The company earlier in the week reported that brand adidas had inked a deal with Beijing Olympic Organizers naming adidas as the Official Sportswear Partner for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Under the agreement, adidas will supply sportswear for all the Beijing 2008 staff, volunteers and technical officials of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as well as the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. adidas will also outfit the Chinese Olympic teams for the Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
adidas-Salomon said it expects to generate more than 1 billion of sales in China by 2010 and to double its business throughout Asia with the completion of the Olympics.
In the U.K., adidas picked up the cherished Chelsea football club late in the week, signing a deal reportedly worth £12 million ($22.6 mm) a year to Chelsea. Chelsea just last week agreed to buy out its sponsorship agreement with Umbro. That deal was terminated five years early at a cost of £24.5 million to the club.
The new eight year deal with adidas, which is expected to commence July 1, 2006, enables Chelsea to retain their retail and non-team licensing rights.
Some had speculated that Nike may have had the inside track here since the Chelsea club CEO had brokered the £23 million a year deal that Nike had signed with Manchester United while he was chief executive there.
>>> adidas seems to be getting back in the game here, defending its turf after a few years of letting Nike run rampant in the Soccer henhouse…
