According to Andreas Ekker, head of the legal committee of the Norwegian Skiing Association, the dispute over the image rights of athletes has gone too far.
The Alpine Skiing World Cup started with a bang in Sölden, Austria, when the Norwegian slalom star Lucas Braathen announced on Friday that he was retiring at just 23 years old.
– I feel happy for the first time in at least half a year, and I feel free for the first time in many years, Braathen said.
Braathen, who won the slalom World Cup overall competition last spring, has been in disputes with the Norwegian Skiing Association over marketing and image rights.
Earlier in the fall, he participated in an advertising campaign for a Swedish clothing company, for which the ski association reminded its athlete with a fine. The athletes of the Norwegian Ski Federation are clothed by a Norwegian company.
The case has caught the head of the legal committee of the Norwegian Ski Association Andreas Ekkerin to take a stand for athletes.
– It is very sad that it has come to this. We think it is completely unnecessary. The situation should never have developed to this point, Ekker said.
This is what it’s all about
In Norway, the marketing rights of athletes have been twisted for a long time. Cross-country superstar John Hösflot Kläbo and members of the alpine skiing national team approached the association’s legal committee in the summer of 2022 to find out who owns the athlete’s image rights.
The committee outlined in November of last year that the rights belong to the athletes, who, however, have certain obligations related to the sponsorship contracts of the Norwegian Skiing Association.
In April, the Norwegian Ski Federation published new athlete contracts, which, according to the athletes and the legal committee, did not follow the November policy.
For example, Kläbö did not agree to accept the contract until mid-October, when he was negotiated with “days off”, during which he does not have to commit to the union’s marketing contracts.
The proposal was not accepted
According to Ekker, in September, the legal committee presented a new athlete contract, which would have been easier for the athletes to accept. The proposal would not have affected the starting season, but the negotiations would have taken place afterwards, when the athletes could have focused on competing.
However, the Skiing Federation decided to send the matter to the country’s Olympic Committee for investigation.
– The proposal would have resolved the matter by the end of September. Braathen could compete in Sölden, and the ski association could inform about finding common ground with the athletes. Instead, the union accelerates the conflict, Ekker said.
The Ski Association is sorry
General Secretary of the Ski Association Arne Baumann according to the case is difficult and it has developed into a dispute over marketing rights in addition to image rights.
Baumann admits that the processing of the case has taken too long. According to the general secretary, the union deals with the matter internally, not through the media.
– We apologize to all the athletes involved. A disagreement regarding an athlete contract is a complex and fundamentally important matter. There are many different points of view about it and the legislation related to it.