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Kenyas Eliud Kipchoge delivers running masterclass to retain Olympic marathon title

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Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge delivered a masterclass in running to retain the Olympic title in the men’s marathon at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Report From olympics.com : The Kenyan runner, running in his fourth Olympics, crossed the finish line in Sapporo Odori Park in a time of two hours eight minutes and 38 seconds.

The time was faster than the one he ran to win Olympic gold in Rio in 2016.

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“It means a lot for me, especially at this time,” said Kipchoge on winning his second Olympic gold. 

“It was really hard last year, it (Olympic Games Tokyo 2020) was postponed. I am happy for the local organising committee who made this race happen. 

“It is a sign that shows the world we are heading in the right direction – we are on the right transition to a normal life. 

“I can say congratulations to them that they made this Olympics happen.”

Kipchoge, won bronze in Athens in 2004 and silver in Beijing 2008 in the 5000m, already has a full set of medals thanks to his marathon gold in Rio. 

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But this addition to his collection is Kenya’s fifth medal in the men’s Olympic marathon since the Games in Beijing in 2008.

With this win, Kipchoge joins a select group of runners who have successfully defended the Olympic marathon title. The others are Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila (1960 and 1964) and East Germany’s Waldemar Cierpinski (1976 and 1980). 

“I think I have fulfilled the legacy by winning the marathon for the second time, back-to-back,” Kipchoge added. “I hope now to help inspire the next generation.”

The defending champion was one minute and 20 seconds ahead of the next closest finisher.The race for the silver and bronze came down to a sprint finish. 

Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands outsprinted his training partner, Bashir Abdi of Belgium and Kenya’s Cherono Lawrence to claim the silver in a time of 2:09:58.

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Bashir, the winner of the Boston and Chicago marathons in 2019, finished two seconds later, in 2:10:00, for the bronze. Lawrence was a further two seconds adrift in fourth.

“I love it. I don’t want to mention names but many people they had doubts,” said Nageeye on what winning silver means to him. “They never believed in me. I always believed in myself.” 

“I was a nomad, I packed my bags and trained in France, America, Ethiopia, Kenya. 

“People think I’m doing too many things (with training), but I just kept believing in myself.

“To stand on the podium with (former training partner) Eliud Kipchoge, the greatest of all time – we are still good friends. It is amazing.”

One hundred and five runners started the race in a hot and humid Sapporo, but the conditions soon took their toll, with many high-profile runners and pre-race favourites failing to finish the race.

Uganda’s Stephen Kiprotich, the London 2012 champion and Ethiopia’s Shura Kitata, the 2020 London Marathon champion, were just two of the runners that struggled in the humidity and withdrew in the first 15 kilometres.

Despite the gruelling conditions, Kipchoge, the world record holder, looked comfortable throughout.

In acts that embodied sportsmanship spirit at its finest, the Kenyan collected bottles of water and ice from tables and passed them to his rivals in the early stages of the race.

And in one of the moments to remember from the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Kipchoge was laughing and fist-bumping with Daniel Do Nascimento of Brazil.

“That smile is the happiness,” said Kipchoge, explaining why he was grinning during the race. 

“They say to enjoy this world is to be happy. While you are happy it helps you relax and enjoy the race.”

Having suffered a rare loss in the London Marathon in 2020, Kipchoge was clearly a man on a mission and seemingly back to his dominant best. 

The Kenyan made his move at the 25km mark and added an injection of pace to stretch out the leading group of runners.

Seemingly unphased by going it alone in searing heat, Kipchoge continued to surge clear of the chasing pack, and had a gap of more than one minute with three kilometres to go.

As he approached the line, Kipchoge continued to make the race look easy following a masterful display of his abilities. He smiled and waved at the small, assembled crowd of spectators.

He even took the time to greet and congratulate his fellow marathon runners as the crossed the line for some time after he finished his own race – the mark of a true champion.

Published : August 08, 2021

By : xinhua

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Highlights of Tokyo 2020: New Sports in Olympics

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The Tokyo Olympics have featured a record 33 sports and 339 events.

 In 2016, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved five new sports for the Tokyo Olympic Games, namely baseball and softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing.

