Jutta Leerdam learns punishment over £730K payday for flashing bras at Winter Olympics
Jutta Leerdam won gold in the 1000m speed skating at the Winter Olympics and showed a Nike sports bra to 298 million followers afterwards, with IOC now making a decision on punishing her for it
Jutta Leerdam has escaped punishment for flashing her bra(Image: Getty Images)
Jutta Leerdam is likely to avoid any penalties after revealing her sports bra following her gold medal win at the Milano-Cortina Games. The speed skater, who is engaged to internet celebrity Jake Paul, clinched gold in the 1000m speed skating event at the Winter Olympics.
After being declared Olympic champion, cameras caught Leerdam unzipping part of her racing suit to reveal a white Nike sports bra. Leerdam has a sponsorship deal with the sportswear behemoth, and a photo of her wearing the bra was shared with Nike’s whopping 298 million Instagram followers.
Marketing experts have speculated that Leerdam could be set for a bonus of around £730,000 ($1m) for showcasing the bra, with specialist Frederique de Laat telling Dutch media outlet AD: “With Nike, I suspect you’re looking at a figure of over a million.”
Meanwhile, Meindert Schut, editor-in-chief of the business magazine Quote told NOS that Leerdam could earn around one cent (£0.0079 – £0.0081) thanks to her following of 6.2million on Instagram.
It means she could pocket 62,000 euros (£54,000) per post featuring Nike through her sponsorship.
The International Olympic Committee enforces stringent rules around athletes promoting products during the Games, leading to suggestions that Leerdam may have breached these regulations. However, IOC TMS Managing Director Anne-Sophie Voumard quashed such concerns, describing it as “normal practice”.
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She explained: “I’m not an expert in speed skating. But I understand this (unzipping the uniform after a race) is normal practice for speed skaters when they finish their race because the suit is very tight. It is normal practice and not a case of ambush (marketing).”
Leerdam is a social media star in her own right, with Paul’s fiancée boasting a staggering 6.3 million followers on Instagram.
The Dutch athlete recently flaunted a Hermès Birkin bag she’d purchased after claiming Olympic gold, whilst she’s also posted pictures of herself and Paul travelling on a private jet.
In fact, Leerdam’s ‘behind the scenes’ material is said to have delighted the IOC, as it’s helped bring a fresh perspective to the Games. This follows the IOC altering guidelines on filming content during the 2024 Summer Olympics held in Paris.
IOC Director of the Athletes’ Department, Kaveh Mehrabi, said: “Athletes have generated over 1.3billion social engagements. That’s about half a million per athlete, and we are super proud they want to show their own experience.
“We changed the guidelines since Paris (2024 Olympic Games), allowing athletes to show their experience first-hand.”
Jutta Leerdam has alone generated over 100million engagements on social media. The most appealing content has been behind the scenes.
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