According to the Associated Press, Phelps’s agent Peter Carlisle claims that the swimmer isn’t in violation of the International Olympic Committee’s Rule 40, which “prohibits athletes from promoting non-official sponsors during a nearly monthlong period around the games” and, if broken, could result in said athlete being stripped of his or her medals. The promotion in question: leaked photos from Phelps’s apparent Louis Vuitton campaign, one of which shows him taking a bath with a monogrammed bag nearby (our favorite pastime!); however, because Phelps didn’t authorize the distribution of the ads, he’s in the clear. Anyway, the fashion house said the bathtub picture was “NOT an LV image,” but Carlisle didn’t hesitate to admit that it was. In fact, he told the AP, “In many ways, this is one of the greatest illustrations of how Michael has transcended swimming, and arguably even sports … Only global icons are even included in that campaign.” Like Bono.
