The Winter Olympic Games are coming up. The Czech Olympic Committee and Visa showed the way to modern sports marketing in Prague

With the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the marketing strategies of the Olympic Movement partners are becoming even more essential. It was in this spirit that the first Visa Olympic Marketing Activation Summit 2025 took place in Prague, bringing together an inspiring gathering of Visa representatives, National Olympic Committees and marketing experts from across the Central European region.

The Summit, led by the Czech Olympic Committee (COC) in partnership with Visa, became a platform for exchanging experiences and sharing successful marketing activations across markets - from Poland, Hungary, Slovakia to Romania, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Serbia. 

A number of concrete examples and experiences were presented in the presence of top representatives, including the Chairman (President) of the COC, Jiří Kejval. The international agency 160over90, which represents Visa globally in the field of sports marketing, also played an important role. 

"I am pleased that we are succeeding in activating our Olympic partnership not only on a global level, but especially on a local level. Through the Czech Olympic Committee's proactive approach, we have jointly implemented a number of successful projects. We have created a communication platform connecting Olympic partners, which is a tool for developing new opportunities. I am already looking forward to further joint activities in connection with the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Games," said Svetla Košková, Visa Marketing Director for the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. 

The Czech model of cooperation impressed the whole region. 

One of the key points of the programme was the presentation of the Czech approach to Visa's Olympic brand activation, which has long been considered one of the most active and effective in the CEE region. 

"We are pleased that our cooperation with our TOP partner, Visa, is one of the most active in the CEE region. Together we have managed to build a long-term local 'flame to flame' marketing activation that is a great inspiration for other National Olympic Committees," said Zoran Bartek, COC Marketing Director.

 A shared vision for the Olympic future

The meeting brought not only inspiration and exchange of successful projects, but also concrete proposals for further cooperation within the upcoming Olympic cycle. Participants agreed that such an international platform has the potential to become a key tool for strengthening the brand of the Olympic movement across markets. With the forthcoming Games in Milan and Cortina, a strong foundation for further growth and innovation in sports marketing is being created.