Eli Lilly expands sports-health partnerships with eczema awareness and official 2026 Winter Olympics partner

Eli Lilly is putting on its gear with a slew of new sports based partnerships. As part of National Eczema Awareness Month, the pharma giant partnered with U.S. Olympic gold medalist Erin Jackson, who is the newest ambassador for Ebglyss – the brand’s injectable medication for eczema. 

At an event hosted at Chelsea Piers in New York on Tuesday, Jackson shared her journey with eczema, alongside a professional pianist named Justine and board-certified dermatologist Dr. Camille Howard. She touched on the importance of being a Black ambassador, especially as the condition appears differently in pigmented skin. 

During the panel, Dr. Howard discussed how eczema flare ups often present themselves as blue/gray patches on pigmented skin, and the importance of being aware of the symptoms for potential diagnosis. 

Both Jackson and Justine shared how the condition seeped into their professional life, affecting their capability to do what they do best. 

“It was getting hard to keep up with what I was doing,” said Jackson. 

While she is an ambassador for Ebglyss, Jackson is not on the treatment. Justine is and talked about her upkeep where she administers the treatment to herself bi-weekly. 

“After a while, you can also talk to your doctor about administering things monthly,” said Justine. “For me, it was 15 seconds of pain in exchange for relief I needed.”

In addition to the eczema partnership, Eli Lilly also announced that it will be officially partnering with Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics Milano Cortina. 

The company will be supporting a roster of seven U.S. Olympians and Paralympians throughout their journey, focusing on their overall holistic path. 

U.S. Olympic bobsledder Elana Myers Taylor, the most celebrated Black athlete in Winter Olympic history, is among the roster. 

Alongside Jackson and Myers Taylor, other Olympians include Madison Chock for figure skating, Erin Jackson for speedskating, Maddie Mastro for halfpipe snowboarding, Mikaela Shiffrin for alpine skiing and U.S. Paralympians Oksana Masters for para Nordic skiing and para biathlon and Jack Wallace for sled hockey. 

Lilly noted that it will be donating $5,000 to U.S. non-profit organizations for charitable programs that extend health access for Americans. It noted that the program has already generated $2.6 million for over 24 organizations across the country. 

“Every Olympic and Paralympic Games, athletes achieve new goals that once seemed out of reach, or even impossible,” said Jennifer Oleksiw, global chief customer officer at Lilly in a statement.