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HERZOGENAURACH (dpa-AFX) - Puma Supervisory Board member and former world champion Fiona May sees more earning opportunities for athletes today. "The sponsorship contracts are much higher than in my day. There are also other sponsors such as car brands or fashion companies that weren't interested in the past," she told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (Friday). "It's also easier to earn money via social media today, for example by posting pictures with advertising. I couldn't do that before."

She sees athletes who are sponsored by the sporting goods manufacturer as "assets" for Puma. "That's meant positively. I would have liked it to have been like that when I was active," the former track and field athlete told the SZ. "If you were one of the lucky few to be sponsored, you had a lot of advantages. We invest in our athletes, we protect them as best we can. We don't want to bleed them dry. We want to ensure that they can continue to perform at a high level. Of course, Puma also benefits financially."/bsj/DP/ngu