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Naito Minori of Japan competes during the softball final between Japan and the United States at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Yokohama, Japan, July 27, 2021.

Jack Lopez of the United States competes during the baseball semifinal match between the United States and South Korea at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Yokohama, Japan, on Aug. 5, 2021.

Published : August 08, 2021

By : xinhua

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Brazil retains Olympic mens football gold medal with extra time goal

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Brazils mens football team successfully defended their Olympic title after beating Spain in the final after 120 minutes.

Brazil retained its Olympic men’s football gold medal with a goal in extra time to beat Spain 2-1 on Saturday.

After its first Olympic gold at Rio 2016, the samba legion repeated its glory at the International Stadium Yokohama, where its national team won the 2002 World Cup.

Brazil missed the chance in the first half to take a lead. Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simon took out Matheus Cunha in the box when trying to clear an incoming pass, and the referee awarded Brazil a penalty.

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Everton forward Richarlison, who came to the final as the tournament’s best scorer with five goals, took to the spot but blazed the ball over the bar.

Brazil found their goal in the additional time of the first half when a floated ball drop into the box and Cunha took control of it ahead of Spanish defenders to put it into the net.

Spain found their equalizer in 61 minutes. Captain Mikel Oyarzabal caught a beautiful cross to hammer home with an unstoppable full volley strike.

Bryan Gil almost delivers the winning goal in the 88th minute for Spain but his powerful strike from outside the box hit the crossbar.

As the match went into extra time, it was brazil who found the winning goal. Malcom, who came out from substitution, powered over Spanish defender in catching an overhead pass and shoot the ball past the Spanish goal keeper in the 108th minute.

Brazil maintained the score until the final whistle and won the match 2-1.

In the Bronze medal match on Friday, Mexico defeated hosts Japan 3-1 in a commanding victory. Sebastian Cordova first scored a penalty for Mexico before assisting two further goals for his teammates. Japan only got one back in the 78th minute.

Published : August 08, 2021

By : xinhua

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Thai golf queens refocus on tour after missing out on Olympic medals

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Thai golf stars Patty Tavatanakit and Ariya Jutanugarn will be hoping to rebound in their professional careers after dismal performances in the Olympic Games TOKYO 2020 womens golf competition, which concluded at the Kasumigaseki Country Club on Saturday.

Ranked 13th in the world, 21-year-old Patty signed off with 68 for a total of 5-under-par 279, 12 shots behind gold medalist Nelly Korda of the US in joint 23rd. Ariya, meanwhile, stumbled to a final-round 72 which saw her finish tied for 43rd on 1-over-par 285.

Thailand, therefore, will have to wait until the 2024 Olympic Games for another shot at its first Olympic medal from golf. The kingdom’s best result in Olympic golf remains Kiradech Aphibarnrat’s fifth-place finish in the men’s individual at the 2016 Rio Games, where golf returned after more than a century away.

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Both Patty and Ariya will have to put their Olympic experience behind them quickly and focus on their next tournament, which is the Women’s Scottish Open, an LPGA-Ladies European co-sanctioned event that starts on August 12.

“I would give myself six out of 10 for my performance this week. I found I was a little sluggish at the beginning because I had not competed for the previous four weeks. I’ve learnt a lesson,” said Thai No 1 Patty.

“I will try to maintain my level for the rest of the season and hope to be in with a chance of winning the Rookie of the Year title,” added the ANA Inspiration champion.

Ariya said she had enjoyed mixed fortunes so far this year, winning two titles this season but not performing at her best during the Olympics.

“I had a bad opening round (hitting a 77) and never seemed to find my momentum after that. My best golf didn’t come during Olympic week. It was not a good week for me at all,” said the 25-year-old former world No 1.

“However, not everything can go our way. I have to cherish the good memories and move on,” she added.

Meanwhile, Japanese hope Mone Inami was tied at 16-under-par 268 with former world No 1 Lydia Ko in regulation but beat the Kiwi in the play-off to win silver by saving par on the 18th. Ko won the bronze after missing her par putt.

Patty Tavatanakit

Ariya Jutanukarn

Published : August 07, 2021

By : The Nation

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Day 14 Roundup: China pockets two golds, Italy and Jamaica win 100m relays

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With another two golds on Day 14, China remains at the top of the medal tally of 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Two golds in table tennis and athletics helped China maintain its place at the top of the gold medal count.

