Olympics 2012: Egypt’s Olympic team gets counterfeit Nike gear

Members of Egypt's Olympic team have been given fake Nike gear, Yomna Khallaf, a synchronized swimmer, has alleged

Members of Egypt’s Olympic team have been given fake Nike gear, Yomna Khallaf, a synchronized swimmer, has alleged.

Yomna Khallaf said her workout bags had a big Nike logo in the front but the zippers had an Adidas branding on them.

The Egyptian Olympic Committee (EOC) secretary general, Motaz Sonbol, said they were shocked to find that the gear was not “directly from Nike”.

Nike said it was “concerned” athletes may have received products that do not meet the company’s quality standards.

Members of Egypt's Olympic team have been given fake Nike gear, Yomna Khallaf, a synchronized swimmer, has alleged

A Nike spokesman said the company was recently made aware that the EOC chose a sports gear vendor who allegedly supplied counterfeit footwear and apparel bearing the Nike trademarks.

The company said it was now in discussions with the EOC to see if a solution could be reached.

But the committee’s chairman, General Mahmoud Ahmed Ali, defended the decision to go for the “counterfeit” gear because of his country’s tight finances, AP reports.

“We signed with a Chinese distributor in light of Egypt’s economic situation,” he said.

Yomna Khallaf tweeted that she had to spend more than $300 of her own money to buy satisfactory gear.

The incident has caused a major controversy on social media, with some users describing it as a disgrace.

Egypt is being represented by 112 Olympians at London 2012.

Clyde K. Valle

Clyde is a business graduate interested in writing about latest news in politics and business. He enjoys writing and is about to publish his first book. He’s a pet lover and likes to spend time with family. When the time allows he likes to go fishing waiting for the muse to come.