18th September, 2014
United States sports giant, Nike, has terminated its endorsement deal with Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee sprinter, who was found guilty of culpable homicide, says an official.
An online publication, Insidethegame, reports that the sportswear giant suspended its lucrative and long-term sponsorship with the athlete shortly after it emerged that he shot dead his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
The athlete claimed he shot his girlfriend after mistaking her for an intruder in their Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
According to the publication, Kejuan Wilkins, NIKE spokesman, who confirmed the termination, said that the organisation would stop using and paying the athlete pending the outcome of the trial.
The six-time Paralympic champion has been cleared of premeditated murder but found guilty of culpable homicide, which carries a punishment of anything from a fine to a maximum of 15 years in prison.
The South African, who is one of the best known Paralympians in history, competed at the London 2012 Olympic as an able-bodied athlete.
It said that Pistorius also enjoyed other lucrative sponsorship deals in addition to the one with Nike which is approximately worth two million dollars annually.