The sporting hero may face punishment. As the most decorated Olympian of all time, it was only a matter of time before Michael Phelps landed a major fashion endorsement.
But in posing for the Louis Vuitton campaign images that surfaced on Twitter on August 13, 2012, the U.S. Olympic swimmer may be stripped of his medals, four gold and two silver, from the London 2012 Games.
According to Rule 40, a regulation introduced by the International Olympic Committee earlier this year, no athlete was able to participate in non-Olympic marketing campaigns from July 18 to August 15, 2012.
If the photographs were in fact due for release on August 16 and a rogue individual had simply leaked them, Mr Phelps will be in the clear. But if the photos were in fact leaked intentionally by the brand, the sporting hero will face punishment.
The French fashion house said after the two photos, snapped by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, had leaked that they were in fact unofficial images and were stolen from the company.
Mr Phelps’ management team have also denied releasing the images.