Coca-Cola has maintained a high profile at the Olympics in Vancouver. (CBC)

A B.C. pediatrician says the association of sponsors like Coca-Cola with the Olympic Games is disappointing and potentially damaging to children.

The Olympics might promote physical activity among young people but that does not make up for the potential harm of too many sweet drinks and too much fast food, according to Dr. Tom Warshawski.

"The nutritional damage so much of their products probably do outweighs or exceeds the good things that happen in terms of physical activity," Warshawski told CBC News Tuesday.

The Kelowna physician, who is also head of the Childhood Obesity Foundation, said the occasional soft drink or hamburger is no big deal. But he said he believes many products offer portions that are too big for children.

"We know that it's very, very difficult to exercise off the calories of all these foods," Warshawski said.

A 13-year-old boy who drank a 591-ml soft drink would have to jog for 50 minutes to burn off the 260 calories the drink contains, he said.

Warshawski said commercials and advertisements showing Olympic champions drinking and eating certain products can be persuasive to children.

"Kids tend to eat while they watch and what they watch," he said.

One prominent Olympic sponsor said athletes do enjoy their products and aren't being disingenuous by doing commercials promoting drinks like Coca-Cola.

"A lot of athletes will tell you they'll actually drink Coke before or after they compete to get that energy boost and refreshment that [it] provides," said Coca-Cola's David Moran.

The company has a policy of not advertising to children, Moran said. He added that Coke is also focusing on smaller portions, as seen in its current campaign promoting 110-calorie bottles.