BP is set to become the main backer of the Cultural Olympiad after becoming the sixth tier-one sponsor of London 2012 in a £50 million deal.
BP announced its aim to support the Cultural Olympiad, a year-long programme of events, which will reach across the country, at the British Museum on 03 July.
The company's Chief Executive Tony Hayward said: "As the UK’s largest firm with headquarters in London, we want to support this momentous event.
"It will also provide a unique opportunity to engage with our own large UK and global workforce, the millions of customers we serve each day and our existing partners in the arts, education and cultural arena.
"Between now and 2012 we will be increasingly targeting our marketing and social engagement activities to reflect the building excitement around the Cultural Olympiad and the Olympic and Paralympic Games."
Plans further advanced than any previous Games
BP will become the third sustainability partner of London 2012, alongside EDF Energy and BT. It won the rights after what Sebastian Coe, the Chairman of London 2012, described as a "drawn-out process that was incredibly competitive."
Coe hailed the signing of a seventh 2012 sponsor to join Lloyds TSB, EDF Energy, adidas, British Airways, BT and tier-two partner Deloitte as a sign that London's Olympic plans are further advanced than any previous Games. He said: "This is a host city that is going into a preceding Olympic Games with six tier-one sponsorships and a tier-two sponsor - something that no other city has done before."
The target for Olympic sponsorship is £750 million.
