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IOC Won't Bow to Pressure from Athletes over Ambush Marketing Rule 40 |
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Olympics - 26 Sep 2012 -
Last week, it emerged that Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprint star, and other well-known track and field athletes, including David Rudisha, Kenya’s 800-metres Olympic champion and world record holder, and Bolt’s fellow Jamaican sprinters Yohan Blake and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, had joined the Track and Field Athletes Association, which is campaigning against the rule.
Up to now the association was composed mainly of US athletes.
However, asked by Sportcal whether the IOC is prepared to engage with the athletes to hear and perhaps act on their grievances, the IOC responded: “Corporate sponsorship provides essential support for competing athletes and contributes to the overall success of the Games. Put simply, without the support of our official commercial partners, the Games would not be able to happen.
“Our sponsors’ financial contribution allows athletes from 204 countries to take part in the Games. The majority of them rely on this funding to train and qualify for the Games and do not have the chance to be supported all year long by commercial partners. This is why we ask the athletes to respect rule 40 of the Olympic Charter for the period of only a few weeks every four years.”
During the London 2012 Olympic Games, the athletes launched an online protest against Rule 40. which prevented them from mentioning their sponsors on social networking sites during the games.
Rule 40 aims to protect the games from ambush marketing and ensure that only official games sponsors can be named. It states: "Except as permitted by the IOC executive board, no competitor, coach, trainer or official who participates in the Olympic Games may allow his person, name, picture or sports performances to be used for advertising purposes during the Olympic Games."
Athletes who break the rule can be fined by their national Olympic committee, have their accreditation from a games removed and even be disqualified.
The London 2012 games ended on August 12, and the rule remained in force until three days after the games on August 15.
However, Michael Phelps, the top US swimmer was accused of being in breach of the rule when he featured in an advertising campaign for Louis Vuitton, the fashion brand.
Although the campaign did not officially begin until August 16, after the end of the exclusion period, images from the campaign, featuring pictures of Phelps posing with a Louis Vuitton bag taken by famous photographer Annie Leibovitz, were ‘leaked’ on several websites on August 13, when the blackout was still in force.
Phelps and his agent Peter Carlisle were reported to have denied leaking the pictures, with Carlisle insisting that Phelps had not permitted use of the pictures, but also claiming that “dozens” of “unauthorised” uses of athletes’ names and images occur during each Olympic Games.
Sportcal |
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