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- Athletes currently restricted in what they can share on social media
- Payne also calls for TOP programme evolution as JPMorgan Chase signs up as official bank
Former International Olympic Committee (IOC) marketing director Michael Payne believes it is “crazy” that athletes are not allowed to share photos and video of themselves competing at the Olympics.
Social media and athlete-generated content has been widely credited with reviving interest in the Olympic movement at both Paris 2024 and Milan-Cortina 2026. However, athletes are restricted in terms of what content they can distribute from official venues.
The IOC currently permits photos and videos of up to two minutes in length from the opening and closing ceremonies, the Olympic village and training venues. Any content from competition venues cannot be posted within an hour of the start of the event and any sharing of live action is prohibited.
Payne told SportsPro London that this was a huge missed opportunity for exposure.
“The power of what the Olympics has in terms of its position, its brand and its ability to reach around the world is unique,” he said. “But is the IOC fully exploiting that power? Are they fully exploiting the [marketing] potential of the athlete?
“I think it’s crazy that the athletes, who are the greatest ambassadors you’ve got, are not allowed to have any access to their visual images. They can’t post anything on social media [not just at the time] but even ten years after the event.
“This would be a simple fix. Overnight, you’d suddenly have 100,000 ambassadors who are major players in the marketplace. The technology’s there.”
Payne was instrumental in creating The Olympic Partner (TOP) programme in 1985, establishing a multibillion-dollar commercial framework for the movement. However, sponsorship revenues fell to US$560 million in the lead up to Milan Cortina 2026, the lowest since 2020, while the roster of 11 companies was the smallest since 2015.
The IOC has insisted that the programme is in a “good place” and that an ongoing consultation into its future will make it a stronger proposition in a competitive marketplace ahead of Los Angeles 2028.
Payne agreed that changes would be necessary for TOP to remain relevant.
“The TOP programme has going for more than 40 years and is incredibly successful, but it also has to evolve and evolve quickly in order to stay in tune with the market,” he said.
The IOC’s portfolio has been boosted by a new deal with JPMorgan Chase, which has become the IOC’s first ever global banking partner, bringing the number of TOP members to 12.
The company’s deal includes LA28 and continues until the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps.
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