Athletes competing at Sochi Winter Olympic in motherland Russia gets a Galaxy Note 3 courtesy of Olympic sponsor Samsung but Swiss athletes at the games claimed that they have been told to cover up Apple logos on iPhones if they use them at the opening ceremony – but both Samsung and the International Olympic Committee say that no such thing happened according to the Guardian.
“Samsung did not request any action of this nature from athletes attending the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. All commercial marketing around the games is overseen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Samsung has not been involved in any decisions relating to branding of products used by athletes at the games.” said Samsung spokesperson when asked about the issue.
So the Guardian approach the International Olympic Committee for clarification on the matter, the IOC’s press office said: “it is not true. Athletes can use any device they wish during the Opening Ceremony. The normal rules apply just as per previous games. The Samsung Note 3 that were distributed are a gift to the athletes, so they can capture and share their experiences at the games, and the phones also contain important competition and logistical information for competing athletes.“
In any case, Olympic sponsors being anal about rival brands sharing their limelight at one of the biggest sporting event in the world is not uncommon. The 2012 Olympics had “branding police” making sure sponsors’ brands get all the exposure they paid for, as well as keeping a watch inside event locations to prevent “guerilla advertising” by non-sponsor brands.
So what do you think?
