Tennis follows Olympics and restricts Adidas 'stripes'

by Drew Barrand, Marketing 11-Oct-05, 08:30

LONDON - Tennis has become the first sport to follow the Olympic Games' lead and restrict the use of Adidas' three-stripe design on athletes' apparel.

The sport's governing bodies -- the ATP, WTA, ITF and Grand Slam Committee -- are to enforce controls on the design's use from the start of 2006, with the intention that all tournaments will fall into line prior to Wimbledon.

In the majority of cases, the decision will restrict the use of its branding to a 20cm2 logo, although there will be a slight difference in sizing for the men's and women's tours.

Adidas has endorsement deals with players including Tim Henman and Justine Henin-Hardenne.

The International Olympic Committee opted to restrict the use of Adidas' stripes in May, when the other sports' governing bodies were tipped to follow suit.

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