FIFA’s plan to double the frequency of the World Cup drew a rebuke from one of the tournament’s most important sponsors.

Adidas CEO Kasper Rørsted told Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung that a biennial tournament would overcrowd the soccer and sports landscape.

“There’s a European Championship here, there’s a Copa América in Latin America. One should also leave space for other things,” he said, echoing concerns from UEFA, CONMEBOL, and the European Club Association.

He added that other sports such as biathlon, skiing, tennis, and handball should also get TV time.

“If you push just one product heavily, it is not good for any product,” said Rørsted.

His remarks carry weight, as Adidas has been the official supplier of soccer balls for the FIFA World Cup since 1970.

• Back in 2013, Adidas and FIFA extended their partnership to 2030.
• Adidas’ net income grew 150.6% year-over-year to $458 million in Q2 2018 in the middle of the last World Cup. It posted $756.9 million in net income the following quarter, up 25.1% year-over-year.
• The World Cup is coming to the U.S. in 2026 after Qatar hosts next year. Adidas’ sales in North America grew 87% year-over-year in the second quarter of this year to $1.44 billion.

Rørsted felt similarly about the attempted European Super League, saying it would have been good for the company’s sales but bad for the long-term health of soccer.

Olympic sponsors face a challenging landscape, as the normally unifying Games have become highly contentious due to alleged human rights violations in China.

A bipartisan group of U.S. House members introduced legislation to trigger a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, citing reports of the genocide of the Uyghur population.

China has denied the accusations.

Ten of the 12 largest Olympic sponsors, including Coca-Cola, Intel, Toyota, and Procter & Gamble, combine for $110 billion in annual revenue in the country of 1.4 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Earlier this year, concerns raised by Nike and Adidas over reports of forced labor in their supply chains, namely cotton farms in the Xinjiang region, triggered calls for a boycott among Chinese consumers.

• In April, Nike sales dropped 59% year-over-year on China’s biggest e-commerce platform, Alibaba’s Tmall. 
• Adidas sales dropped 78% year-over-year in April on Tmall.

The country has a goal of making sports in China a $773 billion industry by 2035. The government issued a goal of increasing the number of people participating in regular physical activity by 38.5% by 2025.

The country has a $3.9 billion budget for the Winter Games, which start in February.

Biodata is becoming increasingly entwined with fitness, and CrossFit is now combining those two threads in a unique way.

Last week, the gym and workout program chain launched CrossFit Precision Care, which incorporates genetic analysis, blood tests, wearable data, and consultations with CrossFit-trained primary health doctors into its health and fitness program.

The move opens a new line of business as the company seeks to distance itself from significant turmoil last year.

• In June 2020, then-CEO and owner Greg Glassman caused a stir when he appeared to mock the response to George Floyd’s murder, while also supporting conspiracy theories around COVID-19.
• In response, over 100 gyms ended their affiliation with CrossFit, as did Reebok, Rogue Fitness, and FitAid. Glassman, who was also accused of sexual harassment, resigned as CEO shortly after, then sold the company to former Oracle Data Cloud exec Eric Roza for an undisclosed amount.
• The company is estimated to bring in $4 billion in annual revenue.

The new health program will initially be available in eight states, including the four most populous — California, Texas, Florida, New York — with plans to expand in 2022.

The company said that around 12 doctors would be part of the program at its launch, and each will be able to serve 400 patients.

Winter sports enthusiasts who ski and snowboard now have more options for renting luxury gear when they make their way to the mountains.

EcoSki uses a Rent the Runway model, allowing users to rent, buy, sell, or recycle pieces from upscale winter sportswear designers. The company was founded by real estate investor Rachael Westbrook, a mom who repeatedly had to buy new gear as her kids outgrew their old skiwear.

The global snow sports apparel market was valued at $2.4 billion per year in 2018, according to Grand View Research; the global clothing rental market is expected to increase 10% by 2025 to $990 million, per Technavio.

Rent the Runway is one of EcoSki’s top competitors — it started offering a limited collection of skiwear in 2019.

• It was valued at $750 million in the fall of last year and filed for an IPO on Oct. 4.
• The company had 126,841 active subscribers in the six months ended July 31.

The U.S. is Rent the Runway’s only territory, while EcoSki currently only ships in the U.K. The company has plans to expand in Australia, New Zealand, and eventually the U.S. and the Alps.

EcoSki will also focus on sustainability, featuring designers that use nonpolluting or responsibly sourced materials.