Liu Chao (left), the brand manager of Gatorade GCR and Richard Young, the managing director of NFL China Photo: Courtesy of Gatorade

PepsiCo's sports drink brand, Gatorade, announced a partnership with the National Football League (NFL) on May 14. They will jointly promote American football in China with a new nationwide competition, One Pass to Fame.

The competition will be staged in six Chinese cities including Beijing and involves throwing a football into a Gatorade barrel from 15 yards (13.7 meters) away. Regional champions from the six cities will compete against each other in the finals, which will take place during half time at one of the International Series Games in London. The winner will receive a trip to the 2017 Super Bowl in Houston.

Gatorade and NFL also unveiled a limited edition Gatorade bottle bearing a photo of Peyton Manning, the most recent Super Bowl 50 Champion, at the May 14 event. He is the first NFL player to appear on Gatorade bottles in China.