LOGOS on SWIMWEAR

In the midst of all the discussion about increased stipends and the Athlete Partnership Agreement, I wanted to be sure that everyone was aware of another key change that took place in Dallas this past week.

At the House of Delegates Meeting, a rule was passed to allow advertising on swimwear effective October 1, 2010 for domestic competitions only. While this legislation was initially proposed to generate income for Professional and Post Graduate Athletes, this also allows teams to generate income as well. Additionally, unless an athlete exhausts or forgoes NCAA eligibility, they cannot except direct compensation for logo placement. I have tried to explain this in the simplest terms below, however, please refer to the official wording of the rule (102.9.3 attached).

GENERAL INFO:
Advertising means the normal display of the name, designation, trademark, logo or any other distinctive sign of the manufacturer of the item or any other advertiser permitted in accordance with this rule. FINA labeling and the USA Swimming logo or club logo shall not be considered as advertisements. Logos of the swimwear manufacturer shall be considered as advertising and are included in the limits described below.

ALLOWED:
Suits: Allowed 2 different logos no larger than 20 square cm each
Caps: Allowed 2 different logos no larger than 20 square cm each
Googles: Allowed 2 different logos no larger than 6 square cm each
Dress Sweats / T-shirts / Other Non Competition Outfitting: No Restrictions to Size or Quantity

NOT ALLOWED:
- Body Advertisements (Permanent or Temporary Tattoos)
- Tobacco, Alcohol, Pharmaceuticals banned by IOC/FINA
- Political Statements
- Products or Services counter to the value of USA Swimming