UK Olympic Athletes Told Not to Wear Beats Headphones

There's over 10,000 athletes competing in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England. Everyday, millions of people around the world are tuning in to support their country or catch a glimpse of their favorite sports superstar competing in the games. As an advertiser, it's a golden opportunity. Over the last week or so, athletes have been speaking out against Rule 40, which prevents them from advertising for non-official Olympic brands during the games, be it on the field of play or online. Today, it emerged that the Great Britain team has been warned against wearing Beats by Dre headphones during the Olympics.

Beats by Dre headphones are extremely popular, that we know. However, it seems a special UK edition of the headphones has made them particularly popular among the Great Britain team. Several athletes competing for the UK have been spotted wearing the patriotic headphones prior to competing. Don't expect to see too many more pairs of those headphones, though, as athletes have just received a reminder from officials regarding the rules of brand promotion in the Olympics.

Pocket-Lint reports that British Olympic Association spokesperson Darryl Siebel has said officials reminded team leaders of "the importance of protecting our corporate partners." For those interested, the consequences of violating Rule 40 include disqualification from the Games.

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