Adidas considers withdrawing sponsorship of Jerusalem marathon

Yosi Eli, Maariv, December 10 2010 [Hebrew original here and at the bottom of this post]

The sports giant Adidas, which is sponsoring the Jerusalem International Marathon, requested
clarifications from the Jerusalem Municipality about the manner in which the event would be
conducted [sic]. Sources in the company [say they] are even considering withdrawing the
sponsorship because of fears of a consumer boycott, after it became clear that the route also
runs through neighborhoods beyond the Green Line.

The company’s communication with the Jerusalem Municipality follows a series of protests
it received from human rights organizations across the world, demanding that the company
cancel its sponsorship of the marathon, which is scheduled for March 2011.

The calls for a boycott came after a left-wing activist, who will be participating in the
marathon, complained to the Meretz faction in Jerusalem. He said that it was not proper that
the route run through neighborhoods beyond the Green Line. Among other things, the
organizations are threating to start a consumer boycott of it does not withdraw its support of
the race.

In their letter to the Mayor Nir Barkat, which was communicated with the help of the Meretz
faction in the Jerusalem City Council, headed by Councillor Pepe Alalou and Dr. Meir
Margalit, the [company's] managers clarification over the planned route. A source in the
Jerusalem Municipality said that following the approaches to the company, some of the
Adidas management and its board, requested explicit clarifications regarding the event, which
will be held for the first time in Jerusalem.

Quelle

http://coteret.com/2010/12/12/following-local-pressure-adidas-reconsiders-sponsorship-of-
jerusalem-marathon/#more-2923