February 5: Soft drinks brand Coca-Cola has signed an agreement with International Cricket Council (ICC) as the global sponsor of cricket.

Under this global strategic partnership, Coca-Cola will be the official beverage partner of ICC for five years. Issuing a statement on February 3, Coca-Cola said it will sponsor all ICC events around the world, including the ICC Cricket World Cup which will be held this year in England and Wales.

Coca-Cola will also sponsor the ICC men’s and women’s T20 World Cups to be held in 2020 in Australia, ICC Women’s World Cup scheduled to be held in New Zealand in 2021, and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup to be held in India in 2023. This sponsorship agreement will run up to 2023, the statement said.

Coca-Cola claimed that it has been associated with every major sports around the world if looked at history. It is associated with the Olympics since 80 years, 25 years with World Cup Rugby and half a century with FIFA.

Coca-Cola has also contributed in the development of sports in Nepal by sponsoring the Everest Premier League (EPL), T20 cricket tournaments in Nepal and has supported the largest school-level grassroots football tournament in Nepal in association with ANFA (All Nepal Football Association) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports since the last 10 years.