Olympic athletes will be allowed to display iPhones during opening ceremony

A circulating story yesterday suggested olympians at the opening ceremony were being asked by Samsung to cover the Apple logo on their iPhones in exchange for accepting Galaxy Note 3 devices as part of a welcoming gift. It pitted the South Korean giant against its rival Apple in one of the largest sporting events of the year. Unfortunately, the report may not be true. According to a Samsung representative who talked to Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Samsung is not involved in any branding decisions surrounding the Olympic games. The Samsung PR person reiterated that all commercial marketing decisions are made by the International Olympic Committee. Samsung PR on the Apple logo: “Samsung has not been involved in any decisions related to branding on products used by athletes to the Games… — Philip Elmer-DeWitt (@philiped) February 6, 2014 …All commercial marketing around the Games is overseen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Please contact them.” — Philip Elmer-DeWitt (@philiped) February 6, 2014 A spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee also confirmed that the original story about the Samsung ban on Apple logos was “not true.” No it is not true. Athletes can use any device they wish during the Opening Ceremony. The normal rules apply just as per previous Games. The Samsung Note 3 that were distributed are a gift to the athletes, so they can capture and share their experiences at the Games, and the phones also contain important competition and logistical information for competing athletes. Athletes are free to use any device they wish during the opening ceremony, which means we will see a wonderful mix of iPhones, Android devices and maybe even a few Nokia Windows phones kicking around. Continue reading →

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