AS boxes of Reebok running shoes and sandals arrived as gifts to Irish athletes in the Olympic village here yesterday, the unseemly and long running (to coin a phrase) dispute over which brand of clothing Irish athletes will wear while competing took yet another twist.
Yesterday evening a general meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted unanimously to strengthen the IOC's position on the issue of athletes clothing, thus ensuring that its national committees derive maximum benefit from Olympics related clothing deals.
As a result Irish athletes will be free to choose their brand of clothing for competition. Athletes with their own endorsement deals will be free to wear the clothing of their sponsoring company.
The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) and Bord Luthcleas Eireann (BLE, the national athletics body) have been at loggerheads for over a year on behalf of their respective sportswear sponsors. Reebok have a deal with the OCI which they believed covered the Olympic Games. BLE have a deal with Asics which they also claim covered the Games.
The dispute centred on the claim by BLE that what the Olympic charter describes as "specialist clothing" actually encompassed athletes singlets and shorts. The Olympic Charter grants control of all clothing deals to national Olympic councils, but makes an exception in the case of athletes who need specialist clothing. Irish athletes travelling to Atlanta were provided with separate sets of gear one set from Reebok, the other set from Asics.
It had been thought that, as a compromise, athletes would wear Reebok gear in the Olympic village and Asics gear on the track and for medal ceremonies. Such an outcome to the squabble would have represented a significant victory for Asics and BLE.
Reebok, the second ranked clothing company in the world, have a longstanding endorsement and sponsorship deal with Sonia O'Sullivan, Ireland's highest profile athlete and strongest medal hope. In the publicity wars, having O'Sullivan breast the tape bedecked in Reebok logos with the world watching would be a huge help in cracking open the lucrative and burgeoning female market which Reebok cut its teeth in.
The decision taken originally at IOC executive board was put to the general assembly of the IQC yesterday and (critically for the BLE) there were no objections or abstentions, even from International Amateur Athletics Federation president, Dr Primo Nebiolo.
Yesterday's IOC ruling was hailed as "complete and utter victory" by Irish IOC member Patrick Hickey, who made his maiden speech to the assembly in the course of the debate. The Olympic Council of Ireland now have complete control of all commercial sponsorship of athletes clothing. Singlet and shorts are not regarded as specialised equipment.
The Olympic Council of Ireland will not seek at this late stage, however, to force athletes to wear Reebok clothing.
"In a magnanimous gesture, the OCI is not going to do anything about the arrangements of the Irish athletes at this stage," an OCI spokesman said yesterday afternoon "They can wear whatever they want. They can wear whatever singlets they have. This will apply for this Games only."
