After its painful split with the French football team, Adidas...

After its painful split with the French football team, Adidas has lost another French partner of four decades as the country's athletics federation switched to Asics. The Japanese brand is to provide outfits for French track and field athletes for four years from the start of January in all international competitions, the French athletics federation said. Separately, the board of the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF) voted to open up its sponsorship for the coming years. At the London Olympics, the CNOSF still had an all-encompassing deal with Adidas, which provided garments for French athletes in all disciplines, on the field of play and for all other appearances during the Games. The board apparently decided that, as happens in nearly all other countries, federations should be entitled to make their own deals for apparel to be worn by athletes during their Olympic performance.