China has notched 36 golds, 26 silvers and 17 bronzes with two competition days remaining. The United States has 98 medals, of which 31 are gold. Japan sits third with 24 golds and 51 medals.

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After individual 100m victories, Italy and Jamaica once again won gold medals in men’s and women’s 4x100m relay respectively.

Led by men’s 100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs, Italy overtook Britain to win by 0.01 seconds in 37.50. Canada, anchored by men’s 200m gold medalist Andre de Grasse, finished third in 37.70.

Su Bingtian helped China finish fourth again with 37.79 seconds, equaling their result at Rio 2016.

The Jamaican women’s team, comprising the top three finishers in the individual event, finished the race first in 41.02 seconds. USA ranked second in 41.45 and Britain settled for third in 41.88.

The Chinese women’s relay team, which made their first appearance in the final since Sydney 2000, finished sixth in 42.71.

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Friday also marked a day to remember for China’s ace table tennis player Ma Long.

After leading China’s table tennis men’s team to its fourth straight champion since 2008, captain Ma became the first table tennis player to win five Olympic gold medals, after winning the men’s single title at both Tokyo and Rio Games. He was also part of China’s victorious team at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

All-time leading China won the men’s team gold medal after beating Germany in the final.

Their female counterparts also claimed their fourth straight title on Thursday, making China the only winner in the team event since it debuted at the 2008 Olympic Games.

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Ma, the winner in the singles event in Tokyo, paired with Xu Xin to dispatch the German duo of Patrick Franziska and Timo Boll 11-7, 11-3, 11-9.

World No. 1 Fan Zhendong met great resistance from Dimitrij Ovtcharov, even trailing 1-2 after three sets, but he prevailed with a 3-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 11-3 victory.

Stepping on court again, Ma took the first two sets 11-5, 11-9. Despite missing several match points and losing the third set 13-11, the Grand Slam winner wrapped up his victory 11-7 in the fourth set to secure China’s victory.

“I hope to remember all these beautiful experiences but I don’t think the Olympics is all there is to my life,” said Ma, attributing his success to a strong team ethic.

“China has the best and the most people behind the scenes and this is the reason we have been able to maintain our standards,” he said.

China finished the Tokyo 2020 table tennis campaign with four gold medals, only missing out on the mixed doubles, where Xu and Liu Shiwen fell to local favorite Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito in the final.

A golden surprise came to China from the field, when Liu Shiying threw 66.34 meters on her first attempt to deliver the first women’s javelin gold medal for the country.

Liu only made two successful attempts but that was enough to secure her historic victory.

“Javelin is a beautiful sport, especially when it flies in the air. It’s like a rainbow,” said Liu. “Javelin isn’t very well known as a sport in China. I hope to promote the sport in my country. Thanks to my performance, many people will hopefully get into it. We can do it and be successful.”

Poland’s Maria Andrejczyk won silver with 64.61 meters, while bronze went to Australia’s Kelsey-Lee Barber with 64.56 meters.

Polish climber Aleksandra Miroslaw broke the women’s speed climbing world record, adding another history-making scene to sport climbing’s Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.

The 27-year-old topped the 15-meter high wall in 6.84 seconds, shedding 0.12 seconds off the previous mark set by ROC climber Iuliia Kaplina, who was eliminated in the qualification round on Wednesday.

Antonella Palmisano of Italy won her maiden international title with victory in the women’s 20m race walk.

The 29-year-old was in a competition of her own in the closing kilometers, clocking one hour 29 minutes and 12 seconds to win.

Sandra Lorena Arenas became the third Colombian woman to achieve an Olympic medal in athletics with a silver, 25 seconds behind Palmisano.

China’s defending champion Liu Hong took bronze in 1:29:57, becoming the first female race walker to win three Olympic medals, following her gold at Rio 2016 and bronze at London 2012.

Canada won a penalty shootout 3-2 against Sweden to win the women’s football gold medal.

The Netherlands beat Argentina 3-1 in the women’s hockey final to make it three gold medals in the past four Games and a record fourth title overall.

