No matter how innocent the athlete may appear to be, WADA must uphold its stringent approach. Those who test positive for performance-enhancing drugs are punished for cheating and putting themselves at an unfair advantage of which their competitors are deprived. In terms of recreational substances, WADA cannot be seen to endorse the use of these drugs and so the offending athlete is also liable to punishment. Any failed test for prohibited substances will result in punitive action, including a probable ban.

The harshest example of this can be seen in the case of British Olympic Skier Alain Baxter. Baxter had failed a drug test when ‘lev-methamphetamine’ was found in his sample. It later transpired that this substance is present in the American version of a Vicks nasal inhaler. The British version does not contain the prohibited substance and Baxter bought and used the American one at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, assuming the content would be the same. In its judgment, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said that Baxter was a “sincere and honest man who did not gain a competitive advantage despite the trace of lev-methamphetamine in his system”. In spite of his honesty and innocence, Baxter was stripped of his Bronze medal, which was ultimately awarded to his 4^th-placed Austrian counterpart, Benjamin Raich.

It would seem that the resulting damage from testing positive for a prohibited substance is not only of that to your reputation, but the financial consequences can also be severe. Adrian Mutu, a Romanian footballer who is famous for having played for Chelsea, Juventus and Fiorentina, tested positive for cocaine in 2004. He was banned for 7 months and fined £20, 000. Chelsea purged him from the club for breach of contract. He later signed for Juventus for free. Chelsea sued him on the basis that they were denied a transfer fee that was due to them for what should have been his sale to Juventus. As he breached his contract, he was removed from the club and as a result he was able to sign for Juventus for free, where normally the recipient club would be required to compensate the selling club for the transfer. The matter went to the Courts and was resolved within the last month. The Court of Arbitration for Sport dealt him out a staggering fine of €17 million, which he was told to pay Chelsea to compensate for their loss. This represents the highest ever fine imposed by FIFA.

The moral of the story if you are a professional athlete is not to do drugs – it is quite simple really. In all likelihood you will get caught, and your punishment will be severe. There are not many athletes who can comfortably afford to pay the fines, and the damage to reputation can be brutal – nobody likes a cheat!

I had always dreamed of being involved, somehow, in the Olympic Games and on hearing the news in 2005 that my home country had secured the 2012 Games, I found myself forging ahead with making that dream a reality. First, I had to gain some Olympic experience, and being the less than proud owner of a 15.2 second 100m PB time and realizing doggy-paddle was the only stroke I can reasonably swim, I decided it must be work experience and not athletic prowess that gets me there. First stop: Beijing.

I found myself at Beijing Capital Airport, having quit my job in Tokyo, Japan and found some part-time work in Beijing teaching English. I set about searching for any opening possible in the organization for the Games and any links to the Chinese sports industry. I should also note at this stage I had never been to China before and knew approximately 4 words of Chinese (of course the bad ones. Always the bad ones first, right?) The opening came online in the form of a Volunteer Trainer position opening for the Olympic Committee. This was a low-paid, 7-day a week position, training the Chinese students in languages, security, first-aid, and basically how to deal with stressed foreigners and lost 4 year-olds. It did turn out to be a great experience with highly motivated volunteers and staff, but most importantly it got my foot in the door.

The foot in the door cliché is overused, I know, however looking back, I cannot stress how important that was for me, coming into the industry with only a Sports Degree from the University of Southampton in the UK and a few years teaching in Japan, the old CV was not looking so impressive. Doing the volunteer training camps enabled me to meet the right people at the right time and connect with decision makers and gate keepers. I made business cards, networked with the other trainers, the trainer’s bosses in the Olympic Committee and of course the volunteers. It was one of the volunteers who worked in a sports marketing agency that brought me the break I had been looking for.

Again, part-time was the way in. Working part-time or doing an internship is a great way to get your foot in the door (there I go with the cliché again I hear you cry).  I wouldn’t be saying it if it didn’t work time and time again. I then began working part-time at Prescient Group, a small (20 employees) sports agency in Beijing. The work environment was tough, being the only foreigner in the company and with only basic Chinese, I was immediately dropped in at the deep-end as I moved to full-time and given the job title of Sales and Business Development Specialist. My job suddenly involved stadium naming rights negotiations, team and athlete representation, sponsorship sales, event planning and marketing…also liaising with our partner agency in New York. I had to learn fast and although on-the-job training is the best way for this, I was a little shocked at how much responsibility they put on my shoulders in the first few months: “First we see if u can swim in the river” my boss told me looking me right in the eye, “if we see you do not drown and you keep your head up we will help you, but if we see you cannot swim, we will let you go”.

