Michael Phelps and Speedo did not extend their contract after it ran out at the end of 2013, ending a 12-year partnership.
Phelps signed his first-ever endorsement deal with Speedo in 2001 when he was 16 and had extended the deal for four years in 2009. He’s swimming in his first meet since the 2012 Olympics.
“I don’t have any swimsuit deals right now,” Phelps said at the Arena Grand Prix in Mesa, Ariz., on Wednesday. “I guess I’m considered a free agent at this point.”
“The celebrated relationship between Speedo, the world’s leading swimwear brand, and Michael Phelps, which has spanned more than 12 years, formally concluded at the end of 2013,” Speedo said in a statement. “When Speedo signed Michael to his first endorsement deal at age 15, becoming his first-ever sponsor, we believed that he had the potential to change the sport of swimming forever. He has certainly achieved that, becoming undeniably the most successful Olympian of all time.
“Though the partnership with Michael has ended, he will always be a part of Speedo’s history and we wish him well in the future.”
Phelps trained in Mesa on Wednesday wearing an Arena suit, according to Swimming World.
