The Deutche Telekom company is realizing the nightmarish marketing scheme and the drug problems involved in granting sponsorships to the cycling teams. Even though the company started with lofty goal of eliminating the drug problem in the sport of cycling, it’s backing off from this ordeal.
The company now faces the ultimate question, whether they want to be associated with the sport of cycling as well as the doping associated with the same. The T-Mobile Executive Vice President Stephan Althoff recently recently expressed his views regarding this issue:
The question for Deutsche Telekom as a company is, Do we want to be associated with cycling and the doping in cycling?
What led the company withdraw from the sport? Series of events led to this decision. Last August, following the T-mobile commitment to the cycling team, the news media elaborately hyped about the doping issues. Before the current season was on it’s way, the biking team was charged of doping For a reputed company like T-mobile, this is a pretty serious charge. It can damage their main business. People won’t simply buy the products once they hear T-mobile is supporting a team using drugs.
A former telecom exec Bob Stapleton introduced some reforms in the cycling arena. Mandatory drug screening for all participants of a team is now required if they want to get sponsored. Unlike the Discovery channel team partly owned by Lance Armstrong, Stapleton will try to move on with his team for next season or two despite the sponsorship loss. This is just so that the bike industry gets some money eventually as well as a clean slate.
I am sure you are wondering by now if this is a hype of if it’s real. The situation became critical when one of the carry over German rider Patrik Sinkewitz was tested positive for doping. Hopefully, the new reforms will improve the cycling industry. T-Mobile will still be a NBA sponsor.
Image Credit: BBC
