UK-based airline, British Airways, the official sponsor for Team GB and ParalympicsGB, has announced film screenings of a number of popular sports films for passengers that fly with the carrier during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The films, which were all nominated by athletes from Great Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic teams, include around 30 titles, such as Coach Carter, a basketball film featuring Samuel L Jackson; Any Given Sunday, by Oliver Stone; Rocky, starring Sylvester Stallone; and the recently released Formula One documentary, Senna.
Team GB rower, Zac Purchase, said, ‘I don’t think you can get better then Al Pacino’s ‘inches’ speech in Any Given Sunday. It’s such a poignant moment, with many true parallels with the way each and every sports person across the world prepares for the performance of their lives.’
Athletes from Team GB and ParalympicsGB have also nominated a range of movies that have sports as diversified as football and Formula One as their background, including Chariots of Fire, Dodgeball, Goal, Bend it like Beckham, Remember the Titans, Million Dollar Baby, Wimbledon, Jerry Maguire, Invincible, Happy Gilmore and Rumble in the Jungle.
British Airways sponsorship manager, Luisa Fernandez, said, ‘We know that customers love catching up on films when they fly, and now they have the opportunity to re-live some of the classic sports films of all time in preparation for the London 2012 Games.’
The airline’s passengers will also be able to enjoy a unique Olympic-inspired menu, created by Michelin star chef, Simon Hulstone, while onboard.