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Olympic History
2004
adidas outfitted 18 National Olympic Committees, including US, Germany, Great Britain, France, Ethiopia, Cuba and the host country, Greece. More than 5,000 athletes competed in the three stripes and adidas provided products for 26 out of the 28 sports. Yelena Isinbayeva (pole vault) takes gold and breaks her own world record.


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2000
In Sydney, adidas underlines its competence as an Olympic brand. adidas develops revolutionary products based on the concept of "Energy Maintenance" for six sports: swimming, track & field, cycling, fencing, weightlifting and wrestling. The most lasting impression is left by the adidas Full Body Swimsuit, in which Ian Thorpe, Australia's 17-year-old national hero, wins three gold medals and sets four world records, becoming the star of the Sydney Olympics.


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1996
adidas chooses 1996, the centenary of the modern Olympic Games, to celebrate past successes and triumphs still to come - symbolized by the concept "We knew then - we know now." This concept reaps rich rewards with gold medals by Donovan Bailey (Canada) in the 100 meters, Lars Riedel (Germany) in the discus, Noureddine Morceli (Algeria) in the 1500 meters, Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) in the 10,000 meters and Felix Savon (Cuba) in boxing. adidas equips 33 nations in Atlanta; 6,000 participants wear adidas, and adidas supplies products for 21 of the 26 sports.


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1992
Greek weightlifter Pyrros Dimas wins his first of so far three Olympic gold medals.


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1984
Edwin Moses takes Olympic gold with his 105th straight win in the 400 meter hurdles. At the Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles, 124 out of 140 nations compete in adidas. 259 medals are won in products with the three stripes. Ulrike Meyfarth wins her second Olympic gold medal (after 1972) in the high jump.


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1980
At the Summer Games in Moscow, over 80% of the participants wear adidas. Dalex Thompson wins the first of two gold medals in the decathlon.


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1976
Nadia Comaneci registers the first "10" in gymnastics history. Edwin Moses wins gold in the 400 meters and 800 meters at the Olympic Games in Montreal. The "TRX" jogging shoe is introduced.


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1968
adidas athletes also dominate the Olympic Games in Mexico. Dick Fosbury clears 2.24m with a new high jump technique and takes the gold medal. adidas is the first company in the world to produce injection-moulded multi-stud soles of polyurethane, giving a one-year guarantee on the sole. The first jogging shoe, “Achill”, is launched.


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1964
adidas presents the lightest track shoe ever made. The “Tokio 64” weighs just 135 grams per shoe. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Willi Holdorf is the first German to take gold in the decathlon.


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1960
At the Olympic Games in Rome, 75 percent of all track & field athletes rely on adidas shoes. Wilma Rudolph, who suffered from polio as a child, takes the gold in the 100 m and 200 m and in the 4x100 m relay. To mark the Olympic Games, the “Rom” training shoe is launched. Today, this classic is one of the top trend shoes and is now being produced again in small quantities.


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1956
High Jumping is revolutionized with a shoe featuring exchangeable spikes. Al Oerter wins the first of his four gold medals.


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1948
The career of running legend Emil Zapotek begins: he takes gold in the 10,000 meters and wins silver in the 5,000 meters distance. In the same year, "adidas" is registered as a brand and the first running shoe with a porocrepe sole is developed.


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1936
The Olympic Games in Berlin are the sporting highlight for Jesse Owens. He sets new bests in almost all of the twelve events in which he competes. Jesse Owens is the most successful athlete in Berlin, winning four gold medals wearing shoes that boast specially positioned spikes and a low-cut upper.


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1932
Arthur Jonath places third in the 100 meters, becoming the first athlete to win a medal in shoes by Adi Dassler.


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1928
Adi Dassler's shoes are worn at the Olympic Games for the first time. Adi Dassler takes care of "his" athletes in Amsterdam and strives to optimize the respective shoes, working closely with athletes. He produced the "Waitzer", the first track shoes for an Olympic athlete. Adi Dassler makes the first shoe with complete leather sole and hand-forged spikes in 1926.


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