I quickly became aware that in China, on many levels of society, but in business especially, they never look back. They never complain or moan and if a problem or obstacle arises they rarely debate or argue over what to do, they just do something, and if it doesn’t work out they simply change it and move on. There is rarely any fuss, rarely any procrastination and always action. If you can’t keep up you are left behind…to drown I guess. Lucky I’m so adept at doggy paddle I thought to myself. It is brutal, but given China’s current economic clout and speed of development, this philosophy seems to be working. This is a country of 1.3billion people that didn’t know what sponsorship was 20 years ago. So I began adapting and learning how to swim with the rest of them.

On the 8^th day of the 8^th month at 8 minutes past 8 everything came alive. The Olympics brought China a new dawn. People around the world sat up during that Opening Ceremony and watched in awe as the Chinese put on a show that none of us can forget. The Games lived up to the hype too, with broken world records galore, stories of heroism, redemption, tears, passion, politics and joy. Just what the Olympics have always and will always be about. The China medal machine worked perfectly, churning out more golds than they ever could have imagined and the Chinese people who I talked to during the Games and around Beijing this year were truly proud to be a part of everything Olympic.

For the Chinese sports industry it was a turning point too.  In terms of knowledge, the Chinese people now had first hand experience of how worldwide sponsors activate, how global superstars were marketed, how huge events came to fruition and what the Olympic spirit was all about. In terms of lessons learned, it was one of the best. Now Chinese consumers demand more and expect more, they are more intelligent when it comes to brands and now sports sponsorships in China, following the models from the US and Europe.  Chinese businesses are no longer about slapping a logo on an event or sports star and hoping for the best.

The number of sports agents in China is increasing at a rapid rate, the number of sports marketing agencies is rapidly flooding the market and the amount of control and say the federations get is beginning to decline as the industry becomes more and more commercialized. China’s time is coming and the big leagues and associations such as the NBA, the NFL, the MLB, the English Premier League are already jumping on the bandwagon. The opportunities continue to rise, so grab you phrasebooks everyone, 2008 was a good year for the China sports industry, 2009, 2010, 11, 12 promise to be even more fruitful. My psychic friend said so.

Depending on where you look, the United States finished either first or second in the medal standing at the Olympics. They had the most medals, beating China 110-100 but had less gold medals. However, using another method, comparing medals to population, reveals entirely different results and a 17^th place finish. Led by Bolt and the track team, Jamaica actually had the greatest amount of medals per population. Jamaica won an astounding medal per every 255,000 living in the country, including infants, small children and seniors. By comparison, the United States won a medal for only every 2,762,000 people.

These results were obviously influenced by Bolt’s dominance on the track, but likewise, the United States had an athlete that did pretty well in the pool. Based on the method of population/medals, 2^nd in the ranking went to Australia while Cuba finished 3^rd. Held down by a population of over 1.3 billion people, China finished 20^th out of the 20 countries measured (the top 20 in overall medals were compared). Belarus’ performance should certainly be noted. They finished 4^th overall in population/medal ratio of the top 20 countries. What is especially impressive about this feat is, of the 20 countries, Belarus’ GNI (gross national income) per capita is only $4220, lower than 13 of the other countries. By comparison the GNI per capita in the United States is $46,040.

I thought this would just be an interesting thing to look at and I had no preconceived notions before looking at the statistics. What they reveal is that the United States might not be the most athletic country but rather one that benefits from its large population and economic strength. Given that the United States has the highest GNI per capita on the list and the 2^nd highest population, dominance in the medal standings should be achieved. It also shows Canada finished about where it should; Canada finished 10^th in population/medals while having the 4^th highest GNI per capita on the list.

While a simple statistical analysis obviously does not prove anything, and is not protracted over any length of time, Australia, Cuba, Jamaica, Belarus and Kazakhstan should be especially happy with their athletes’ performance at the Olympic Games. For complete results and sources, please see the attached spread sheet.

Well, that comment and his notable skills during only four games in group play caused NBA commissioner David Stern and the NBA legal counsel to advise NBA teams of their rights when dealing with Iranian players.

In the letter, which was sent to all NBA teams Friday, the NBA legal counsel wrote: “It has come to our attention that representatives of Hamed Ehadadi, an Iranian basketball player, may be contacting NBA teams to discuss the possibility of signing Mr. Ehadadi to an NBA player contract. We have been advised that a federal statue prohibits a person or organization in the United States from engaging in business dealings with Iranian nationals.”

Ehadadi was asked in a press conference if any NBA teams had contacted him so far. He replied by stating that two or three NBA teams had already contacted him, including the Memphis Grizzlies.

In Iran’s four losses in Pool B of the Olympics, Ehadadi averaged 16.5 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. He is considered a project by many NBA teams, but recently has shown improvement with his inside game, showing more strength than in previous settings. Ehadadi also has shown that he can block shots. His most impressive attribute however, remains his height. At seven-foot-two, the young 23 year old is a project that many NBA teams would like to start working on right now.

