Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer Denies Ending IAAF Sponsorship Deal

Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer "insists the German sportswear company has not cancelled its sponsorship contract" with the IAAF, despite reports to the contrary surfacing earlier this year, according to Daniel Etchells of INSIDE THE GAMES. The BBC claimed in January that adidas was "ending its deal early as a result of the doping scandal surrounding the sport." But Hainer said that the IAAF’s "biggest sponsor is monitoring how world athletics is dealing with the matter while its current sponsorship agreement continues to run." Hainer said, "We have not terminated our contract. The IAAF knows exactly where we are going with our policy in terms of doping." The 11-year deal is due to run until '19 and was reported to be worth $33M when signed in '08. Adidas is one of the IAAF's official partners, along with Canon, Toyota, Seiko, TDK, TBS and Mondo (INSIDE THE GAMES, 3/5).