GlaxoSmithKline celebrates its role in supporting the biggest anti-doping operation in the history of the Olympic Games

GSK today marks its role as Official Laboratory Services Provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by launching its first UK advertising campaign to celebrate the role that anti-doping science will play in helping ensure this summer’s Games are the cleanest possible.

The campaign launches on the day the official London 2012 anti-doping laboratory, provided by GSK in partnership with the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and King’s College London, becomes operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More tests will be carried out at the London 2012 lab, based at GSK’s Harlow site, than at any other Games with every medallist and up to 50 per cent of all competing athletes being tested.

From today, the new campaign, featuring British Olympians and Paralympians including Phillips Idowu, Beth Tweddle, David Weir, Graham Edmunds and Marlon Devonish, will celebrate the motivation and ambition that drives athletes to perform and win drug-free. The campaign will appear on television and outdoor advertising space across the UK and includes the UK’s largest London2012 outdoor sign, which covers GSK’s Brentford headquarters.

Phil Thompson, Senior Vice President, Global Communications at GlaxoSmithKline, said: “Our contribution to the London 2012 Games, through our partnership with LOCOG and King’s, is to help ensure that every medal winner can celebrate their athletic achievement in the knowledge they have won through a fair competition. Our advertising campaign aims to showcase the hard work, determination and natural ability that is central to each athlete’s performance.”

Marlon Devonish, Olympic gold medallist and one of the athletes featured in the campaign, said: “Winning an Olympic medal is the best feeling in the world and as an athlete it’s so important to know that anyone who stands on the podium has got there through their own hard work and dedication, not by doping. The work done by GlaxoSmithKline, LOCOG and King’s to provide the London 2012 anti-doping programme helps to give athletes the assurance that the Games will be fair and athletes are competing clean.”

Graham Edmunds, Paralympic gold medallist, whose image appears on the side of GSK’s headquarters, said: “Winning medals is like an addiction; once you have one, you want another. It’s my biggest motivation. And knowing you’ve reached the podium because of all the hard work you’ve put in; 9 sessions a week, 2 hours each session, 3 gym sessions a week for four years, is the greatest feeling. I’m confident that everything possible is being done to catch drug cheats at London 2012 and that makes these Games really special.”

Jonathan Harris, Head of Anti-Doping at The Organising Committee for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, said: “The fight against doping within sport continues. GSK have been instrumental in providing services to help us deliver the anti-doping programme for the Games and with their help we have a state of the art laboratory with the ability to process a record number of tests during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

The television advert will first air on the 16 July at 8.45pm BST on ITV and be seen throughout the Games. The outdoor advertising executions will appear from Monday 23 July.