Currently, the NBA is applying to the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control to get a license that would allow any NBA team to negotiate with Ehadadi. Until the NBA gets permission, no franchise is allowed to discuss anything with the HUGE Iranian.

I wonder if the NBA will investigate any of the three teams that have contacted Ehadadi already. If Major League Baseball investigated Manny’s situation after he was traded to L.A. then David Stern will certainly be looking more into this situation and the NBA teams involved. I do not believe it will result in anything substantial, but contacting an athlete who cannot be legally contacted is a violation of NBA rules.

Even though there is a small window for swimming to catch mainstream America and the rest of the world’s attention, many, including myself, believe that Phelps will be one of the highest paid athletes in terms of endorsements for at least the next five years. Personally, I think Carlisle needs to forego sleep and start racking up the deals right now, while Phelps still holds the spotlight. He still has about another two weeks before he begins to fade a little. Phelps will go to England to help “begin” preparations for the next Summer Olympics at the conclusion of the Beijing Games and then will hit the late night and early morning TV circuit. Now is when Phelps will receive his largest endorsements.

Phelps automatically will receive $1 million for winning more than seven gold medals. Speedo guaranteed the prize money prior to the Games. Phelps ended up adding one more to his belt just for fun, finishing with eight golds. Tiger Woods makes about $100 million annually from prize money and endorsements. Phelps will never see that kind of money, but his agent says that over Phelps’ lifetime, the swimmer will receive roughly what Tiger makes in one-year, which is extremely impressive for a guy who makes his living in a pool. Some say $100 million is an aggressive number for Carlisle to put out there. I think that it is rather modest. Phelps was making about $5 million per year before he completely took the world under his broad shoulders this summer. Within the next year alone, his income from endorsements should at least triple, especially if a bidding war erupts between Speedo and Nike. Even Phelps’ mom is getting endorsement opportunities.

Cash in now, young man, but play it smart. You have many years ahead of you where you have potential to make big money. If Carlisle aligns his client with the right sponsors, he will undoubtedly makes Phelps a nine-figure swimmer.

Monday night’s Olympic uneven bars competition at Beijing’s National Indoor Stadium felt even less fulfilling than that.

China’s diminutive (and very possibly underage) gymnast, He Kexin was the first competitor. After some apparent minor deductions, He received a score of 16.725. Next up was Nastia Liukin of the United States, the 18 year old who had already captured the gold in the individual all-around. After a nearly flawless routine, Liukin was given the exact same score as He (16.725). But when Liukin’s score flashed up on the board, He had a 1 in front of her name and Liukin had a 2 (the tiebreaking procedure is programmed into the scoreboard computer). Though Liukin and He had the exact same score, He was awarded the gold medal because she received a lower average deduction (0.933) than Liukin (0.966). Liukin had to settle for silver.

The 1996 Atlanta Olympics was the last time double or even triple medals were awarded in the event of a tie. But after 1996, the International Olympic Committee said judged sports needed a tiebreaking procedure, and Monday night it was used to decide two gold medals (in the men’s vault, Poland’s Blanik won gold over France’s Thomas Bouhail in a tiebreaker after both had an average of 16.537 for their two vaults).

Even the president of the international gymnastics federation (FIG), Bruno Grandi, admitted, “If you have the same score, you should get the same medal.”

Liukin now has four medals — gold in the individual all-around, two silvers and a bronze — and she will go for a fifth medal today on the balance beam, where she is the world champion.

Monday night’s uneven bars competition (and that somewhat tarnished silver medal) will be a constant reminder to Liukin (and the rest of the world who watched) that sometimes a tie doesn’t even measure up to a sister’s kiss. With the rules now in place in Olympic gymnastics, a tie is like no kiss at all.

Olympics

• It’s too bad, because I really wanted to be a friend of Phelps [Phelps Is Maxxed Out On Friends].
• There are a few Olympics athletes who stand to make a lot of money after the games [For Retired Olympians, Marketing Is the Game].

Baseball

• Hanley Ramirez looks even better through the screen of a Sharp Aquos [Sharp signs Hanley Ramirez].
• A lesson in the value of keeping your mouth shut [Source: Tigers put disgruntled Sheffield on waivers].

Basketball

• The kid can dunk, but will he take the Hawks to the next level? [Hawks match Grizzlies' $58M offer sheet, retain Smith].
• Sounds like it was a good deal for Kansas [PACKAGE ALL WRAPPED UP].
• The 76ers are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the East [Sources: Iguodala agrees to six-year, $80 million deal with Sixers].

Football

• Hilarious [Tebow’s Workout Regimen Revealed].

If Phelps does capture 8 gold medals and breaks the record for the most gold medals in a single Olympics, he will undoubtedly become one of the most sought after athletes from a marketing standpoint.

