奧運場上的障眼法 那些被遮蓋的商標

RIO DE JANEIRO — The track and field events at the Rio Olympics this month will showcase elite athletic talent and, if you look closely, creative subterfuge.

里約熱內盧――本月里約奧運會的田徑賽事將展現運動員卓越的體育才華，如果你仔細觀察，也會看到頗具創意的障眼法。

Tape, markers, elastic sleeves and maybe even paint will disguise some shoe brand logos in an Olympic sleight of foot.

在一場奧運會的腳下技法表演中，膠帶、水筆、彈性鞋套，甚至還可能有彩繪，這些都將被用來掩蓋某些運動鞋品牌的標識。

In track and field, the centerpiece sport of the Summer Games, shoes are the most vital piece of equipment and serve purposes beyond performance: supplying advertising billboards for apparel companies and providing financial footing for athletes. But some athletes do not want the world to see the logos on their shoes, or they are prohibited from doing so by their sponsors if they wear competing brands.

田徑賽事是夏季奧運會的重頭戲，運動鞋是比賽中最重要的裝備，而且有提升成績之外的作用，充當服裝公司的廣告牌，也爲運動員提供經濟支持。但是一些運動員不希望讓全世界看到他們鞋子上的標識，又或許是因爲他們穿用了競爭對手的品牌，贊助商要求他們不要露出標識。

Although U.S. track and field athletes at the Rio Games must wear uniforms bearing the familiar swoosh of Nike, an official team sponsor, they are free to wear their own brand of shoes, disguised or not.

儘管參加里約奧運會的美國田徑運動員一致身穿田徑隊官方贊助商耐克的運動服，露出人們熟悉的對號標誌，但他們可以選用他們自己的運動鞋品牌，不論是否遮蓋。

Take, for example, Jeremy Taiwo, a decathlete from Seattle who will wear eight pairs of shoes in his 10 events, each with a function as specific as a golf club’s.

比如說，來自西雅圖的十項全能運動員傑里米•塔伊沃(Jeremy Taiwo)就將在10項賽事中換穿八雙運動鞋，每雙都有不同的功能，就像高爾夫球杆一樣。

His shoe sponsor is Brooks, but the company does not make shoes designed for throwing and jumping events. So Taiwo also plans to wear shoes made by Nike, Adidas and Asics. He must cover the logos of those competing brands, which he plans to do with tape, elastic sleeves and cleverly shaded fabric.

他的運動鞋贊助商是布魯克斯(Brooks)，但是這家公司不生產專供投擲和跳躍運動的鞋。所以塔伊沃還計劃穿着耐克、阿迪達斯和亞瑟士(Asics)的運動鞋。他必須把這些競爭品牌的標識都蓋住，他打算使用膠帶、彈力鞋套和配色巧妙的布。

“In terms of athletic performance, you have to have the right shoes to be able to meet your goals,” Taiwo, 26, said in a telephone interview before traveling to Rio de Janeiro. “And ultimately, you have to do well so you can get paid. If you make it, your shoes are largely responsible for that.”

“爲了競技成績考慮，你必須穿上正確的運動鞋才能達到目標，”26歲的塔伊沃在去里約熱內盧之前接受了電話採訪。“最終，你得取得好成績，才能得到報酬。如果成功了，很大程度上要歸功於運動鞋。”

The camouflaging demonstrates the power of the $75 billion global athletic footwear industry, which closely monitors what athletes wear — and, with lawyers at its beck and call, what they do not.

這樣的僞裝說明了價值750億美元的全球運動鞋產業擁有怎樣的力量，它密切注視着運動員穿什麼或不穿什麼，還有律師隨時待命。

Although it is unclear how many athletes will be disguising their footwear at the games, the practice is not uncommon at track meets, with the reasons for the cover-ups almost as varied as the shoes available.

這屆奧運會上到底有多少運動員會把運動鞋的品牌遮蓋起來，目前尚不清楚，但是這種行爲在田徑賽事中並不罕見。遮蓋品牌的理由幾乎和運動鞋的種類一樣繁多。

Athletes who have no shoe sponsor may not want to give free advertising to any company, preferring to signal that they are free agents. Taiwo called this an act of “no representation without compensation.”

