German Olympic athletes can share short smartphone videos from Olympic venues and the opening and closing ceremonies on social media from the upcoming Paris Games onwards in a further relaxation of rules, Germany's cartel office said on Wednesday.
The cartel office had deemed strict advertising rights and other restrictions imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) unlawful in a 2019 ruling.
It now said that the IOC and DOSB have updated these guidelines which include allowing athletes to stay in touch with their fans via social media in a better way.
"German athletes can now also record short videos with their smartphones at the Olympic sites and during the opening and closing ceremonies and use these videos in their social media accounts. However, the videos may not be used for advertising purposes," a statement said.
Cartel office president Andreas Mundt said: "Athletes are the key figures of the Olympic Games. However, they cannot benefit directly from the IOC’s high advertising revenue generated with official Olympic sponsors. This is why self-marketing through advertising is all the more important.
"At this year’s Olympic Games in Paris, members of Team Germany and their sponsors will be able to benefit from advertising rules that have already been relaxed as a result of our 2019 proceeding.
"As from this year there will be a further relaxation of the rules governing the use of social media, which is probably the most important means for athletes to stay in touch with their fans at home and directly share impressions of the highlights of their sporting careers.”
The IOC started to relax its rules lately after in the past being highly protective of its major sponsors who are paying millions of dollars for exclusive advertising rights at the Games.
