GERMANY: Adidas Loses Olympic Logo Battle

By just-style.com | 4 May 2005

Sportswear giant Adidas-Salomon AG has lost out in a feud over whether athletes can wear garments featuring its three-stripe logo at the Olympic Games.

The company has been informed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that it has lost its 40-year privilege to have a much larger logo on Olympic apparel than its competitors.

Logos on areas bigger than 20 square centimeters will no longer be permitted on kit, as of the Turin 2006 Olympic Games.

Adidas's rivals Nike, Reebok and Puma were last year reported to have appealed to the IOC to stop the company from providing athletes with the three-stripe sportswear, arguing the logo allowed Adidas a marketing advantage.

The company had previously been allowed to have its stripes on the uniforms as they were viewed as design features rather than a brand logo.

Sectors: Apparel, Manufacturing

Companies: Nike, Reebok, Puma