Published 14:40 IST, January 13th 2020
Video of runner kicking a dog goes viral, leads to sponsorship termination
A Columbian runner, Jamie Alejandro kicked a dog while he was competing in the Saint Silvester Road Race in the town of Neira Caldas on New Year's eve.
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A Columbian runner cruelly kicked a dog while he was competing in the Saint Silvester Road Race in the town of Neira Caldas on New Year's eve. The runner who was later identified as Jamie Alejandro reportedly lost his sponsorship deal with a shoe company after a video clip showed him cruelly kicking a dog during the race. The video footage has surfaced on the internet which shows Alejandro and other participants running up a street.
Watch: Runner cruelly kicks dog
A brown dog runs to the left of a group of runners, and as they approach a corner it tries to cross in front of them. Alejandro kicks the dog so hard that it flies forward along the street. The runners continue running as if nothing has happened and the dog runs as well after regaining its balance.
According to reports, Alejandro later issued an apology saying he had no excuses for his action. He said he can repay for this somehow helping dogs in the street. He said he is not going to justify his actions as he acted in the moment without a presence of mind during the race.
Under Armour ends endorsement
However, Under Armour, an American sportswear company was not really happy with his apology and later released a statement stating they are ending their endorsement deal with the runner.
The statement read Under Armour has cancelled its endorsement with Jaime Alejandro after the video came to light in recent days, and that as a company, they do not tolerate any kind of harm or violence that put animals in danger, the statement added.
The YouTube post is captioned, "Moment Colombian runner cruelly kicks dog during a race - and loses his sponsorship deal. Shocking moment a Colombian marathon runner kicks a dog during the Saint Silvester Road Race in the municipality of Neira located in the department of Caldas in Colombia."
14:40 IST, January 13th 2020