Host Japan breezed into the women’s basketball final after crushing France 87-71, setting up a clash against six-time reigning champions the United States on Sunday.

Outside of the competition arenas, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach acknowledged the progress so far in staging a “safe and secure Games,” citing that there were 42,500 arrival COVID-19 tests at a positivity rate of 0.08 percent, and 571,000 screening tests at a positivity rate of 0.02 percent.

“I think it’s fair to say that the Olympic community here in Tokyo has been the best tested community anywhere in the world during the last few weeks,” he said.

Elsewhere, Brazilian Olympic volleyball player Tandara Caixeta has been sent home from Tokyo 2020 after she was suspended in a doping case.

The sample that showed positive was collected one month ago, prior the opening date of the Olympics, said Brazil’s Olympic committee. 

Published : August 07, 2021

By : xinhua

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Just in: Italy claims mens 4x100m relay gold at Tokyo Olympics

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Newly-crowned mens 100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs won his second gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday as Italy won the mens 4x100m relay title with a strong finish.

The winner was decided at the finishing line. Italy overtook Britain to win by 0.01 second at 37.50 seconds ahead of Britain’s 37.51.

Canada, anchored by men’s 200m gold medallist Andre de Grasse, finished 3rd in 37.70.

Led by China’s star sprinter Su Bingtian, the Chinese team finished fourth again with 37.79 after the final in Rio 2016.

Published : August 07, 2021

By : xinhua

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Patty shakes off rust to make late charge in Olympic golf

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Paphangkorn “Patty” Tavatanakit said her four-week break from golf had taken a toll after she shot a third-round 69 for a 2-under-par 211 in the Olympic Games TOKYO 2020 womens golf at Kasumigaseki Country Club on Friday.

The 23-year-old world No 13, who had to skip several events including the Women’s British Open due to document problems, finally got to grip with the par-71 6,648-yard course, sinking three birdies on the sixth, 11th and 17th holes against a lone bogey on the 12th.

This year’s ANA Inspiration victor shot back-to-back pars in the first two rounds, shattering her hopes of winning Thailand’s first Olympic medal in golf. She now lies 13 shots behind US golfer Nelly Korda who leads on 15-under, with Indian Aditi Ashok following in second on 12-under.

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“Being away from competition affects me. So I was struggling to find my momentum at the beginning of the tournament here,” said Patty.

Paphangkorn Tavatanakit

The Thai No 1 is determined to summon her A-game on Saturday so she can fly the Thai flag high during the final round.

“It is a great honour for me to play for Thailand. As I’m getting into the groove now and I will do my best in the final round on Saturday,” she said.

Thai No 2 Ariya, who teed off with an opening round of 6-over, matched Patty with a 69 in round 3 for an even-par total of 213. Like Patty, Ariya said her game was picking up and she would maximise her efforts for a strong finish.

Ariya Jutanugarn

“I played better than in the first two days. But I didn’t shoot low scores because my putting was not strong today. I hope to play my best in the final round,” the former world No 1 said.

Nelly Korda

Published : August 06, 2021

By : The Nation

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Highlights of Tokyo 2020: Refugee Olympic Team

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They are from many places around the world, and through sports, they have found their home.

They are the athletes of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.

Their stories and journeys are all very different, but they share the same dream — the Olympic dream.

People witnessed their courage, strength and the power of hope at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics.

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The Refugee Olympic Team is participating at the Tokyo Olympics with 29 athletes competing in 12 sports. 

“The Refugee Olympic Team sends a great signal about what an enrichment refugees are for our Olympic community and for society at large. Watching them compete is a great moment for all of us, and we hope everyone will join. The athletes are welcome in our Olympic community, among their fellow athletes — competing with them but also living with them together under one roof,” said International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach.

Delegation of Refugee Olympic Team parade into the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 23, 2021.

Delegation of Refugee Olympic Team parade into the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 23, 2021.

The delegation of Refugee Olympic Team parade into the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 23, 2021.

The delegation of Refugee Olympic Team parade into the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 23, 2021.

Ramaz Zoidze (top) of Georgia competes with Aker Al Obaidi of Refugee Olympic Team during the Wrestling Men’s Greco-Roman 67kg quarterfinal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Chiba, Japan, Aug. 3, 2021. 

