Coca-Cola Co.'s sponsorship of the Beijing summer games could draw criticism in the company's home market as the Olympic torch makes its way next week to the United States.

The International Campaign for Tibet, a Washington, D.C.,-based group chaired by activist and actor Richard Gere, said it plans to hold a rally along with a dozen other organizations Tuesday in San Francisco on the eve of the torch run through that city.

AP (ENLARGE)

In this photo from 2004, actor Richard Gere appears at a Moscow exhibition of his photography from travels in Tibet, India and Nepal.

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Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, one of three corporate sponsors of the torch run, likely will be cited at the rally during official speeches, John Ackerly, president of the International Campaign for Tibet, said Wednesday.

Officials of the group, which has about 100,000 members worldwide, hope to have a conversation soon with Coca-Cola about its ties to the torch run and the Olympic Games, Ackerly said. The group's initial concern is that the torch run's route through Tibet when it returns to China will lead to further unrest, he said.

"We want to see them (Coca-Cola) be a force for good and to work, whether it's behind the scenes or overtly, to try to ensure people's lives aren't adversely affected by the torch going through their towns," Ackerly said.

Coca-Cola, an Olympic supporter since 1928, declined to comment on specific protests or requests by pro-Tibet groups concerning the Olympic Games.

"The Coca-Cola Co. joins others in expressing deep concern for the situation on the ground in Tibet," the company said through a statement. "We know that all parties involved hope for a peaceful resolution. While it would be an inappropriate role for sponsors to comment on the political situation of individual nations, as the longest-standing sponsor of the Olympic movement, we firmly believe that the Olympics are a force for good."

The buildup to the Beijing Olympics follows confrontations between Chinese authorities and protesters in Tibet, an area in central Asia controlled by China. A protester disrupted the ceremony starting the torch run last week in Greece.

Coca-Cola, Samsung Electronics and computer-maker Lenovo are the three corporate sponsors for the Olympic torch run. A consortium of pro-Tibet groups led by London-based Free Tibet Campaign sent a letter last month to Coca-Cola's chairman and chief executive, Neville Isdell, that called for the company to renounce its sponsorship of the torch relay and publicly ask for China to release all Tibetan political prisoners.

The International Campaign for Tibet signed the letter, but Ackerly said he does not necessarily expect Coca-Cola to pull its sponsorship.

His group would like Olympic officials and the sponsors to reconsider the route through Tibet. Ackerly said his members have been in touch with Tibet residents who report Chinese officials are moving through Tibet to weed out possible protesters.

"Unless there's some significant changes to the route, we think it may be more appropriate for Coke to remove themselves from that portion of the torch relay," Ackerly said.