adidas Underlines Leading Position at the Olympic Games in Athens

Athens/Herzogenaurach, August 15th, 2004 - "2004 will be another milestone in the great history of adidas - both in Greece and around the world," said Herbert Hainer, CEO of adidas-Salomon AG at Politia, the adidas home base during the Olympics. "This great sport event brings us a major step towards our mission to be the leading sports brand in the world."

The Olympic Games are a natural platform to showcase new products and designs. adidas is working with the best athletes in the world to give them products with the most exciting aesthetics and revolutionary performance.

ClimaCool® apparel and footwear will help athletes to literally stay cool in the heat of the Games. The FORMOTION™ sprint suit supports the runner's muscular system but also helps to maintain the right body position during running. With the DeMOlisher II, sprinters benefit from better support, grip and stability. Top Swimmers can increase their performance by wearing the JetConcept full body swimsuit.

As an Official Supporter of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games™, adidas supplies more than 1.4 million products to federations, volunteers, officials and others. adidas provides 1,300 balls for the Olympic handball and football competitions.
By outfitting 22 National Olympic Committees, including host nation Greece, the USA, Germany, Great Britain, France and Cuba, adidas has already secured its position as one of the leading brands at the Olympic Games. In total, more than 4,000 athletes will compete in three stripes and adidas will provide products for 26 out of the 28 Olympic sports.

Record-setting swim star Ian Thorpe (Australia), running legend Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia), weightlifter Pyrros Dimas (Greece), 100m World Champion Kim Collins (St. Kitts and Nevis), Olympic Sprint Champion Maurice Greene (USA) and the record-breaking decathlete Roman Sebrle (Czech Republic) are among the adidas gold medal hopes.

"We already used the European Football Championships to grow our football leadership and now we will demonstrate at the Olympic Games here in Athens that we are the brand that understands sport best," Herbert Hainer added. "2004 is a mega sports year and it will be a record year for adidas-Salomon."