German sporting wear giant Aidas AG will end its sponsorship of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) four years early due to a doping scandal, a report by the British broadcaster BBC said.
Adidas is the largest sponsor of the organization with an 11-year contract, worth $33 million, that was due to expire in 2019.
The British broadcaster, quoting anonymous sources, said losses for the organization could be in the tens of millions of dollars as a result of the termination.
Last week, an independent commission of the World Anti-Doping agency, WADA, issued a report that spoke of corruption that was embedded among the top IAAF management under its president Lamine Diack, who has since resigned.
In November, WADA published a report that gave details of what it referred to as state-sponsored doping among athletes in Russia. The BBC reports Adidas at that time informed the IAAF it would consider ending the deal.
Adidas did not immediately respond to VOA’s requests for confirmation of the contract’s termination.
In a statement, the company said it has a “clear anti-doping policy in place” and is therefore “in close contact” with the IAAF about what it said is the organization’s “reform process.”
