February 16, 1998

Nike under fire for marketing of athletes

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- It appeared to be in the spirit of the Jamaican bobsled team.

Two runners from Kenya took up cross country skiing two years ago, trained in Finland and entered the 1998 Winter Olympics representing a country not known for its Nordic sports.

But what should have been one of the feel-good stories of Nagano has been marred by accusations that the conversion was a Nike Inc. marketing ploy.

Sports marketers for the Oregon-based athletic footwear giant hatched the idea of Philip Boit and distance-runner Henry Bitok moving to Finland to learn the sport.

Nike paid for their move two years ago and spent a reported $200,000 for their lodging and a Finnish coach. The athletes even got custom ski uniforms, courtesy of the company.

Many in the U.S. sports media say Nike crossed the line beyond simple financial support.

"These are not athletes clearing hurdles to reach their Olympic dream," the Baltimore Sun's Bob Wojnowski wrote. "These are marketing pawns financed by well-heeled publicity-seekers."

Boit finished last in the 10-kilometer cross-country skiing competition Thursday.

The Kenyans' move into cross-country skiing came out of a series of meetings between Nike and Kenyan running officials. The two sides discussed ways to expand opportunities for Kenyan athletes, Nike spokeswoman Martha Benson said.

Nike has financially backed Kenyan runners since 1991.

It was Rudy Chapa, Nike's vice president for U.S. sports marketing, who first suggested cross-country skiing, Benson said. Nike also sponsors top Finnish athletes. Finnish runners travel to

Kenya to train. Why not send Kenyan runners to Finland to ski?

"Nike has always felt sports shouldn't have boundaries," Benson said.

But Steve Miller, a senior Nike executive in Japan, conceded that less idealistic goals also figured into the company's support.

"People forget, we are a business, and part of our objective as a business is to get attention," he said.

It's not the first time such efforts have brought the company bad publicity. Nike was criticized for the Dream Team logo in the 1992 Barcelona games. And the unsanctioned "ambush" marketing during the Atlanta Olympics have made headlines once again in Nagano

Before the flap over the Kenyan skiers, reporters were criticizing CBS Sports for outfitting its broadcast crew with Nike gear.