Sportswear Gaffes     
The global sportswear business is worth an estimated €150 billion and its principal players are renowned as among the sharpest marketers in the commercial world.  They are not immune from gaffes and criticism though.
Much of the talk following the launch of the Adidas Team GB kit for the London Olympics centred on its lack of red.  Designer Stella McCartney was said to have ‘reimagined’ the Union Jack as her inspiration for the kit but critics highlighted the lack of red and the psychological strengths of that colour in sport.   Others pointed out it would be like designing an Irish kit without using green.
The reaction was mild though compared to the backlash Nike suffered last week over launching a ‘black and tan’ runner to celebrate St Patrick’s Day and Reebok being forced to remove a campaign from gyms across Germany urging people to cheat on their partners rather than their workout.  It just goes to show that big reputations do not guarantee immunity from public ire.
Sporting research
The Irish Sports Council has published tender documents for a research report into the different transitions in life that lead to marked taking up or dropping out from sports participation.  The request for tender material highlights that juvenile sports participation peaks at age 15 but then markedly declines at 18 and continues in steady decline thereafter.  From age 40, half of the sport played was taken up initially after the age of 20.
The Council has highlighted the need to better understand non participation amongst women and in lower socio economic groups as two key areas where a better understanding is being sought.
The value of the contract is expected to be in the region of €35,000 to €50,000 and a final report is due in October this year.
Renault teams up with Dublin GAA
Renault has teamed up with Dublin GAA to provide cars for a number of senior inter county players.  The is the latest move into sport for the French marque which became the first commercial partner of Paralympics Ireland back in 2010, ahead of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Despite the economic downturn motor manufacturers have steadily built their relationship with sport in recent years.  Toyota were an initial sponsor of the GAA Football Championship and adorn the Munster Rugby jersey while Skoda, Kia, Volkswagen, Volvo and BMW are all involved in national regional and local partnerships with sport.
Cricket Ireland celebrating World Qualification
The Ireland Cricket team were the stars of the sporting weekend on an international stage, securing qualification for the ICC Twenty20 World cup in Sri Lanka in September.  Victory over Namibia in Saturday morning meant a top two finish and the tournament was won through victory over Afghanistan, the eleventh game played in 12 days.  This means Ireland will face Australia and the West Indies in the group stage of the finals, holding out the promise of more glory to come.
Long time team sponsors RSA Insurance took out advertisements in the Sunday papers to congratulate the team.
Hoey continues Irish Golf dominance
Michael Hoey continued the strong showing of Northern Irish golfers by winning the Trophée Hassan in Morocco yesterday.  The victory over fellow Irishman Damien McGrane was his fourth in the professional ranks and pitches Hoey into contention for a place on the European Ryder Cup team for Illinois in September.