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Published: Wednesday September 12, 2012 MYT 8:22:00 AM

IOC has no plans for track-side adverts


PARIS: Leading sponsors will not be allowed to advertise their brands at Olympic venues as they could when the sites were used for the Paralympics, a senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) figure said on Tuesday.

Advertising rules were more relaxed for the Paralympics which ended in London on Sunday, an event which proved more popular than ever with television audiences and sponsors.

IOC Director General Christophe de Kepper said the 11 global sponsors of the Olympics were happy with the "clean venue" policy which means there are no company logos around the edges of the track or poolside.

"They are all adamant that this is part of the uniqueness of the Olympic Games and so there is no discussion for the moment at the IOC of reviewing that policy," De Kepper told reporters.

The leading sponsors pay nearly $1 billion for a four-year deal to market themselves on the back of the Games.

Although sponsors such as Coca-Cola and McDonald's do not get to display their name at the stadium, they can use the five-ring Olympic symbol in their advertising.

Sponsors also use ticket promotions to ensure customer and staff loyalty and many use the Games as a calling card to showcase their technical abilities.

De Kepper was speaking at a Sport Integrity Symposium at the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris.

The conference, organised by the Sorbonne and the Qatar-based International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), has brought together figures from the worlds of sport, government and law enforcement to discuss measures to clean up sport and in particular to curb match-fixing.

Former Juventus player Alessandro del Piero was named to head a panel of 11 athletes helping to educate youngsters about the risks of getting dragged into manipulating results, an initiative led by the Qatar Olympic Committee and ICSS.

"It's with pride that I take on the role of captain of this group," Del Piero told the opening session of the conference.

"We will play to win, as I have always done in my career," added the Italian, who is on his way to Australia to join Sydney FC after 19 years with the Turin club.

ICSS President Mohammed Hanzab said Del Piero's loyalty and integrity made him the ideal ambassador for the campaign.

Del Piero stayed with Juventus after they were relegated to Italy's Serie B in 2006 as a punishment for their part in a match-fixing scandal.

The ICSS, a non-profit organisation, said it planned to develop an index that would measure the ability of countries to deliver secure and clean events.

The findings would be made public to help international sporting federations decide on locations for major events. - Reuters

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