Top British athletes get more commercial freedom at Olympics

LONDON (AP) — The British Olympic Association has reached an agreement with leading athletes including Mo Farah over sponsorship regulations placed on them for the Tokyo Games.

The athletes were threatening legal action unless they were given more commercial freedom under The Olympic Charter’s Rule 40, which restricts competitors promoting their own sponsors during the games to protect the value of the official sponsor deals made by the International Olympic Committee.

The IOC said last year national Olympic bodies could oversee new athlete agreements after a German federal agency ruled that Rule 40 was too restrictive and anti-competitive. Top British athletes were unhappy at the BOA’s perceived failure to relax regulations.

The BOA said on Thursday new guidelines will allow athletes greater opportunity to endorse sponsors during the games and relax the need for approval of marketing materials.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the BOA that moves us into line with other Olympic federations and that provides every athlete an equal and fair chance to generate sponsorship revenue in the buildup to, and during, the games,” said sprinter Adam Gemili, who acted as lead representative of the athlete group.