Olympic chiefs rule out underwear checks

Danish footballer Nicklas Bendtner's ambush marketing stunt will not lead to a series of checks on athletes' underwear during London 2012, a senior International Olympic Committee member insisted. In June Bendtner was fined £80,000 by European football governing body UEFA after revealing underpants bearing the name of Irish bookmaker Paddy Power during the European Championships. Ambush marketing, where companies who haven't paid for the privilege of a sponsoring an event still try to gain free publicity on the back of a major sports tournament or match, is a problem senior IOC member Denis Oswald said Olympic officials were determined to combat. "It won't be practical to make checks before the players take the field," Oswald said Friday ahead of the opening ceremony. "However, the soccer player who revealed his underwear in the European Championship was penalised afterwards. That will be the same in the Olympics."