No more free Speedos as Lochte sponsors bail out
US swimmer Ryan Lochte lost the last of his four major sponsors, Japanese mattress maker Airweave, days after he admitted to exaggerating his story about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio during the Olympic Games.
The incident embarrassed the host city, angered the local police and government and dominated news coverage of the Olympics, leading the US Olympic Committee to issue an apology.
Lochte, a 12-time Olympic medallist, apologised in an interview to Brazil’s largest broadcaster, Globo TV. ‘‘I wasn’t lying to a certain extent,’’ he said. ‘‘I over- exaggerated what was happening to me.’’
Within hours of the Games coming to a close, Speedo USA issued a statement saying it would drop Lochte as one of its endorsers, while Ralph Lauren Corp said it would not be renewing its contract with the swimmer.
Hair removal company Syneron Candela also ended its partnership with Lochte, four months after naming him its global brand ambassador for one of its products.
Sponsorship and endorsement deals typically include ‘‘morals clauses’’ that allow sponsors to terminate deals early if they feel the athlete has behaved poorly in pub- lic. Nottingham, the British-based Speedo’s US unit, said yesterday it would donate US$50,000 (NZ$68,000) of Lochte’s fee to Save The Children, a global charity partner of Speedo.
Lochte said in an email that he respected Speedo’s decision.
‘‘I was immature and I made a stupid mistake. I’m human. I made a mistake and I definitely learned from this,’’ Lochte said in an interview on the Today show. ’’They [the people of Rio] put on a great Games. And my immature, intoxicated behaviour tarnished that a little,’’ Lochte said.
Ralph Lauren and Airweave said their endorsement agreements with Lochte was for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Ralph Lauren had taken down references to the gold medallist from its website last week.
Lochte, 32, won one gold medal at the Rio Olympics. He was the breakout star of the 2012 London 2012 Olympics, landing a shortlived reality TV series called What Would Ryan Lochte Do? and appearing, as himself, on top shows such as 30 Rock and 90210.
His sponsors’ decisions are likely to be only the first sanction Lochte faces over a night of partying that ended up tarnishing the reputation of the American team.