'Powerade' Innergear campaign shows athletes as you've never seen them before

‘Powerade', the Official Sports Drink of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and Team GB, today launches a brand new advertising campaign featuring Team GB Athletes as you've never seen them before.    

Phillips Idowu (Athletics), Rebecca Romero (Cycling) and Gregor Tait (Aquatics) were photographed for the advertising campaign by renowned photographer Nadav Kander, and are featured doing their individual sports stripped of all their performance clothing, captured without their outer gear.  The images highlight their strength, fitness and power and show the effort and commitment that is put into their training and being at the top of their sport.  

The essence of the new InnerGear concept for ‘Powerade' illustrates that no matter how sophisticated an athletes' outer gear (sports kit), it is not effective without your Innergear - what you put inside your body.  Research has shown that as little as a 2% drop in hydration can seriously affect an athlete's performance, and elite athletes in Beijing will have to combat the extreme weather conditions if they are to compete with the best in the world. 

Kander's portraits, which were shot in June in London's Caledonian Road, feature the athletes competing in their individual events - Idowu in the Triple Jump, Romero in Track Cycling and Tait in Backstroke. All three athletes were chosen as a showcase of the diversity of talent present in Team GB and are just some of the many Olympic medal hopefuls from the home nations at next week's Olympic Games in Beijing. 

The images will form the basis of a print and outdoor advertising campaign running on billboards and in press throughout the UK during the Olympic Games. 

Phillips Idowu commented: "This is definitely one of the more unusual shoots I've taken part in, but also one of the most enjoyable. Nadav made us all feel really comfortable, and we had a lot of fun. The Inner Gear for an athlete - how we train, what we eat, drink and when we sleep - is as important as what we wear, and it's great that a campaign like this brings it to life." 

Cathryn Sleight, Marketing Director, Coca-Cola Great Britain, commented: "Everyone is used to seeing athletes in competition or winning, but we wanted to give people the chance to see the real make-up of an athlete and their muscle and power, celebrating the body and spirit and the hard work that goes into training for all athletes whatever your level. The shots look fantastic and are powerful images which are a testament to Nadav, showing our three athletes as you've never seen them before." 

As the Official Sports Drink of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, over 10,000 athletes will drink ‘Powerade' during the 16 days of competitive action. ‘Powerade' has been developed by sports scientists to enhance performance through energy and hydration. 

Team GB will also be supplied with ‘Powerade' Pro at the Olympic Games, an elite product developed by ‘Powerade' and the Olympic Medical Institute, which has been specially formulated for the elite hydration requirements at high temperatures. 

‘Powerade' Pro offers athletes a unique formula with fewer carbohydrates (4%) to help increase the rate of fluid uptake, and greater sodium content (40mM), which increases the uptake and retention of fluid.  

For more information on ‘Powerade' and Team GB visit www.powerade.com

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Team GB is expected to consist of approximately 300 athletes and a further 200 officials.

Team GB is competing in 20 sports.  

For further information and photography, please contact:  Simon Ansell / Arron Duddin at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment T: 020 7544 3737 / 020 7544 3881                                                 M: 07802 704 048 / 07809 299 823                     simona@mcsaatchi.com / arron.duddin@mcsaatchi.com  

‘Powerade' is a registered trademark of The Coca-Cola Company