Canada's track cyclist Joseph Veloce uses a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones at the Velodrome during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 4, 2012.STEFANO RELLANDINI/Reuters
It looks like Dr. Dre isn't letting up on his wily campaign to show off his Beats headphones at the Olympics.
The rapper's headphones have been ubiquitous at the Games with numerous athletes, such as LeBron James and Michael Phelps, wearing them during warm ups. Last week, questions surfaced about Beats engaging in "ambush marketing" at the Games by giving the headphones to British athletes. Now Canadian athletes are getting them too.
"One of the many free treats of being on an Olympic team...Team Canada Beats headphones courtesy of Dr. Dre" Canadian hammer thrower Jim Steacy tweeted Saturday, adding a picture of the phones.
Beats is not an official Olympic sponsor (but Panasonic is) and the International Olympic Committee has strict rules aimed at stopping non-sponsors from trying to ply their products at the Games. Under the rules Steacy's tweet is a violation because athletes are not allowed to promote any sponsor on social media, such as Twitter, during the Olympics.
So far the IOC has turned a blind eye to Dr. Dre. IOC spokesman Mark Adams said last week that the organization was monitoring the situation.
Paul Waldie