside the Strategy for Milano Cortina 2026

CINCINNATI, OH – February 02, 2026

As the world turns its eyes toward the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, Worldwide Partner Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) is rolling out its most ambitious athlete support program to date. The consumer goods giant has opened the doors to its new “Champions Clubhouse” in the Milano Olympic Village, a multifaceted hub designed to provide comfort, confidence, and a touch of home to the approximately 3,500 athletes competing.

This initiative marks a significant evolution in corporate sponsorship, moving beyond logos on banners to a deeply integrated system of direct-to-athlete services. The move signals a strategy that is part athlete wellness, part sophisticated marketing, and part long-term legacy building, reflecting a playbook honed over more than a decade of Olympic partnership.

The Unseen Advantage: Powering Performance with Everyday Essentials

For an elite athlete, performance on the world’s biggest stage is the culmination of years of training, where every variable is controlled. In the high-pressure, unfamiliar environment of an Olympic Village, maintaining a sense of routine can be a critical psychological advantage. P&G is banking on this insight by embedding its brands directly into the athletes' daily lives.

The Champions Clubhouse is the centerpiece of this effort. It's not merely a lounge but a collection of bespoke pop-up experiences. Athletes can visit the Head & Shoulders Scalp & Hair Studio for professional styling, the Gillette Barber Shop for a precision shave, or the Tampax BraidBar for a pre-competition boost of confidence. These services offer a moment of personal care that can help athletes feel their best before stepping into the global spotlight.

This on-the-ground support extends beyond the Clubhouse. Every competing athlete will receive a Welcome Kit stocked with premium products like SK-II skincare, Native deodorant (in a debut Italian Vanilla Gelato scent), and Oral-B dental care. Complimentary laundry services powered by Dash and Lenor, along with readily available period products from Always and Tampax, aim to remove everyday concerns, allowing for a singular focus on competition.

“Consistency is confidence for me,” said three-time Olympic medalist Mikaela Shiffrin in a statement. “When my day is anchored by the same P&G essentials that I use and trust every day, it creates continuity... This helps me have fewer distractions, more clarity and the space to focus on skiing my best.”

This approach builds on successful initiatives from past Games. At the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, the company introduced the first-ever Pampers Village Nursery, providing a dedicated space for athlete parents and their children—a tangible solution to a real-world challenge for competitors. For Milano Cortina, P&G will continue this family-focused support with 'Pampers Little Champions Kits' for athletes traveling with small children. By providing these essential comforts, the company aims to deliver an unseen advantage that contributes to an athlete’s overall well-being and performance readiness.

A Masterclass in Marketing and Brand Activation

While the athlete-facing services provide tangible benefits, they are also a key component of a multi-billion-dollar global marketing strategy. P&G’s partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which began in 2010 and is now extended through the LA28 Games, represents a massive investment, with past deals reportedly valued between $150 million and $200 million for a four-year cycle. The return on this investment is measured in brand equity and sales.

The company’s famous “Thank You, Mom” campaign, launched for the 2010 Vancouver Games, is a case study in success, having generated over $200 million in incremental sales and significantly boosting brand familiarity and trust. More recently, the strategy has evolved to focus on both broad emotional connection (“brand love”) and direct product promotion (“brand buy”).

For Milano Cortina 2026, more than 25 of the company's brands will launch Olympic-inspired campaigns, partnering with a roster of high-profile athletes. These include U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu for Venus, Italian speedskater Francesca Lollobrigida for Head & Shoulders, and U.S. Para cross-country skiing legend Oksana Masters for a suite of P&G brands. This strategy turns the athletes not just into endorsers, but into authentic users of the very products being offered in the Village.

“Just as athletes work tirelessly to deliver a superior performance when it matters most, our best performing household and personal care products help athletes, fans and households stay focused on achieving their best,” commented P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard.

This integrated model—linking on-site athlete experiences with global advertising—is designed to convert the immense visibility of the Games into sustained consumer loyalty. In a fiercely competitive market against rivals like Unilever, this comprehensive activation across multiple channels provides a powerful platform to reinforce its targeted 37.4% market share in the household and personal care sector.

Beyond the Gold: A Commitment to Paralympic Legacy

Since securing global rights with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in 2020, P&G has deepened its commitment to using its platform to advance inclusion. The initiatives for Milano Cortina 2026 go beyond the competition, aiming to leave a lasting social legacy in the host country.

P&G Italy is undertaking concrete initiatives to promote and facilitate access to Para sport for young people with disabilities. This includes creating guidance tools for aspiring athletes, supporting school events, and donating equipment. A key part of this effort is the collaboration with the Fondazione Milano Cortina to bring the IPC’s I'mPOSSIBLE educational program into Italian schools. This toolkit, part of the Gen26 legacy program, provides teachers with resources to raise awareness of the Paralympic movement and make physical education more inclusive.

This work in Italy is reflective of a broader corporate citizenship strategy. The company has previously backed the acclaimed Netflix documentary “Rising Phoenix” to foster dialogue around disability and inclusion in sports. Furthermore, the “Athletes for Good Fund,” a joint program with the IOC and IPC, provides grants directly to Olympic and Paralympic athletes to support charitable causes in their communities, focusing on areas like equality, inclusion, and environmental sustainability.

By investing in grassroots development and educational programs, P&G is signaling that its partnership is about more than brand visibility during the two weeks of the Games. It is about contributing to a more inclusive sporting culture and creating a tangible, positive impact that endures long after the closing ceremony. This commitment to social legacy has become a core pillar of its renewed partnership, demonstrating how corporate sponsorship can evolve to serve both business objectives and societal good.