You may have noticed that all of a sudden your favourite Olympic athletes have been putting out thank you messages with tags to each of their sponsors yesterday. This isn’t just to be thankful but actually there’s a by-law in the Olympic Charter that’s having these riders make this post now and it’s called Rule 40.
What does this mean?
During the Games Period, which begins on July 18 2024 until August 13 2024, all competitors, coaches, trainers and officials participating in the Olympic Games cannot promote their personal sponsors. This means no sharing ads, paid marketing or promoting any third party. You’ll notice as well that helmets, bikes and uniforms are free of any non-endemic stickers or logos, with the only exception being the makers themselves. For example, you don’t need to cover the Vans logo on your Vans shoes. With this rule, athletes may provide one single “thank-you” message to each of their personal sponsors. They can post this single “thank you” onto multiple platforms but it has to happen all at once and it has to be identical.
As part of the by-law, there are dos but mostly don’ts
- Messages cannot contain any Olympic Properties (such as the Olympic symbol, or other Olympic images, mottos or phrases, such as #Paris2024
- Messages cannot contain photographs or videos from Olympic venues or ceremonies
- Messages cannot feature any official Olympic team uniform or any Olympic medal
- Messages cannot include any personal endorsement of a product or service
- Messages cannot suggest that a product or service helped your sporting performance.
What else?
Just for funsies. A personal sponsor can’t even congratulate their athlete at the Olympic Games. During the Games Period, only Olympic Partners can engage in congratulatory advertising and before and after the Games Period, non-Olympic Partners can engage in congratulatory advertising in support of their contracted athletes, but without using any Olympic Properties.
Why?
During the Olympics, rule 40 acts as a sort of blackout period that allows the Olympic marketing program to fulfill its exclusive rights offering with its advertisers, including granting the exclusive rights associated with the Olympics. Basically from my understanding, the Olympics is ensuring that their sponsors get shine time and not non-Olympic sponsors. In their document, the funding in which the Olympics gain during this blackout period goes towards the funding of all national Olympic teams, regardless of the individual profile, commercial or sporting success of the athlete.
Now you know! Not every athlete has put out their thank you messages yet and are likely saving it for the right time! For more information on Rule 40, check out the link below.
