The sportswear giant's new-look kit for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin maintains the core elements of the three stripes, but employs a design not instantly recognisable as Adidas' trademark logo (Marketing, November 9).
The move has opened the door for all sportswear manufacturers to create Olympic clothing designs that incorporate limitless use of elements of their brand identity.
The Adidas kit has been ratified by the IOC for use in this winter's event. Its official three-stripe logo still features on the kit, limited to the same 20cm2 of branded space afforded to all sportswear manufacturers by the IOC.
Industry insiders are split as to whether the IOC's approval of Adidas' new kit means the organisation has weakened its stance with regard to what constitutes branding on Olympic athletes' clothing.
One source claimed the continued use of the new design would effectively turn it into a recognisable Adidas logo within a few years.
This would leave the IOC with the same problem it faced earlier this year when Adidas' rivals successfully lobbied for limitations on the three stripes to be put in place (Marketing, 11 May).
Adidas has insisted the new design is solely for use at next year's Olympics and there are no plans to roll it out across its product range.
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