Sportswear giant Adidas has denied reports that it is seeking to end its partnership with the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) almost four years early.
Reports in January suggested that the German company was looking to sever its ties with the body in light of the doping and corruption scandal that has engulfed world athletics.
UK public-service broadcaster BBC claimed that Adidas had informed the IAAF in November that it was considering ending the deal after a report outlined claims of state-sponsored doping in Russian athletics, which former IAAF president Lamine Diack was accused of being aware of and doing nothing about.
But Adidas chief executive Herbert Hainer insists the reports are not true and that the company remains in discussion with the IAAF. “We have not terminated our contract (with the IAAF),” Hainer told a news conference yesterday (Thursday). “The IAAF knows exactly where we are going with our policy in terms of doping.
“We are in very close contact with the IAAF and will watch very closely what they are doing with this problem.”
Adidas signed an 11-year deal with the IAAF in November 2008 and currently serves as an official partner alongside Canon, Mondo, Seiko, TBS, TDK and Toyota. The BBC in January reported that the deal is worth around $8m (€7.3m) per year.