Adidas introduces contractual clause preventing discrimination against LGBT athletes
Sportswear giant Adidas took a significant step toward promoting inclusion and equality for LGBT athletes in the sporting world by announcing Thursday that it added a clause into the contracts of the athletes it sponsors saying the company will not terminate or alter the original contract should the athlete come out publicly as queer, according to a report from BuzzFeed.
Adidas CFO Robin Stalker made the announcement during a conference in the UK about increasing the visibility of LGBT athletes in the sporting world.
Via BuzzFeed:
“Adidas acknowledges and adheres to the principles of diversity, as this is a central part of the Adidas group philosophy. Therefore Adidas warrants that this agreement will neither be terminated nor modified in case the athlete comes out to the public as a member of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community.”
Adidas has been known for promoting diversity before. It does not allow customers to add the words "gay", "lesbian", "bisexual" or "transgender" when customizing its products online. The company also signed British Olympian Tom Daley to a sponsorship deal as the face of their NEO label after Daley came out publicly in December 2013.
But not all brands are as accepting. Other LGBT athletes revealed one of the reasons they did not come out earlier was due to the fear of losing sponsorships. U.S. Olympic silver medalist Gus Kenworthy became the first action-sports star to come out as gay in the fall of 2015 and told ESPN one of his concerns about coming out publicly was the possibility of losing sponsors, a vital source of income for action-sport athletes like Kenworthy.
