Michael Phelps could lose all six medals he received during the 2012 Summer Olympics. Last week, photos of Phelps for Louis Vuitton leaked and according to the International Olympic Committee, athletes participating in the Games cannot promote non-Olympics sponsors from July 18 to August 15. In abiding by the rules of the IOC, LV planned on releasing the images after the Olympics concluded but somehow, the pics showed up earlier than expected.
Vuitton is denying any wrongdoing, but rules are rules, and according to Rule 40 from the IOC:
As a result, Phelps could be stripped of all the medals he received in the Olympics. However, the swimmer's agent Peter Carlisle is maintaining that his client will not lose anything since plenty of unapproved uses of widely known athletes' names and images happen all the time during the Olympics, past and present. "I can't count on every hand in this office the number of unauthorized uses that happen during the games period," Carlisle said. "We uncover them by the dozens. Some are by companies we don't even know. It happens constantly." The IOC may do nothing, but only time will tell.
