III 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 289 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that ambush marketing adversely affects 

the United States Olympic and Paralympic teams and should be discouraged. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 7, 2013 

Mr. BEGICH (for himself and Mr. BENNET) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that ambush marketing 

adversely affects the United States Olympic and 

Paralympic teams and should be discouraged. 

Whereas the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games will occur 

on February 7 through February 23, 2014, and March 

7 through March 16, 2014, respectively, in Sochi, Russia; 

Whereas more than 5,500 athletes from 80 nations will compete in 7 Olympic sports and 1,350 Paralympic athletes 

will compete in 5 sports; 

Whereas American athletes have spent countless days, 

months, and years training to earn a spot on the United 

States Olympic or Paralympic teams; 

Whereas the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act 

(36 U.S.C. 220501 et seq.)— 

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2 

•SRES 289 IS 

(1) established the United States Olympic Committee as the coordinating body for all Olympic and 

Paralympic athletic activity in the United States; 

(2) gave the United States Olympic Committee the 

exclusive right in the United States to use the words 

‘‘Olympic’’, ‘‘Olympiad’’, ‘‘Paralympic’’, and 

‘‘Paralympiad’’, the emblem of the United States Olympic Committee, and the symbols of the International 

Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic 

Committee; and 

(3) empowered the United States Olympic Committee to authorize sponsors that contribute to the 

United States Olympic or Paralympic teams to use any 

trademark, symbol, insignia, or emblem of the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic 

Committee, the Pan-American Sports Organization, or 

the United States Olympic Committee; 

Whereas Team USA is significantly funded by 31 sponsors 

who assure that the United States has the best Olympic 

teams possible; 

Whereas, in recent years, a number of entities in the United 

States have engaged in ambush marketing as a marketing strategy, affiliating themselves with the Olympic 

and Paralympic Games without becoming sponsors of 

Team USA; 

Whereas ambush marketing harms the United States Olympic and Paralympic teams, undermines sponsorship activities, and gives ambush marketers an unfair and unethical advantage over entities that officially sponsor and 

provide funding for the elite athletes of the United 

States; and 

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•SRES 289 IS 

Whereas efforts to prevent ambush marketing have enjoyed 

limited success as the strategies used by ambush marketers continue to multiply: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) ambush marketing adversely affects the 

3 United States Olympic and Paralympic teams and 

4 their ability to attract and retain the sponsorships 

5 necessary to be successful at the 2014 Olympic and 

6 Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia; and 

7 (2) entities in the United States should cease 

8 all ambush marketing efforts related to the United 

9 States Olympic and Paralympic teams. 

Æ 

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