FROM SCHOOL TO THE MILAN CORTINA 2026 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES: COCA-COLA INVESTS IN THE TALENT OF TOMORROW WITH #YOUTHEMPOWERED

- 10 scholarships worth €4,000 each and a job-shadowing experience during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games

- Free masterclasses to equip young people with the skills required by today’s job market

- A symbolic stop of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Flame Journey on 3 February in Dalmine, at one of the schools participating in the project

Milan, 3 February 2026 – From school to the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, with a clear goal: transforming a major international event into a training opportunity for the professionals of the future in marketing and sales strategies, hospitality, and tourism. This is the vision behind the “Coca-Cola Horeca Masterclass: Towards the Winter Olympic Games”, a series of free masterclasses developed in collaboration with Junior Achievement Italia, which concluded with the awarding of 10 scholarships worth €4,000 and an exclusive job-shadowing experience during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games, working closely with Coca-Cola executives involved in organizing one of the world’s largest events.

“The Winter Olympic Games are much more than a sporting event: they are an opportunity to create long-lasting value for people and local communities. We want to offer young people real opportunities, practical tools, and perspectives that can help them approach the job market with greater awareness,” says Giangiacomo Pierini, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Director at Coca-Cola HBC Italia. “Through this project, which is part of our international #YouthEmpowered program, we want to build a direct relationship with students, share our experience, and invest in tomorrow’s talent, because this is how we build a positive legacy for the industry and for the country.”

The initiative is part of Coca-Cola HBC’s broader #YouthEmpowered program, through which the company aims to inspire, train, and support young people aged 16 to 30 as they transition from school to the job market, offering career guidance services, masterclasses, mentorship, and scholarships to help them build a solid and informed professional path. #YouthEmpowered has engaged over 1 million students internationally, and more than 300,000 young people in Italy since 2018.

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