The early release of a photo of Michael Phelps in a bathtub, shot for a Louis Vuitton ad campaign, threatens to cause a splash of a different kind. Everyone involved in the creating the photo denies having released it early, perhaps because it may put Phelps in hot water with the International Olympic Committee.
The new IOC regulation, called Rule 40, prohibits athletes from appearing in ads for non-Olympic sponsors from July 18 to Aug. 15. According to the IOC's 19-page explainer, Rule 40 is designed to prevent ambush marketing, defined as non-Olympic sponsors trying to associate themselves with the Olympic brand.
Rule 40 states "a competitor or a team may lose the benefit of any ranking obtained in relation to other events at the Olympic Games at which he or it was disqualified or excluded; in such case the medals and diplomas won by him or it shall be returned to the IOC." In other words, Phelps could theoretically be stripped of his medals from London.
Unless there's a vast conspiracy involving the maker of high-end trunks and the world's greatest swimmer, it seems safe to assume that these photos were leaked by a rogue individual. Pictures that aren't meant for public consumption get leaked all the time. Michael Phelps can attest to that fact.
Sports law attorney Joe Baghat thinks the Olympic Committee will do nothing to Phelps because "it would be a public relations nightmare to come on him because he is so well loved."
Two photos of the Olympic swimmer, shot by the photographer Annie Leibovitz, began circulating during the time period in which athletes are prohibited from appearing in advertisements. A website in Barcelona called elperiodico.com printed the bathtub photo on Aug. 7 and announced that Phelps was the new face of Louis Vuitton.
The second photo shows Phelps in a three-piece suit sitting on a couch next to Larisa Latynina of Russia, 77, who is the previous holder of the title "most-decorated Olympic athlete." In both photos, there is a strategically placed Louis Vuitton bag.
A quick Google search shows the photos went viral and appeared on dozens if not hundreds of websites on Aug. 13 and 14.
