Bach keeps IOC door closed on athletes’ bid to push back against Rule 40
LAUSANNE:
cupied the conversations and fueled the debate between Thomas Bach, the IOC President, and the athletes present in Lausanne: Rule 40.3 of the Olympic Charter. Money, then.
The rule in question, regularly pointed out by the athletes’ associations, states that a competitor ” may not allow his person, his name, his image or his sports performances to be used for advertising purposes during the Olympic Games” , except official exemption. It is engraved in marble. It resists the attacks of time.
Last February, however, the German athletes shot him a fatal blow. They obtained from the national antitrust office that it be declared ” abusive” . The Germans will be able to circumvent it. To date, they are the only ones to benefit from such a privilege.
In Lausanne, Sunday, the German initiative was brandished by several athletes from other countries, all wanting to see extended to the rest of the world. They questioned Thomas Bach. They went on the offensive.
The result will disappoint many. The IOC President insisted that there is no question of returning rule 40.3 to the oblivion of history. There is no question, above all, of adopting a universal position, identical in all countries, on the question of athletes’ rights to sponsorship during the Games.
” There is no universal solution,” Thomas Bach told a Canadian representative.
The German leader explains: this rule protects the IOC’s global partners, grouped together in the TOP marketing program. It therefore contributes to the Olympic institution’s revenue, estimated at $ 5.7 billion for the 2013-16 Olympiad. Which income, insisted Thomas Bach, is largely donated to the National Olympic Committees.
Clearly, Rule 40.3 of the IOC provides solidarity funding for the Olympic movement. It helps the poorest. She does not forget anyone on the way.
End of the discussion ? Not really. Thomas Bach does not completely close the door to a relaxation of Rule 40.3 of the Olympic Charter. But, as often with the IOC, he gets rid of the burden.
In Lausanne, Sunday, April 14, Thomas Bach advised the athletes to discuss the issue with their National Olympic Committees. ” At the IOC, we need to take a holistic approach. But the IOC allows National Olympic Committees to determine the framework within which they wish to apply Rule 40.3. They are in the best position to determine what they need to do for their athletes. “
Thomas Bach does not settle the question. He is content to remove him from his path. Clearly, he advises the most vindictive athletes to gain legitimacy and then press the sports authorities of their country to win their case. He suggests that they follow the German example.
” You can then negotiate and strike the right balance between giving and receiving,” said Bach. The ball is in the camp of the athletes and their National Olympic Committees. The IOC does not want it.
#############
