The seven-year agreement, believed to be worth £15 million plus with value in kind elements, will start in January next year and follows the court rejection of a claim by Adidas that its contract with the national governing body, which had been in place since 2005, gave it the right to match any sponsorship offer from another company.

"Obviously we had a relationship with UK Athletics and we're disappointed that the court decision did not go our way," an Adidas spokesman admitted.

"We would love to have reached the point where we could continue the partnership."

The new partnership will see British and Northern Irish athletes wearing Nike kit through three editions each of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships, including the 2017 edition hosted by London, and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships.

The deal with Nike will not, however, affect the Rio 2016 Olympics, as it is the British Olympic Association (BOA) - which has its own deal with Adidas - that dictates what the nation's athletes wear at Games.

Mo Farah already has a personal deal with Nike and trains at its headquarters in Portland as part of the Nike Oregon Project


"We are thrilled to announce this new deal with Nike - the scale and length of their commitment is significant and demonstrates their confidence in the future of British Athletics," UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos, who secured the deal, said.

"Nike will be a superb marketing partner across British Athletics and they have some very exciting plans to be announced in the near future."

A number of British athletes already have their own contracts with Nike, the most prominent being double world and Olympic champion Mo Farah.

Nike also sponsors Dai Greene, Perri Shakes-Drayton, Adam Gemili and Holly Bleasdale, while Jessica Ennis-Hill and Christine Ohuruogu both have deals with Adidas.

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