Crown caps covering beer bottles filled with Olympics logo on bottles of Corona Cero alcohol-free beer on a production line during a press visit at the Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBEV) brewery in Leuven. AB InBev, will be a World Olympic Partner until 2028

For the first time, spectators will be able to sip the official beer of the Olympic Games. But the tipple won't go to their heads: it will be the alcohol-free version of the popular Mexican brand Corona. The International Olympic Committee made the partnership with Anheuser-Busch InBev official earlier this year; teaming up for both the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games.

The breakthrough deal with Belgian-Brazilian beer giant, is just the latest sign of the growing market for zero-alcohol brews according to Agence France-Presse.

"All brewers are moving towards alcohol-free or low-alcohol beverages," Krishan Maudgal, director of the Belgian Brewers Association, told AFP.

That's the case even in Belgium, where the centuries-old brewing heritage is recognised by UNESCO and the alcohol percentage in beers made by Trappist monks can reach double digits.

"Twenty or 30 years ago it was more a case of increasing the alcohol content, but now we've reversed the trend and are lowering it," Maudgal said.

Against a backdrop of declining beer consumption — down by 40 percent in the last 20 years in Belgium — he says producers are "listening to the market" and adapting to drinking habits that have become more responsible.

"Among consumers there is a trend in favour of moderation and well-being, this trend is happening everywhere," said Andres Penate, one of the vice presidents of AB InBev, the world's largest brewer.

"It's more towards drinking better, drinking less, not about not drinking," he explained.

As proof, the brewer -- which also makes Stella Artois, Budweiser and Leffe -- will double production of its Corona Cero beer at its Belgian plant this year compared to last.



Zero-alcohol beer has been around for decades, but was long derided as a watery version of the real thing. But as the market has grown, brewers have upped their game and spent big on making their products more palatable.

According to drinks market analyst IWSR, the market for non-alcoholic or low-alcohol drinks, including wine, cider and spirits, is now worth over $13 billion (12.1 billion euros) worldwide. Beer is by far the most popular product among "alcohol-free" fans.

In Europe alone, non-alcoholic beer is worth $3 billion (2.8 billion Euros) a year, and sales are growing steadily, with Spain and Germany leading the way. In France, "consumer interest in non-alcoholic beers has been growing for five to ten years, and this is now a fundamental trend", said Magali Filhue, from the country's brewers' association.