"The matter is out of my hands" - Luxolo Adams denies scamming fellow athletes with bogus sales of Adidas running gear

South African sprinter Luxolo Adams is back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The Diamond League winner and 2018 SA 200m champion is facing allegations from a number of athletes who claim they paid him for Adidas apparel which they are yet to receive months later.

Among those claiming they were scammed by the top runner is Cape Town-based marathoner Sibusiso Madikizela, who says he paid Adams R1,300 for a pair of Adidas tights and a jacket, which still hasn’t arrived over a month later. A frustrated Madikizela says his attempts to communicate with Adams have come to nil.

Now the third fastest SA 200m sprinter of all time, Adams was once the toast of the town after clocking a career best 19.82 to win the Paris Diamond League in 2022. Photo Credit: Athletics South Africa.

“I’m actually disappointed with the way Luxolo has conducted himself after I purchased the running gear from him. I trusted him. I have been expecting the order for more than a month but all I get from him are excuses. The last time we communicated he promised to give me a refund but he never did. I didn't want to make this matter public especially because he is one of the most well-known athletes in the country. But the way he is conducting himself has left me with no choice,”  he said.

Madikizela is not the only athlete who claims to be waiting for Adidas apparel after dealing with Adams. Melusi Dlamini, a 200m and 400m specialist from KwaZulu-Natal, says he purchased a pair of Adidas SP4 spikes which are also yet to materialise. Dlamini says although he placed his order about a month ago, he is yet to receive the spikes or a concrete indication of when they will arrive.

Madikizela says Adams is yet to send him the Adidas gear he said for. Photo Credit: Supplied.

"He promised to send the stuff via a counter-to-counter courier service, but until today, nothing has happened. I’m in the dark about whether I will ever get my stuff or not."

The allegations have placed renewed attention on Adams, who has been largely absent from competitive athletics in recent years. The 30-year-old who boasts a 200m personal best of 19.82 seconds set during his famous Diamond League victory in Paris in 2022, has rejected the suggestion that he is a scammer. According to Adams, the delays have been caused by factors beyond his control.

“The matter is out of my hands. I sent the stuff. It’s not my problem that the courier is delaying the processing of orders. I’ll check with them to confirm how far they are. I promise the matter will be sorted soon,” explained Adams who claimed that his status as an Adidas sponsored athlete which entitles him to receive apparel and shoes biannually, is the source of the running gear which her is now selling.

However, speaking to #TheTopRunner, Adams’ manager Peet van Zyl confirmed that the man who reached the 200m final at the 2022 World Championships is no longer contracted to Adidas. “Yes, I still represent him, but I don’t know where he is at the moment. He hasn’t really been running for the past two years. He is also not attached to Adidas, so I don’t know where these claims are coming from,” said Van Zyl.

Eastern Province Athletics where Adams is domiciled, say they are aware of the allegations are investigating.