Paulo Amotun Lokoro of Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) competes during the men’s 1500m heats at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 3, 2021.

Refugee Olympic Team (L) and team Italy cheer up prior to the Judo mixed team event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 31, 2021.

Refugee Olympic Team (L) and team Italy cheer up prior to the Judo mixed team event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 31, 2021.

James Nyang Chiengjiek of the Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) reacts after falling down during the men’s 800m heat at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in Tokyo, Japan, July 31, 2021.

Eldric Sella Rodriguez (R) of the Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) competes with Dominica’s Euri Cedeno Martinez during the men’s middle (69-75kg) preliminary match of boxing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 26, 2021. 

Brazil’s Wanderson de Oliveira (R) confronts Wessam Salamana of Refugee Olympic Team in the men’s light preliminary round of Boxing against at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 25, 2021. 

Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin of the Refugee Olympic Team celebrates after the women’s 57kg quarterfinal taekwondo match between Zhou Lijun of China and Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin of the Refugee Olympic Team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 25, 2021.

Published : August 06, 2021

By : xinhua

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Leo Messi leaves FC Barcelona after failure to sign new contract

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Due to financial and structural obstacles, Leo Messi and FC Barcelona will part ways, putting an end to their 21-year relationship.

FC Barcelona announced on Thursday that star striker Leo Messi will not continue at the club.

Barcelona confirmed the news with an announcement on their official website which brings to an end the 21-year relationship between the club and the Argentinean player.

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The brief statement explains that “despite having reached an agreement between FC Barcelona and Leo Messi and with the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, we have not been able to formalize the agreement due to economic and structural obstacles (Spanish LaLiga rules),” begins the statement.

“In the face of this situation Leo Messi will not continue his relationship with FC Barcelona. The two parties deeply lament that in the end they have not been able to fulfil the desires of the player and the club.”

“Barca wishes with all of its heart to thank the contribution of the player in helping to make the institution greater and wishes him the best in his personal and professional life.”

The news comes as a bombshell in the Spanish game after Messi returned to Barcelona from Ibiza (where he had spent time on holiday with his family) on Wednesday evening and it was fully expected that Thursday would see the confirmation of him signing a new 5-year-contract keeping him at the Camp Nou until 2026, when he will be 39-years old.

Instead, the news is that he is leaving.

The news is a huge blow for Barca president, Joan Laporta, who returned to the club in March saying he would work to keep the striker at the Camp Nou. Laporta maintained his optimism through the weeks of negotiations over Messi’s new contract, even saying on Monday that “Every night I have sweet dreams when I think of Messi,” and adding that the “negotiation is progressing well and along the lines we are thinking of – we are working on it: Messi wants to continue and we must ensure that he continues.”

One of the main problems had been fitting Messi’s contract into LaLiga’s tough financial fair play regulations, but that issue looked to have been resolved on Wednesday when LaLiga announced an agreement with the investment fund, CVC Capital Partners, which will give Barca 270 million euros (40 million of which can be spent on signings and wages), enough to pay for Messi’s new deal.

Making his first team debut as a 16-year-old in November 2003, Messi went on to make 778 first team appearances in which he scored a record 672 goals, including an all-time record of 474 goals in LaLiga. He has helped Barca win 10 LaLiga titles, 7 Copas del Rey, the Champions League on 4 occasions, as well as 7 Spanish and 3 European Supercups and 3 FIFA World Club Cups, while winning the Balon d’Or six times.

The news will now almost certainly start speculation that Messi will join either Manchester City or Paris Saint Germain.

Published : August 06, 2021

By : xinhua

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Olympians can finally earn their own money on social media

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Olympians are taking advantage of a sponsorship rule change which lets them to capitalize on their social-media followings to promote items like sports wear and washing detergent during the Tokyo Olympics, but agents say that the complexity of the new guidelines and the International Olympic Committees continuing control still prevents athletes from fully realizing their earning potential.

Athletes had until now been prohibited from engaging in personal sponsor promotion during the Olympics, but a change in 2019 by the IOC to a guideline known as Rule 40 has opened the doors for them to post sponsored content and generate another revenue stream. That’s enable athletes such as Portuguese triple jumper Patricia Mamona to tout cereal made by Nestle SA and Taiwanese weightlifter Hsing-chun Kuo to promote telecommunications provider Taiwan Mobile Co Ltd. on their Instagram accounts.

