Statements on sponsorship situation, from EME News (sources: adidas, IAAF, Dentsu)

adidas Golden Mile, adidas GP, June 2015, photo by PhotoRun.net

Statements on sponsorship situation

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MONACO (MON): Adidas is rumoured to be in the process of terminating their sponsorship deal with the IAAF four years early, reports the BBC. Neither the IAAF or Adidas confirmed the situation. The 11-year sponsorship deal with the German sportswear giants was due to run until 2019 and was reportedly worth $33m in finances and value in kind. IAAF said in a statement: “The IAAF is in close contact with all its sponsors and partners as we embark on our reform process”. Also an official Adidas statement is available: “As you know adidas has a clear anti-doping policy in place. Therefore, we are in close contact with the IAAF to learn more about their reform process.” In this situation also IAAF and its worldwide commercial partner Dentsu Inc. are in close and regular contact on all commercial matters and as part of such communication Dentsu’s Executive Officer Kiyoshi Nakamura has expressed that “we have full confidence in the new leadership of the IAAF and the reform process being led by current IAAF President Sebastian Coe and the IAAF World Athletics Series remains an important property within Dentsu’s global sports business portfolio. At the beginning of December 2015, Sebastian Coe visited Tokyo for a first meeting with Dentsu and several of the Official IAAF Partners which was extremely well received.”

Editor’s note: Is adidas really considering leaving the IAAF? Probably the better question is that, is an iconic sponsor unhappy with both its treatment before and after two quite damaging reports on the sport they sponsor? Of course it is?

The level of naivety among some of the media who are covering this sponsorship brouha begs several questions, 1) have they ever been to a track meet? 2) have they ever been to twelve days of world championships, and more, traveled into the bowels of a modern stadium for daily, hourly press conferences?3) who are they talking to, obviously not anyone in management, marketing or communications?

What am I missing?

Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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