Speedo and several other companies have stripped US Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte of his sponsorship following the controversy the gold medal winner sparked at the Rio games by allegedly lying to Brazilian police about being robbed at gunpoint.
Speedo和其他几家公司停止了对美国奥运游泳选手瑞安•罗切特(Ryan Lochte,上图)的赞助。此前,这位奥运金牌得主涉嫌向巴西警方谎称自己遭到持枪抢劫,此举在里约热内卢奥运会上引发了争议。
The US arm of the maker of swimming trunks and costumes said: “We cannot condone behaviour that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for. We appreciate his many achievements and hope he moves forward and learns from this experience.”
泳裤与泳衣生产商Speedo的美国分公司表示:“我们不能容忍与本品牌长期以来支持的价值观相抵触的行为。我们欣赏他取得的许多成绩,希望他继续进步,从这次经历中吸取教训。”
It added that as part of the decision to end its decade-long relationship with Mr Lochte, Speedo will donate $50,000 of the swimmer’s undisclosed fee to Save The Children in Brazil.
该公司补充道,在决定终止与罗切特长达十年的赞助关系的同时,Speedo将从原定给罗切特的赞助费(具体数额不详)中拿出5万美元,捐赠给救助儿童会(Save the Children)的巴西分支机构。
Ralph Lauren, the fashion design label, said it would not be renewing a sponsorship contract with Mr Lochte that was specific to the Rio Olympics. Airweave, a Japanese maker of mattresses, said that “after careful consideration” it would end its partnership with the swimmer. Syneron-Candela said that its Gentle Hair Removal brand would no longer sponsor Mr Lochte, saying that it expected the same high standards of behaviour from its business partners as it does its employees.
时装设计品牌拉尔夫•劳伦(Ralph Lauren)表示,它将不会与罗切特续签一份专门针对里约奥运会的赞助合同。日本床垫生产商Airweave表示,“经过认真考虑后”,它将终止与这位游泳运动员的合作关系。Syneron-Candela称旗下的Gentle Hair Removal品牌将不再赞助罗切特,并表示它对商业合作伙伴行为标准的期许与对自身员工行为标准的期许一样高。
The moves, which followed Mr Lochte’s apology last week for his behaviour at the end of a night of revelry, highlights how sensitive a high-profile athlete’s behaviour is outside the stadium as well as in it. It is a lesson for companies that endorse athletes to ensure that their personalities align with the brand message, marketing experts said.
上周,罗切特为他在一个狂欢夜结束时的行为道了歉。上述赞助商采取的行动表明,一位知名运动员在运动场内外的行为是多么容易造成影响。营销专家表示,这个教训告诉那些让运动员为自己代言的公司,要确保这些运动员的个人品格与自己的品牌内涵相符。
The decision will be a blow for Mr Lochte. Athletes so closely associated with the Olympics but without global renown such as sprinter Usain Bolt often only have a short window with which to win potential endorsements, analysts said.
停止赞助的决定对罗切特来说将是个打击。分析师表示,对于跟奥运会联系如此紧密但不像短跑选手尤塞恩•博尔特(Usain Bolt)那么有全球知名度的运动员而言,赢得潜在赞助的窗口期很短。
Mr Lochte’s agent could not immediately be reached for comment.
记者无法立刻联系上罗切特的经纪人请其置评。