Samsung wants to hide Apple logos on iPhones at the Olympics

Samsung is giving a free Galaxy Note 3 to every athlete competing in the 2014 Winter Olympics, but those who receive one are reportedly required to ensure that the Apple logo is nowhere to be seen if they use an iPhone to record events at the opening ceremonies. Olympians have increasingly turned to smartphones to capture photos and video of the festivities, and the handsets are often caught by television cameras covering the event. 

Olympics sponsor Samsung is reportedly dropping Galaxy Note 3 smartphones in athletes’ goodie-bags, though the gift comes with a catch: a supposed ban on any other device branding, iPhone or otherwise, during the opening ceremony. Details of the clamp-down, which is said to require the Apple logo on an iPhone be physically covered so that it’s not caught on camera during the televised ceremony in Sochi, were spilled by the Swiss Olympic team. They were pleased to discover the Note 3 in among the other promotional kit sponsors have been offering, Bluewin reports, but the phone came with guidelines on what Samsung is said to be requiring in return for its financial support. The rule only appears to apply to athletes, rather than anybody else attending the opening ceremony.