The scandal over Russian doping in athletics could "send sponsors running for cover and turn off fans worried that their track and field heroes may be cheats," according to Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi of REUTERS. Several major brands are "already dealing with the fall-out" from the corruption scandal engulfing FIFA. Now the World Anti-Doping Agency's recommendation on Monday that Russia be banned from athletics competitions for doping "adds to their concern." Sponsorship consultant Nigel Currie said, "Sponsors are very nervous of controversy and scandal, and this is as big a scandal as you can get. I think there will be an awful lot of sponsors looking at their tie-ups with athletics and thinking, 'We possibly need to review this.'" Nike, which is listed as an official partner on the Russian Athletic Federation's website, "did not immediately respond to a request for comment." Marketing experts said that fans "might be prepared to shrug off back-office bribes," such as in the FIFA scandal, but they are likely to be "much more concerned about wrongdoing that can influence athletes' performance." H&K Strategies Head of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship Andy Sutherden said, "People will switch off if they think they're watching a bunch of cheats. ... Modern-day sponsorship brings as much reputational risk as it does opportunity. Any company entering sponsorship today that does not have sufficient plans around crisis management is asking for trouble." Sutherden added that companies such as Coca-Cola and Visa that sponsor both the football World Cup and the Olympics are "facing a double hit to their reputations" (REUTERS, 11/9).
LINKS TO TOP BRANDS: CNN's Jim Boulden wrote the IAAF website "proudly displays the brands linked with world athletics." They "quietly flash away next to the IAAF's response to the doping claims." Toyota, adidas, Canon, TDK, Seiko, Chinese oil and gas firm Sinopec and Russian bank VTB are "all top sponsors or suppliers to the IAAF." In an emailed statement, adidas said that "it was up to the IAAF" to comment on the doping allegations. A Canon spokesperson said, "We are disappointed by recent news reports of unethical behavior within the track and field world. We will carefully follow developments and look to the IAAF to respond swiftly and responsibly." The IAAF said that Russia's VTB had "no influence" on its doping policy. An IAAF statement said, "No person from VTB bank, or any other official IAAF commercial partner has any influence whatsoever over the IAAF's anti-doping policy" (CNN, 11/10).
