LV ad lands Michael Phelps in trouble with the IOC

LV ad lands Michael Phelps in trouble with the IOC

MUMBAI: Michael Phelps, the record holder for winning the maximum number of Olympic medals, may have to return his medals and lose the record as well. It has come to light that the ace swimmer may be found to have violated the Committee‘s Rule 40 that forbids participating Olympians from advertising with non-sponsors during the Games period i.e. 18 July to 15 August this year.

Phelps signed an advertising deal with luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton for its range of designer swimming trunks. While one ad shows the Olympian in a pool with swimming goggles and the trunks, the other shows him on the couch having a conversation with former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, whose record for most overall medals he broke at the London Games, with an LV bag near his feet.

The campaign was supposed to break on 16 August, after the period specified by the IOC concluded. Somehow, the pictures of the campaign were leaked online while the Olympic Games were still in progress. As a result, the swimmer may end up having to pay a fine and lose his medals too as the rules were clearly violated.

Phelps representative though told the media that the swimmer did not authorise the release of the campaign and hence he cannot be held responsible for unauthorised leaks that may have happened.