運動員如果沒有運動鞋贊助商，他們可能不希望爲任何公司免費做廣告，更希望表明他們是自由選手。塔伊沃把這叫做“沒有補償，沒有代理”。

Other athletes disguise shoes because they are transitioning from one company to another and are continuing to wear their old shoes while new ones are being perfected. Some, like Taiwo, participate in events for which their sponsor does not make shoes. Some athletes are simply dissatisfied with the gear made by their sponsor.

還有些運動員遮蓋運動鞋是因爲他們正在從一個公司轉向另一個公司。在新鞋還沒有完善之前，他們繼續穿着前贊助商的鞋。有些人，就像塔伊沃這樣，他們參加的運動贊助商沒有專用鞋可供穿着。還有些運動員只是不滿意贊助商提供的運動鞋。

Mike Hazle, the 2011 U.S. champion in the javelin, said his Nike-made shoes were too narrow, causing his toenails to fall off and his feet to become numb. So for years, he said, he borrowed gear made by Asics and Li-Ning, a Chinese company, from a fellow javelin thrower. He covered those logos with tape or with slices from wristbands that bore the Nike swoosh.

2011年美國標槍冠軍邁克•黑澤爾(Mike Hazle)說，他的耐克運動鞋太瘦，導致他趾甲脫落，雙腳麻木。所以，他說，多年來他一直向另一個標槍選手借亞瑟士和中國品牌李寧的鞋來穿。他用膠帶來遮蓋這些品牌的標識，或者從護腕上剪下帶着耐克標識的一塊布，貼在這些品牌上面。

It was never a problem in the little-noticed event, Hazle said, until he won the U.S. title and a photograph of him appeared in Track & Field News. His left foot was raised after a throw, revealing the check-mark logo of Li-Ning on the bottom of his shoe.

黑澤爾說，在他們這個沒什麼人關注的項目裏，這本來並不是問題，直到他贏得了全國冠軍，照片出現在《田徑新聞》上，這才成了問題——他投擲之後左腳擡起，露出了鞋底上的李寧標識。

Nike was not pleased and exercised an option on his contract in 2012 to keep him from signing with another company, Hazle said, but offered only $10,000 with no chance of bonuses.

耐克很不高興，在他2012年的合同上加入了一項條款，防止他與其他公司簽約，但是隻提供了1萬美元的贊助，沒有額外獎勵機會。

It is unfortunate “if someone is paying your bills and you’re supposed to wear what they give you and it doesn’t work,” Hazle said from Afghanistan, where he is serving in the Air National Guard. “But at the end of the day, it’s going to compromise your performance, so you’ve got to take care of yourself.”

“如果有人給你錢，你應該穿他們提供的產品，可是不好用，”這樣的事是很令人遺憾的。黑澤爾目前在駐阿富汗的空軍國民警衛隊服役，他在那裏接受了採訪。“但是到頭來，這會影響你的成績，所以你得照顧好自己。”

Nike said it did not comment on contracts but expected that its sponsored athletes “will always wear Nike products unless there is some specific, mutually agreed exception.”

耐克表示對合同不予置評，但是希望接受贊助的運動員“總是穿着耐克產品，除非有某些經雙方同意的具體的例外”。

One high-profile exception took place last year. Christian Taylor of the United States, who won the triple jump at the 2012 Olympics and signed with Nike in 2015, was permitted to wear Adidas shoes at the world track and field championships in Beijing while Nike customized shoes for him. Taylor, the triple jump favorite at this year’s Olympics, now wears Nikes.

去年就有一個著名運動員的特例。美國的克里斯蒂安•泰勒(Christian Taylor)是2012年奧運會三級跳冠軍的得主，2015年同耐克簽約。北京世界田徑錦標賽期間，耐克爲他提供的鞋還在定製中，因此允許他破例穿着阿迪達斯。泰勒也是今年奧運會上三級跳的奪標熱門選手，現在他穿的是耐克。

Two medal favorites in the high jump, Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Derek Drouin of Canada, have also been permitted by Nike to wear shoes from other brands that are covered by elastic sleeves resembling spats that bear the Nike swoosh.

