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Adidas : The Original Games Collection 2008

Sunday, 06 January 2008

Adidas : The Original Games Collection 2008

As part of a long standing history with the Olympics , adidas has instituted The Original Games. Since 1928, adidas has been at every single Olympics, this collection celebrates not only one of the greatest sporting events in the world but also some of the most memorable moments in Olympic sporting history.

One day in 1925 Adolf (Adi) Dassler designed a pair of sports shoes; thereafter he began to study the science behind kinetics and footwear. By 1931 he and his brother Rudolph were selling special shoes for tennis players, and they soon began to design specific shoes for the needs of specific sports.

They devised many technical innovations that made their footwear popular with athletes, not the least of which was the first arch support. The brothers were also quick to realize that athletes themselves were the best advertisement for their shoes. Initiating a long and controversial history of sports marketing, in 1928 the company gave away their first pairs of free shoes to the athletes of the Olympic Games in Amsterdam.

Adi Dassler had devised a distinctive three-stripe logo back in 1941 (and registered it as a trademark for Adidas after the split) that was easily recognizable from afar. The company did not begin selling its shoes in the United States until 1968, but within the span of a few short years Adidas dominated the American market to such an extent that two American competitors, Wilson and MacGregor, quit making sports shoes altogether. At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, every official wore Adidas, and so did 1,164 of the 1,490 international athletes.

The collection will encompass country relevant items as well as historical stories and unique concepts. The Original Games Collection was launched with various entertainment all relating to the Olympic Games. Various pieces from The Original Games Collection is available at select adidas Originals locations now with further releases in subsequent months.