Olympic officials have addressed the incident involving speed skater Jutta Leerdam, who revealed her sports bra while celebrating her gold medal victory.
Jutta Leerdam, who is engaged to social media influencer Jake Paul, secured first place in the 1000m speed skating event at the Winter Olympics in Italy on February 9th.
In a moment of celebration, Leerdam unzipped her orange and blue racing suit, revealing a white Nike sports bra underneath.
Experts in marketing and industry had forecasted that Leerdam might secure a lucrative deal valued at a million dollars due to her promotion of the Nike brand, particularly because the competition suits are manufactured by FILA.
Nike, thrilled by the exposure, shared a photo of her celebration with their 298 million Instagram followers. Concerns arose that the speed skater might face consequences due to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) stringent regulations against athletes promoting products during the Games.
“When you’re this fast, you don’t ask for permission,” Nike captioned the image.
“Jutta Leerdam breaks the Olympic record in the Speed Skating 1000m and wins her first Gold.”
Initially, it was believed that displaying the bra and branding might violate the IOC’s strict regulations. However, the IOC has clarified that Leerdam’s actions did not breach any rules.
Leerdam will not face any repercussions from the incident, with IOC TMS Managing Director Anne-Sophie Voumard stating her actions were standard considering the restrictive nature of their uniforms.
Voumard explained: “I’m not an expert in speed skating, but I understand this (unzipping the uniform after a race) is normal practice for speed skaters when they finish their race because the suit is very tight. It is normal practice and not a case of ambush (marketing).”
Leerdam boasts over 6 million followers on Instagram, and the IOC appreciates her efforts in promoting the Winter Olympics through her platform.
She also showcased a Hermès Birkin handbag she acquired after winning gold and frequently shares her travels with boxer Jake Paul.
Jake Paul celebrated her triumph on his social media, posting videos of her win with the captions: “I’M SO PROUD OF YOU,” and “MY BABY JUST SET THE OLYMPIC WORLD RECORD.”
He expressed: “We just witnessed one of the most important sporting moments ever. The doc will tell. Words can’t describe how proud of you I am.”
In 2024, the IOC updated its rules regarding filming content during the games.
IOC Director of the Athletes’ Department, Kaveh Mehrabi, stated: “Athletes have generated over 1.3 billion social engagements. That’s about half a million per athlete, and we are super proud they want to show their own experience.”
“We changed the guidelines since Paris (2024 Olympic Games), allowing athletes to show their experience first-hand.”
Marketing expert Frederique de Laat informed Dutch publication AD: “With Nike, I suspect you’re looking at a figure of over a million.”