Although Egyptian athletes received a gift from sneaker and sports apparel giant Nike replacing fake Chinese-made outfits, the case is not yet closed, Inas Mazhar reports According to the head of the National Sports Council (NSC) Emad El-Banani, an investigation into fake Nike sportswear started after the Egyptian Olympic Committee (NOC) admitted the incident. Synchronised swimmer Yomna Khallaf broke the silence when she wrote on Twitter earlier last month that members of the Olympic team were given fake Nike gear, prompting Egyptian officials, and local and international media to launch an attack on the NOC. Though only a few days in office, new Prime Minister Hisham Qandil ordered an investigation into the scandal as soon as possible. Meantime, Nike announced that it and ATC, its Egyptian distributor, were donating training outfits to the Egyptian Olympic delegation for use as training and as athletes village wear. In a statement Nike said, "Our main priority is to provide athletes with authentic Nike products." But Egyptian officials said they would not pay for the outfits and made sure that Nike confirmed it was a gift to the Egyptian athletes. "We won't pay twice," NOC head Mahmoud Ahmed Ali said. "We have already gone through this according to the rules and paid for the outfits. We won't pay twice and the company has to know that." El-Banani who had confirmed the counterfeit clothing scandal said that Egypt had already paid for the outfits and that the investigations "will provide us with the proof of how the fake outfits arrived. "Mahmoud Ali will be questioned over what happened. An investigation is ongoing to find out the reasons which led to the NOC purchasing fake clothing," El-Banani told Al-Ahram daily. Ali further stirred up controversy when he admitted that he opted to sign with a Chinese distributor "in light of Egypt's economic situation." The counterfeit uniforms came to light after Egyptian athletes griped via Twitter that their faux Nike gear was poorly made and sported the logos of Nike as well as official sponsor Adidas. Ali had told AP that Egypt's economic situation compelled it to sign with a Chinese distributor, and denied knowing the cut-rate goods were counterfeit when they were purchased. In similar problems, USA outfitter Ralph Lauren came under fire for manufacturing Olympic uniforms in China, and Spanish athletes have tweeted mocking photos of and critical comments about their bright red and yellow uniforms, which the Spanish government received for free. According to experts, Nike was smart to turn the scandal in their favour. While many believed they would pursue legal action against the NOC, they surprised by showing generosity, donating new outfits and gaining free brand exposure at the Games at the expense of their main rivals Adidas while getting their names in the middle of Olympic news.
