Words Dept.: entry

It seems highly likely to me that Deutsche Telekom, owner of T-Mobile, is going to pull out of its sponsorship of professional cycling after the conclusion of this year’s Tour de France, in fear of the damage being done to its brand by an association with drugs.

Doping is, as usual, turning into a major scandal at the Tour this year. A rider on the T-Mobile team, Patrick Sinkewitz, withdrew from the race last week after a positive test for testosterone, while pre-race favourite Alexandre Vinokourov and his team Astana were pulled from the race today after Vinokourov returned a positive test for two different types of blood cells – indicating blood doping.

German television stopped broadcasting the Tour last week in protest at the Sinkewitz case and the fear among sponsors about being associated with a tarnished event seems to be growing.

The relationship between professional cycling – especially the Tour de France – and its sponsors is crucial. As a free spectacle, the sport depends on sponsors for its existence. T-Mobile may become the first of many companies to realise its link with pro-cycling runs the risk of damaging a carefully constructed brand image. What’s the point of flashy TV adverts and cross-platform marketing link-ups when you have your name all over a sporting event where drugs are endemic and seemingly irremovable?

The long-term implications for the Tour – which is the toughest and, at its best, one of the most exciting sporting events in the world – could be catastrophic. Unless, that is, the cyclists stop cheating.