Sure, racing is over–but there’s plenty of drama, it seems, just not on the road. Over in Denmark, a whole buncha athletes are involved in a very public lawsuit against a broadcaster–including former world champ and 2026 Tour de France green jersey winner, Mads Pedersen.
The Lidl-Trek rider says there’s a big difference between showing cycling on TV and using a rider’s face to sell subscriptions.
Pedersen made the argument Monday while testifying in a Danish court case against HBO Nordic. Pedersen is one of 12 Danish sports stars seeking compensation for what they say was the unauthorized commercial use of their images during the 2024 Olympics.
The lawsuit
According to Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet, Pedersen told the courts that use of his likeness could hurt his ability to negotiate sponsorship deals.
He said he understood broadcasters promoting sports coverage. However, he argued that advertising a paid subscription was another matter.
“I’m trying to sell my image to others who want to use it,” Pedersen said, explaining why he considered the campaign damaging.
Mads Pedersen on win: ‘I had two incredible teammates who rode like motorcycles all day’
The 2019 world road champion is around 150,000 Danish kroner (about $30,000 Canuck bucks).
To show the commercial value of his image, Pedersen pointed to his sponsorship agreements. His deal with shoe brand Airtox was worth €228,000 (about $360,000) annually. There’s also a five-year partnership with clothing brand CRIVIT that’s worth more than €456,000 (about $720,000) per year, he told the court.
On improper usage of his likeness
Pedersen said companies pay substantial sums for the right to use his likeness and that he had not authorized HBO to use photographs from his 2019 world championship victory in Harrogate.
He also argued that HBO could have taken fresh photographs during athlete media days ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
HBO Nordic however, is saying something different. The Scandinavian outlet of the massive broadcasters says the athletes consented to image use through Olympic participation agreements. It also argues that its use of the photographs was editorial rather than commercial.
The 12 athletes are collectively seeking around two million kroner (approximately $400,000 Canadian), with each demanding 50,000 kroner per alleged unauthorized use.
The athletes involved
The claims involve a dozen sportspeople from Denmark.
Handball players Mathias Gidsel (450,000 kroner), Mikkel Hansen (200,000) and Niklas Landin (200,000); badminton players Viktor Axelsen (450,000) and Anders Antonsen (150,000); golfers Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard (100,000 each); and cyclists Pedersen (150,000), Amalie Dideriksen, Mikkel Bjerg, Niklas Larsen and Sebastian Fini Carstensen (50,000 each).
The case was scheduled to run from Monday to Wednesday.