The first Adidas trainers were hand produced by Adolf (Adi) and Rudolph Dassler in 1920 under the Dassler name at home on the kitchen table. In 1928 the trainers appeared in the Olympic Games in Amsterdam. By 1956, at the Melbourne Olympics, the Adidas brand was being promoted.
This was the first sports sponsorship. By 1961 Adidas had branched out from trainers into footballs and clothing. At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, 80% of all athletes sported footwear with the familiar Adidas 3 stripes.
The Adidas trefoil logo was introduced in 1972. This represents the continental plates coming together in the spirit of the Olympics. In the same year, the German national football team won the European Championships wearing Adidas boots.
In 1974, the German football team win the World Cup and 80% of all tournament players wore Adidas boots. In 1976, 83% of athletes at the Montreal Olympics wore Adidas.
The new three strip Adidas Equipment logo was introduced in 1996.
| 1997 saw David Beckham signed up as part of a new Adidas marketing offensive. In the tennis world Anna Kournikova promoted the Adidas brand. 1998: France won the World Cup wearing Adidas kit. |
