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Why you won't see some shoe logos at Rio

The track and field events at the Olympics this month will showcase elite athletic talent and, if you look closely, creative subterfuge

The hurdler Johnny Dutch, who did not have a shoe sponsor, used spray paint to conceal his brand of footwear at the United States Olympic trials last month  Photo | The New York Times
The hurdler Johnny Dutch, who did not have a shoe sponsor, used spray paint to conceal his brand of footwear at the United States Olympic trials last month Photo | The New York Times
Jere LongmanJoe Ward
Last Updated : Aug 06 2016 | 3:12 PM IST
Tape, markers, elastic sleeves and maybe even paint will disguise some shoe brand logos in an Olympic sleight of foot.

In track and field, the centrepiece sport of the Summer Games, shoes are the most vital piece of equipment and serve purposes beyond performance: supplying advertising billboards for apparel companies and providing financial footing for athletes. But some athletes do not want the world to see the logos on their shoes, or they are prohibited from doing so by their sponsors if they wear competing brands.

Although United States track and field athletes at the Rio Games must wear uniforms bearing the familiar swoosh of Nike, an official team sponsor, they are free to wear their own brand of shoes, disguised or not.

Read our full coverage on the 2016 Rio Olympics

Take, for example, Jeremy Taiwo, a decathlete from Seattle who will wear eight pairs of shoes in his 10 events, each with a function as specific as a golf club's. His shoe sponsor is Brooks, but the company does not make shoes designed for throwing and jumping events. So Taiwo also plans to wear shoes made by Nike, Adidas and Asics. He must cover the logos of those competing brands, which he plans to do with tape, elastic sleeves and cleverly shaded fabric. "In terms of athletic performance, you have to have the right shoes to be able to meet your goals," Taiwo, 26, said in a telephone interview before travelling to Rio de Janeiro. "And ultimately, you have to do well so you can get paid. If you make it, your shoes are largely responsible for that."

The camouflaging demonstrates the power of the $75 billion global athletic footwear industry, which closely monitors what athletes wear - and, with lawyers at its beck and call, what they do not. Although it is unclear how many athletes will be disguising their footwear at the Games, the practice is not uncommon at track meets, with the reasons for the cover-ups almost as varied as the shoes available.

Athletes who have no shoe sponsor may not want to give free advertising to any company, preferring to signal that they are free agents. Taiwo called this an act of "no representation without compensation." Other athletes disguise shoes because they are transitioning from one company to another and are continuing to wear their old shoes while new ones are being perfected. Some, like Taiwo, participate in events for which their sponsor does not make shoes. Some athletes are simply dissatisfied with the gear made by their sponsor.

Sometimes, shoe companies give permission for athletes to wear another, disguised brand. Other times, they take umbrage, and the controversy becomes public. In a widely reported incident in 2013, Nike withdrew a contract offer to the American record-holder in the pole vault, Brad Walker, after Walker taped over a strap on his shoes and covered the swoosh logo.

Walker wrote on Facebook at the time that he was not trying to undermine Nike but was using tape to "hold together a shoe that shouldn't break down within six months."

Nike did not say why the contract offer was rescinded, only that Walker "did not take up this option in a timely manner." Walker put his gear up for sale on eBay. Mike Hazle, the 2011 American champion in the javelin, said his Nike-made shoes were too narrow, causing his toenails to fall off and his feet to become numb. So for years, he borrowed gear made by Asics and Li-Ning, a Chinese company, from a fellow javelin thrower. He covered those logos with tape or with slices from wristbands that bore the Nike swoosh.

It was never a problem in the little-noticed event, Hazle said, until he won the United States title and a photograph of him appeared in Track & Field News. His left foot was raised after a throw, revealing the check-mark logo of Li-Ning on the bottom of his shoe. Nike was not pleased and exercised an option on his contract in 2012 to keep him from signing with another company, Hazle said, but offered only $10,000 with no chance of bonuses.

It is unfortunate "if someone is paying your bills and you're supposed to wear what they give you and it doesn't work," Hazle said from Afghanistan, where he is serving in the Air National Guard. "But at the end of the day, it's going to compromise your performance, so you've got to take care of yourself."

Nike said it did not comment on contracts but expected that its sponsored athletes "will always wear Nike products unless there is some specific, mutually agreed exception."

One high-profile exception took place last year. Christian Taylor of the United States, who won the triple jump at the 2012 Olympics and signed with Nike in 2015, was permitted to wear Adidas shoes at the world track and field championships in Beijing while Nike customised shoes for him. Taylor, the triple jump favourite at this year's Olympics, now wears Nikes.

Two medal favourites in the high jump, Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Derek Drouin of Canada, have also been permitted by Nike to wear shoes from other brands that are covered by elastic sleeves resembling spats that bear the Nike swoosh.

"As with any athlete, we are working closely with them to get the shoe that best suits their specific needs," Charlie Brooks, a Nike spokesman, said in an email. "There's no issue with our shoes; it's just a matter of personal customisation for these athletes. We anticipate they'll be jumping in Nike shoes soon."
© The New York Times News Service

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First Published: Aug 03 2016 | 9:01 PM IST

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