The rule change underscores the shift that is underway in the power dynamics between Olympic organizers and athletes, with many now developing into global brands with enough clout to challenge the dominance of the IOC – particularly in an age when social media is eclipsing television and other traditional media. Agents have also long complained that the old sponsorship rules concentrate power in the hands of the IOC and prevent revenue from trickling down to athletes, particularly those in sports such as weightlifting and badminton who typically make less money than star golfers and soccer players.

The change is “a recognition of the fact that athletes are now a principle source of branding for the Olympics in themselves,” said James Walton, head of Deloitte’s sports business group in Southeast Asia. “The Olympics brand can be improved now by Usain Bolt posting something, whereas 20 years ago, Usain Bolt didn’t have a brand, the Olympics had a brand,” he added, referring to the legendary Jamaican sprinter.

Rule 40 was set up initially to avoid ambush marketing – where businesses that had no connection to the games try to associate with the Olympics to gain exposure – and to protect the official sponsors of the games, according to Bob Dorfman, a sports marketer and creative director at San Francisco-based Baker Street Advertising.

Now, lesser-known brands can take advantage of the Olympics moment to gain visibility. For example, Gap Inc.-owned sportswear brand Athleta, which sponsors Simone Biles, expressed support on social media for the U.S. gymnast after she announced her withdrawal from multiple events – a move that Dorfman and others in the sports industry said would not have been endorsed in previous Olympics.

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Gap told Bloomberg that it was following Rule 40 protocol. NordicTrack, a U.S. fitness-equipment company that has posted several social media posts supporting Team USA athletes, said that it couldn’t comment on its marketing activity at this time due to Rule 40.

However, some agents believe that the new Rule 40 is not going to be a gold rush for athletes, because it is unevenly applied across countries by national Olympic committees, deterring potential sponsors who do not want to navigate the complexity.

“It’s de-motivated potential sponsors to start working with athletes, we have experienced this on several occasions,” said Kim Vanderlinden, co-founder of sports management agency We Are Many in Belgium. “It’s still not to an extent where sponsors or potential partners of these athletes have huge possibilities or ways to expose themselves.”

Tight controls still remain on what athletes can post during the period of the games from July 13 to Aug. 10. While they can thank personal sponsors on social media and sign new sponsorship deals during the games, even in the most relaxed interpretations sponsors and athletes have to register and get permission from national Olympic bodies to post content. But they can’t mention the Olympics, national teams or feature the Olympic rings in their posts, unless the brand is an official sponsor of the games or national teams. Athleta, for example, did not explicitly mention the games in its posts about Biles.

The limitations of the rule change are particularly conspicuous at a time when athlete followings on social media are skyrocketing during a zero-spectator Olympics and amid falling TV viewership figures. As of Aug. 4, Olympic athletes have added a combined 49 million followers on Instagram since the games began, according to Facebook Inc.’s CrowdTangle tool.

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“They’re trying to make it athlete-friendly, but it’s not,” said John Nubani, a sports agent who represents track and field athletes including the U.S. shot put silver medalist Raven Saunders.

Nubani said Saunders had signed a deal with Reston, Va.-based government contractor Leidos Holdings Inc. right before the Olympics started as they wanted to support her advocacy for mental health, but “they were pulling their hair out” trying to figure out what kind of press they could or could not do during the Olympics.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Rule 40 was necessary because the body redistributes 90% of its income to sports and athletes.

“We need to at some stage protect that, so we have to make sure there isn’t too much contradictory advertising going on,” Adams said. It’s likely there will be a review of the rule process after the Tokyo games to see how it’s worked and if athletes are happy, he added.

Still, those in the sports business are skeptical that Olympics organizers will ever give athletes the freedom they want to engage in sponsorship activities.

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“The IOC will loosen things up a little more each games but not that much,” Baker Street’s Dorfman said. “They’re not going to lose the value of these million-dollar official sponsors.”

Published : August 06, 2021

By : Syndication Washington Post, Bloomberg · Lisa Du