Specialist Sports Lawyer Explains Why Everyone Is Going For Gold

The stars of Team GB are ‘worth their weight in gold’ after delivering our greatest ever Olympic performance by finishing second in the medal table.

That’s the view of our expert sport lawyers at Irwin Mitchell who have warned our medal winners to be prepared to be in demand on their return from Rio and to ensure that they’re ready for complex contract negotiations and in-depth discussions over image rights.

After 27 golds, 23 silvers and 17 bronzes, Britain has become the first ever nation to better its medal haul at a Games immediately following a home Olympics and sponsors are understandably queuing up to grab a slice of this stunning success story.
 
The two richest sportsmen in Team GB are gold medal winners Andy Murray and Justin Rose who have amassed their fortune by winning tournaments and majors at the top level of tennis and golf respectively.

The vast majority of Team GB regularly compete for tiny fractions of the millions on offer in those sports and know that golden success at the games is the best opportunity they’ll get to sign lucrative sponsorship deals.

Following the Olympics at London 2012, heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill signed a number of financially rewarding deals with Adidas and Omega and began to feature prominently in adverts for bank Santander and Vitality insurance.

Olympic and World 5,000m and 10,000m champion Mo Farah struck deals with Nike, Virgin Media, Lucozade and Bupa after his trademark ‘Mobot’ celebration became of one the most iconic moments of the games.
 
Thomas Barnard, a specialist sports lawyer at Irwin Mitchell expects a few life-changing offers to come in for some of Team GB’s most successful and charismatic superstars.