Dr Dre Beats the Olympic controls
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UPDATED:
22:30 GMT, 30 July 2012
Under the radar: Robson has a pair of Team GB Beats
American rapper Dr Dre has succeeded with an ambush marketing operation at London 2012 aimed at Great Britain athletes without the knowledge of the British Olympic Association.
Dr Dre’s popular brand of Beats headphones customised with Union flag colours have been delivered to members of Team GB, despite strict IOC rules regarding any non-rights holder advertising around the Olympics.
The distinctive headphones have been worn by a number of British swimmers as they have been introduced to the crowd at the Aquatics Centre, gaining maximum exposure on the BBC. Diver Tom Daley was on screen wearing his Beats ahead of competition on Monday.
Tennis player Laura Robson and footballer Jack Butland have also sent out tweets about receiving their headphones, with goalkeeper Butland even promoting the name of the brand in his posting: ‘Love my GB Beats by Dre.’
Butland also revealed in a message to Great Britain footballer Karen Carney that a Beats representative had been in the team hotel and was ‘sure to bump into you guys soon’.
This targeting of Team GB comes on the same day the IOC confirmed Rule 40 in the Olympic charter that forbids athletes from promoting their personal sponsors on social media during the Games.
It follows a Twitter campaign started by American athletes who want the rule changed. Remarkably, neither British Swimming chiefs nor the BOA knew about Team GB receiving or wearing the headphones. These were also favoured by England footballers at Euro 2012 when they wanted to avoid speaking to the media.
Trend-setter: Butland was happy to tweet about his new acquisition
Legacy of absence
The beleaguered London Legacy Development Corporation currently have the attention of the world trained on the Olympic Park.
Yet not for the first time in their troubled existence under various guises, the legacy company have been conspicuous by their lack of profile during such a critical fortnight.
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Family affair: Armitstead's parents did breakfast show interviews on Monday
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Randy slaloms under the radar
London 2012 pledged that all the other main commentators at the Games venues would have British voices after Sports Agenda revealed LOCOG’s dispute with athletics’ ruling body IAAF over Canadian commentator Gary Hill calling the track and field in the Olympic Stadium.
Yet Canadian Randy Ferguson was commentating on the canoe slalom on Monday at the Lee Valley White Water Centre.
Life’s a beach for Tom
After the disappointment of Tom Daley and Peter Waterfield failing to get a medal in the synchronised 10m platform on Monday, there is likely to be further scrutiny of performance director Alexei Evangulov’s comments six months ago that poster boy Daley devoted too much time to commercial and media commitments when he could have been honing his diving.
The framed picture of Tom in the room reserved for friends and family in Team GB House in Westfield just happens to show him larking about on an Australian beach during a swimming training camp while filming a spoof music video with diving team-mates.
Another G4S own goal
The security machine operated by hapless G4S guards at Wimbledon was on the blink on Monday, meaning everyone had to go through an extra search.
But Wimbledon champion Roger Federer must believe seven title wins give him certain privileges as he declined the body search.