Mo Farah and Adam Gemili among athletes threatening BOA with legal action over Olympic sponsor rules

Olympic sprinter Adam Gemili is fronting the athletes' campaign for change: Getty Images
Olympic sprinter Adam Gemili is fronting the athletes' campaign for change: Getty Images

Sir Mo Farah, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Adam Gemili are among a group of athletes threatening legal action against the British Olympic Association over sponsorship rules.

Athletes who compete at the Olympic Games are bound by the International Olympic Commitee’s rule 40, which prevents them from promoting their personal sponsorship agreements close to the Games in order to protect the rights of the event’s official partners.

Regulations around the world have become more relaxed in recent months after the IOC softened its stance, and the BOA followed suit to an extent when it introduced a “new, more flexible application” of the directive, but it maintained the rules preventing athletes promoting their own sponsors during the ‘Games Period’, from mid-July until mid-August 2020, in the run-up to Tokyo next summer, unless they gain consent to do so.

Gemili, who sits on the BOA’s Athletes’ Commission, released a statement which read: “Today I am joining a group of fellow Olympic athletes in taking a stand against the British Olympic Association (BOA) over the hugely unfair marketing restrictions around the Olympic Games. We as Team GB athletes are incredibly proud to represent Great Britain but, sadly, the BOA has continuously failed to respect our pleas for fairness and equality on this issue whilst other Olympic Associations have supported their athletes.

“We are not asking for any financial remuneration although unlike most nations, we receive no money from the BOA for competing or winning medals at an Olympic Games. All we have asked for is parity on Rule 40. A fair and level playing field; both in the field of play and away from it. The BOA has the authority to grant us the same rights as our Germany Olympic counterparts but sadly they have chosen to ignore our requests, forcing us down this path.”

The BOA is yet to comment.