Spiked

As we prepare ourselves for the sports fest which will be London 2012 behind the scenes there are frantic negotiations to avoid huge potential embarrassment on the medal podiums. Assuming that any of our superstars make it that far, the BOA has imposed conditions on British team members which mean they must wear Adidas footwear as well as Adidas team kit when receiving their medals. The British Olympic Team Agreement, which our competitors must sign as a pre condition of participation, stipulates that team members must wear official Adidas team clothing and footwear around the Olympic village and on the medal podium. Athletes can wear any brand of footwear during competition because there is an exception for 'technical equipment'. Many of our top Olympic contenders, such as Mo Farah and Mark Cavendish,  are sponsored by Adidas' deadly commercial rival, Nike. They will be contracted to wear Nike footwear at the Games. Indeed they will be using Nike footwear when competing. Can the BOA enforce this condition of participation obliging athletes to ditch their sponsor for the medal ceremony? Some of these sponsors have travelled with the athlete for years providing the support which culminates with Olympics. Nike is said to be making representations to the BOA. There is too much pressure on Team GB to achieve results for it to seriously consider enforcement. Similar team agreements were in place at the last 2 Summer games, but athletes still appeared on podiums in rival footwear. Some have suggested that, rather than wear a rival brand's footwear, medallists will appear barefoot on the podium. Such is the reality of modern olympian commercialism. Whatever happened to idealism?
The BOA Team Members Agreement runs to 34 pages and is the most comprehensive such document in the history of Britain's participation in the Games. This is due to the unparalleled commercial opportunities afforded by a home Games. BOA claims that participation depends upon signing the agreement. Through the document the BOA lays claim to the IP Rights of team members.  The BOA refers to them as 'Athletes' Attributes' and they include all aspects of the individual - name, nickname, image, signature, performance etc. Athletes cede these for nothing. Medal winners will appear on special edition Royal Mail postage stamps for which they will receive £10,000.
The agreement also imposes conduct obligations. In line with the Olympic Charter athletes are banned from displaying commercial or political symbols and this applies equally to tattoos, body piercings and jewellery. Athletes will not be allowed to criticise fellow athletes or the BOA or even the Games themselves and this includes official sponsors as well. Responding to criticism about restrictions on athletes' freedom of speech, Andy Hunt of Team GB claimed 'We spent over a year discussing this with athletes, agents, governing bodies and so on to make sure it embeds issues relating to the Olympic Charter and other areas which athletes have bought into. I'm confident its not trying to restrict free speech. That's not the intent'.  Nonetheless athletes cannot mention a non Games sponsor until 3 days after the Games. They are forbidden from betting on any event or providing information or assistance as to the state of health etc of any performer in the Games.
Stella McCartney has designed the official GB Adidas kit. Further rules prohibit athletes from selling or adapting the kit which is to be worn on all official engagements.
Mercifully athletes are allowed to donate certain items of kit to non political charities. Even then the BOA retain s the right to recover one item from each athlete for further commercial exploitation.