At these tech-driven Tokyo Olympics, innovation is – as it has been for decades – a source of disquiet, but beating the odds is part of the Games’ mystiqueIn 1964, the Tokyo Olympics were dubbed the “Technology Games”. Up in the skies, satellites were used to televise all the action live for the first time. Computers abounded and spectators and TV viewers had never had it so good.Down at the events, we also saw changes. In the pool, there was now touchpad technology that meant we no longer relied on a judge’s eye to award a medal. It was still being fine-tuned but it was here to stay. In the pole vault we saw the introduction of fibreglass poles to...
The stars of track and field need a powerful and independent union to protect them from abuse from the sportswear giant and the mismanagement of the governing bodyWhat more can one say about Nike except that in a hotly contested field it once again leads the way in being the biggest hypocrite in global sport?It urges women to Dream Crazier, throwing the spotlight on female stars who have shattered barriers and inspired the next generation, while also telling others, such as Allyson Felix and Alysia Montaño, that they will pause or reduce their contracts when they get pregnant. Related: Nike investigates claims of ‘emotional and physical abuse’ at Oregon Project Related: Mary Cain ‘emotionally and physically abused’ by Alberto Salazar’s...
Ruling body’s technological committee meets on Monday and is likely to wave through Nike footwear worn to shatter marathon-distance recordsIt is the shoes, stupid. Anyone who says otherwise is deluded.Without those chunky, super-fast prototype Nike alphaFLYs – the ones with platforms to make Ziggy Stardust swoon – Eliud Kipchoge does not shatter the two-hour marathon-distance barrier in Vienna. Related: Nike’s lightning shoes hint at power of technology to skew elite competition | Sean Ingle Related: Armchair viewers get a glimpse of the future and it looks to be laser-guided | Richard Williams Continue reading...
Gone are the hand-me-downs and adapted men’s kits – women have been calling the shots before this summer’s World Cup“When we work with the men, they say a tight fit made them feel like a superhero, but for women it’s different. They want to feel comfortable and covered and professional,” says Cassie Looker.Looker is the senior apparel product manager in global football at Nike and has spearheaded the design and production of the first bespoke women’s kits for the teams it is partnered with at this summer’s World Cup. It launched them with an unveiling in Paris involving leading female athletes from across the sporting world and top models. Related: Toni Duggan: ‘I’ve been bigging up the Spain game like...
From the Tiger Woods ‘Did you learn anything?’ advert to denials about the benefits of anti-racism campaigns, Nike are easy to see through. But they do back winnersOnce, it used to be said that conservatives start culture wars and liberals win them. That old dependable has felt … less convincing of late. But for those of us looking for runes to read, Nike signing a major endorsement deal with Colin Kaepernick is surely a positive sign. Nike’s market research department is larger and more sophisticated than the second Death Star, and if their cost-benefit analysis judges Kaepernick the one to back in a fight where the other side includes the US president, then frankly: I’ll take it. No, I don’t...