Geneva • In a win for athletes over Olympic restrictions, a German anti-trust agency has ruled that “abusive” limits on games-time promotional activities should be relaxed.
The Olympic Charter's rules are "too far-reaching and thus constitute abusive conduct," the Federal Cartel Office said in an initial judgment on Wednesday.
The judgment gives athletes in Germany — home nation of the International Olympic Committee's president, Thomas Bach — more rights to earn money when interest peaks in most of their sports.
"As the games mark the height of their sporting careers, self-marketing during the games plays a very important role," said Andreas Mundt, president of the German agency.