卡塔爾的穆塔茲•艾薩•巴希姆(Mutaz Essa Barshim)和加拿大的德里克•德勞因(Derek Drouin)是兩位有望獲得跳高比賽獎牌的選手。他們也被耐克批准穿其他品牌的運動鞋，但要用帶有耐克標識的彈性鞋套來遮蓋。

“As with any athlete, we are working closely with them to get the shoe that best suits their specific needs,” Charlie Brooks, a Nike spokesman, said in an email. “There’s no issue with our shoes, it’s just a matter of personal customization for these athletes. We anticipate they’ll be jumping in Nike shoes soon.”

“就像同任何運動員一樣，我們也同他們密切合作，讓運動鞋最大限度滿足他們的特殊需求，”耐克發言人查理•布魯克斯(Charlie Brooks)在電子郵件中說。“我們的運動鞋沒有問題，這只是爲運動員進行個人定製。我們預計他們很快就可以穿着耐克鞋參賽了。”

Camouflaging reflects the particular nature of track and field, which finds itself in the limelight every four years during the Summer Games.

這些僞裝表明了田徑賽事的特殊性，每隔四年，這項賽事都在夏季奧運會期間成爲關注的焦點。

Sprinters and pole-vaulters and steeplechasers generally do not receive annual salaries from teams the way professional football and basketball players do. Instead, they mostly rely on prize money and contracts with shoe companies, along with other endorsements.

短跑運動員、撐杆跳運動員和障礙賽跑運動員通常不會像職業橄欖球和籃球運動員那樣從球隊領取年薪。他們主要是靠獎金，以及和運動鞋製造商等贊助方簽訂贊助合同。

The apparel companies, Nike in particular, wield strong influence. They equip athletes and keep the struggling sport afloat. But they can also reduce payments when certain performance goals are not met. And, at certain meets like the Olympics, athletes are restricted from wearing competing sponsor logos on their uniforms and on temporary tattoos.

服裝公司，特別是耐克，在這個領域有很大的影響力。他們爲運動員提供裝備，讓這個舉步維艱的項目得以延續。但是如果一些競賽目標沒有達到，他們也會縮減報酬。在某些賽事上，比如奧運會，運動員的服裝或臨時紋身上不能出現競爭對手的品牌。

The number of track meets is dwindling, along with available prize money and appearance fees, athletes and agents say. Rampant doping has threatened the legitimacy of the sport. Income disparity is wide.

運動員和經紀人們說，田徑賽事正在減少，其獎金和出場費也在縮減。猖獗的興奮劑使用正威脅着這項賽事的正當性。運動員收入差距極大。

The sprinting champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica, track’s one global superstar, sponsored by Puma, makes $32.5 million a year, including $30 million in endorsements, according to an estimate by Forbes. But far less visible and successful athletes say they might make as little as $10,000 to $25,000 annually.

牙買加短跑冠軍尤賽恩•博爾特(Usain Bolt)是全球徑賽巨星，由彪馬(Puma)贊助。根據《福布斯》(Forbes)估計，他每年收入3250萬美元，包括3000萬美元的廣告代言收入。但是遠不如他那樣成功和著名的運動員們說，他們每年賺的錢可能只有區區1萬美元到2.5萬美元。

Camouflaging of shoes, said Carl Lewis, the nine-time Olympic gold medalist, who has had a long affiliation with Nike, is “a microcosm of what the real issue is: Are we really creating a professional sport?”

卡爾•劉易斯(Carl Lewis)是九塊奧運金牌得主，長期由耐克贊助。他說，遮蓋運動鞋的做法是“真正問題的一個縮影：我們是否真正在創造一種職業體育？”

“Why are we so dependent on just shoe companies?” said Lewis, an assistant coach at the University of Houston.

“我們爲什麼那麼依賴運動鞋公司？”劉易斯說。如今他是休斯敦大學的一名助理教練。

Some athletes said they considered it disrespectful and unprofessional to cover up the logo of a sponsor.

一些運動員說，他們認爲遮蓋贊助商標識的做法失禮而且不職業。

“If they’re paying money, the least we can do is respect their dollar,” said Wallace Spearmon of the U.S., a 200-meter sprinter and former Nike athlete.

“如果他們出了錢，我們至少應該尊重他們的錢，”美國200米短跑運動員華萊士•斯皮爾蒙(Wallace Spearmon)說。他曾經接受耐克贊助。