Olympia 2018: Hartung demands direct financial participation for athletes

DOSB athlete spokesman Max Hartung calls for direct financial participation of the athletes in the Olympic Games. The German Athletes’ Association, whose chairman is Hartung, would advocate such a regulation:”We can imagine this very well,”said Hartung to the FAZ.

Hartung has two possible scenarios in mind: Either the athletes received more freedom for advertising activities from the International Olympic Committee or financial compensation for the organization’s use of personal rights.

“The IOC advertising restrictions passed on to the athletes by the DOSB constitute an abuse of a dominant position,”said Munich anti-trust lawyer Mark Orth of the DOSB.

Until now, athletes have been subject to strict advertising restrictions under Rule 40 of the IOC Charter. Even congratulatory messages from the advertising partners of athletes in social media are prohibited if the conceptuality is too much oriented towards the event.

The Bundeskartellamt is currently reviewing this regulation and carrying out a market test with a defused regulation, which only applies to German athletes. The IOC, which intends to protect the exclusive rights of its sponsors through these measures, is currently not commenting on the facts with reference to the ongoing proceedings.