Now, some may say there is no way an Olympic athlete who is only in the limelight every 4 years will receive endorsement deals equal to the main stream superstars. Well those people are very wrong. Phelps has two unique factors that separate him from most of the stars in Nascar, the NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL, golf, and tennis. Phelps is not only backed by an entire country, but he is also known worldwide. He is a symbol of dedication, success and dominance.

Athletes that have worldwide recognition are few and far between. Tiger, Beckham, Lebron, and Federer are certainly the cream of the crop. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Phelps soon finds himself among that company. The $5 million a year that he currently receives certainly can double when these Olympics conclude and the countdown to 2012 begins. When Michael Phelps calls it a career, he will go down as of the highest endorsed athletes in sports history.

The endorsement industry has certainly come a long way when you have an Olympic swimmer making a splash. His agent, Peter Carlisle, has made a name for himself in the niche market of action sports. Some of his other clients include Kelly Clark, Ross Powers, Danny Kass and Chris Klug.

Mr. Carlisle will certainly be a very busy man in the near future.

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China will be open to the world not only on television, but some events will even be broadcast live on YouTube (click here for Olympics channel).  This is especially important to the international community, as China has serious issues regarding their media and press and the content that is allowed to be aired on the Internet from China.

On Monday, the IOC came out and declared “Olympic content will reach 77 territories where digital rights have not been sold, or have been acquired on a non-exclusive basis.”  The Olympics, four years ago, saw the initiation of online broadcasting as 23 territories were granted Internet rights.  As you can see, the digital age is growing and so is the number of territories who will be covering the Beijing games.

“For the first time in Olympic history we will have complete global online coverage, and the IOC will have its own broadcast channel and content production facilities,” said Timo Lumme, the IOC’s director of television and marketing services.

This is not only a big step for the IOC, it is also HUGE step for the Chinese government as well. In this case, the government is setting their usual strict rules and laws aside to benefit the Olympics and its history and glory.  China is extremely happy to be hosting the games and has been more than cooperative with Olympic officials while getting the country ready for the upcoming games.  The Chinese have re-routed roads and changed traffic patterns in order to clean up the smog and pollution content.  They have spent BILLIONS of dollars in preparing for the Olympics in order to meet the IOC’s environmental standards.

The Chinese and their growing society and intellect deserves these Olympic games.  The added YouTube coverage will give the Olympics the international glory and exposure that it needs.  In today’s society, it is great for us to come together as one and show the Olympic spirit.  This is a time where Israelis and Iraqis, blacks and whites, and all others forget about their problems and represent their country.  If you cannot join on television, then don’t forget YouTube has all the Olympic coverage you need.  America is one of the territories where users may access YouTube coverage.

Since the LZR hit the market, 48 of 52 world records have come in the suit. All nine-world records set at the U.S. Olympic Trials were from swimmers wearing the Speedo LZR.  Many of the top athletes around the world are wearing the LZR racer or have switched to it.  This swimsuit is the equivalent to steroids in baseball, however the suit is legal.  Athletes that do not wear the suit have stated that they feel at a disadvantage.  The record times by athletes wearing the suit only prove these statements to be true.

The fact that the worldwide leader in sport shoes and apparel is allowing its sponsored athletes to don the Speedo brand at the Olympics is a big deal.  Nike pays its athletes millions of dollars (LeBron James was paid $90 million before he even played a game in the NBA).  The Olympics are a HUGE stage for all athletes and companies like NIKE.  The fact that Nike is giving sponsored athletes the choice to wear another brand shows the humane side of the billion-dollar big business.  Nike is putting aside its high priced contracts and will be losing plenty of airtime for the swoosh, but will be allowing many athletes the opportunity to creep closer to their Olympic dreams.

Nike spokesman Dean Stoyer said, ”Nike is a company that exists to serve athletes – hence this limited exception to allow Nike swimmers to compete without distractions was the correct thing to do given the very unique circumstances.  No one believes more than Nike that innovation is integral to helping athletes realize their full potential.”

The fact that the athletes are giving the Speedo suit such high praise is rather alarming, even though the world’s records are backing it up.  Usually athletes are the first ones to claim that it is their training or their bodies that break these world records, not a newly designed piece of fabric.  If this suit really gives that much of an advantage to athletes in the water, how is it fair to the athletes who do not wear the LZR racer?  Will we be looking back at swimming in the Beijing Olympics like we look back at the steroid area in baseball?

The Speedo LZR racer costs anywhere from $550-$850 dollars, but it is not out on the market yet to the American public.  With the results that individuals wearing the suit have posted so far, it is likely that we will see an entire field of racers wearing the suit.  The Olympics are only days away and I am excited to see how many swimmers wearing this suit will win gold.  Michael Phelps will be wearing the LZR racer in his attempt to win 6 Gold Medals.  If Nike is letting its athletes switch, I can only guess other sponsors will do the same.