Corporate narratives in Olympic and Paralympic sponsorship: hybridity in the Milan-Cortina 2026 winter games

Abstract

Purpose The article looks at how sponsors of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games communicate their sponsorship approaches. The analysis is focused on the manner in which sponsors inscribe sustainability, innovation and community interaction into their stories and considers the extent to which these narratives instantiate the new logics of image transfer, institutional legitimacy, capability signalling and commercial platforming. Design/methodology/approach The research is a latent content analysis that is underpinned by a corpus of official press releases and corporate reports issued by Milan-Cortina 2026's business partners, supplemented by semi-structured interviews with sponsorship managers. A coding structure was used to capture thematic categories based on previous sponsorship theory. The analysis was taken in an interpretive direction to examine how sponsorship logics were framed, with particular focus on the representation of sustainability, innovation, inclusivity and Paralympic participation. Findings The findings indicate that sponsorship strategy in Milan-Cortina 2026 has diverse strategies. Image transfer remains central but is always supplemented with legitimacy building through environmental and social responsibility, and capability shown through innovation and technology showcases and commercial activation on consumer and business-to-business routes. Press releases of the Paralympic Games indicate the ways in which diversity and inclusion narratives are leveraged to advance legitimacy and brand differentiation positioning. However, authenticity threats in sustainability communication exist alongside over-alignment with institutional narratives. The research demands integrated strategies able to balance reputational, business and social objectives. Originality/value The article contributes to sponsorship research, offering one of the first integrated analyses of partner communications during the 2026 Winter Games. The research takes theoretical discussions one step further to connect sponsorship logics with real corporate communications behaviour, demonstrating how hybridity characterises contemporary Olympic sponsorship. For professionals, the study points out three significant implications: sponsorship must be addressed as a multi-dimensional platform; the narrative of sustainability and inclusion must be authentic in lessening reputational risk and the Paralympics present an under-recognised but compelling ground for identity formation and long-term differentiation of brands.