Olympic sponsorship

No Samsung cell phones for athletes from North Korea

Olympic athletes in Paris received a limited version of their new Galaxy Z Flip 6 flip phone from sponsor Samsung with a list price of around 1,200 euros.(Bild: Samsung)

Athletes competing at the Olympic Games in Paris receive a few treats from the sponsors of the Games - expensive luxury smartphones from Samsung, for example. But not all of them. The North Korean delegation did not receive the gift from hostile South Korea.

All 10,500 Olympic participants, with the exception of the North Koreans, received smartphones from the South Korean company Samsung. The electronics giant is one of the biggest sponsors of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Its spokesperson confirmed on Thursday that no cell phones were issued to the North Koreans. 14 athletes from North Korea are taking part in the Summer Games in Paris. The isolated country is subject to UN sanctions, which also include smartphones.

Samsung distributes folding phones for 20 million dollars
In fact, the Olympic athletes will even receive a limited edition of the new Galaxy Z Flip 6, whose display can be folded in half. According to the blog sammobile.com, which specializes in Samsung hardware, Samsung is spending 20 million dollars on the campaign.

For Olympic athletes who prefer to use a different smartphone, the hardware donation is at least a welcome opportunity to turn their smartphone into money. While the Games are still underway, the first offers from athletes who want to resell their Samsung-sponsored smartphones are circulating on eBay and other online marketplaces.