Geneva • In a win for athletes over Olympic restrictions, a German anti-trust agency has ruled that “abusive” limits on games-time promotional activities should be relaxed.
The Olympic Charter's rules are "too far-reaching and thus constitute abusive conduct," the Federal Cartel Office said in an initial judgment on Wednesday.
"As the games mark the height of their sporting careers, self-marketing during the games plays a very important role," said Andreas Mundt, president of the German agency.
It says "no competitor ... may allow his person, name, picture or sports performances to be used for advertising purposes during the Olympic Games" without an exemption from the IOC executive board.