Popularized between 2021 and 2023, GLP-1 drugs have become all the rage. As the new band-aid weight-loss solution, products such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Ro have moved from pharmacy counters into mainstream media, promising quick and efficient ways to keep the weight off. During coverage of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on CBC Gem, advertisements for Ozempic began appearing in between sporting events—an unexpected pairing for a global event built to celebrate athletic performance.
Originally developed for patients with type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 agonists work to regulate blood sugar, slow digestion, and increase feelings of fullness. Drugs like Ozempic contain semaglutide, a compound that stimulates insulin release while suppressing appetite, leading many patients to experience significant weight loss. What began as a metabolic treatment has quickly evolved into a cultural phenomenon, with a recent survey suggesting that about three million Canadian adults are currently taking GLP-1 drugs.
Seeing these medications advertised during Olympic coverage raises questions about how/and where pharmaceutical products like Ozempic should enter the public eye, especially when they appear alongside an elite athletic competition.
In Canada, prescription drug advertising is tightly restricted under the Food and Drugs Act and Food and Drug Regulations. Given the strict guidelines, pharmaceutical companies rely on ‘reminder ads,’ which may name a prescription drug but cannot mention what it treats, and ‘help-seeking messages,’ which discuss a disease or condition but do not identify a specific medication for it, prompting viewers to consult their healthcare providers.
Concurrently, these direct-to-consumer ads communicate vague and ambiguous drug information to Canadians. When these ads appear during major international sports broadcasts, they can blur the line between public health information and pharmaceutical marketing.
In an interview with The Tribune, Etay Ben-Eli, U3 Kinesiology, spoke about the implications of advertising Ozempic during the Olympic Games.
“These are the elite athletes of the planet. These are top-shape individuals being advertised beside something that’s either used for diabetes or for extreme weight-loss or for people who have difficulty losing weight,” Ben-Eli said. “It’s just especially shocking to see that in the Olympic Games, where there’s so many people watching, kids included.”
This juxtaposition is what viewers witnessed firsthand. In one moment, hockey fans watched Mitch Marner score a heroic overtime goal for Team Canada against Czechia in the Olympic quarterfinals—an impressive display of speed, endurance, and precision. Seconds later, the broadcast cut to a commercial break featuring an advertisement for Ozempic.
The use of elite athletes to promote GLP-1 drugs extends beyond Olympic broadcasts. During the 2026 Super Bowl, 23-time Grand Slam champion and all-time tennis great Serena Williams appeared in an advertisement for Ro, a telehealth-based weight loss program that provides access to GLP-1 medications. The commercial featured Williams using a GLP-1 drug, framing the medication as a tool for weight loss and self-improvement.
“There’s kind of this sad reality that these companies are almost not selling medication. They’re just searching for profit and they’re using elite athletes to sell [the idea] that this is not just a medication for people who need it, this is just an easy fix to a common problem or even a nothing-problem,” Ben-Eli said. “I don’t understand why Serena Williams would ever endorse this medication, or even take it. She’s in incredible shape and is one of the best athletes on the planet. So it’s sad to see the stretch that they’ve gone to convince people that this [drug] should be normalized.”
The growing presence of GLP-1 advertising in major sporting broadcasts raises questions about how these messages shape public perception. When 30.5 million Canadians tuned into the 2026 Olympic Games, frequent drug advertisements blurred the line between medical treatment and lifestyle marketing. Media organizations such as CBC Gem risk facing increased scrutiny regarding the role they play in disseminating pharmaceutical messaging and its potential impact on audiences.
“These are giant corporations and they need to be careful about the messages that they portray,” Ben-Eli explained. “So I think to myself, CBC, do all they care about is just making deals with companies to just put some money in the back of their pocket? Or do they actually care about the sports they’re showing?”
