The idea behind Adidas trainers is simple: every sport should have its own shoe. Since each sport relies on different movements and is played on different surfaces, it seems only natural that they should each have their own specially designed shoe.

But when the company was first formed in Germany in 1924, they were firmly focused on producing the world’s best running shoes. In fact, it was during the 1936 Summer Olympics that their shoes first gained prominence when the founders of the company convinced American sprinter, Jesse Owens, to wear them. Owens went on to win an unprecedented (at that time) four gold metals, which made the shoes the second-biggest hit of the games. In no time at all the company was flooded with requests and orders from trainers and athletes around the world for their famous shoe with the strange name.

The company would continue to grow for decades to come, and it became clear that Adidas was the shoe of choice for the world’s top athletes, when every four years, at the Olympics, most of the top competitors wore them.

Then in 1961 the company added those famous three stripes to every pair of trainers, ostensibly to add support and reinforce their shoes. In time, however, they would become the brand’s most recognisable feature.

In the coming years Adidas would expand their line to include footwear that was specifically designed for basketball, football, tennis, lacrosse and even golf. Although, the company’s standard running shoe would remain their top seller.

Today Adidas is the number one sportswear manufacturer in Europe and is the number two sportswear maker in the world, after their American rival, Nike. But even though Adidas is not the top sports brand in the world today, they are clearly favoured by the world’s top athletes. As we mentioned, Adidas got their start in the Olympics and they remain to this day the most popular brand of footwear at the games.

One reason Adidas has achieved such success, especially at the Olympics, is due to their famous trainers. These shoes have built a strong reputation with the top athletes of many different sports including Boxing, which is why they are featured so prominently in every Olympics.

How popular are Adidas trainers? It is estimated that more than 350 million pairs of trainers are sold each year, which means that nearly a million pairs of trainers are sold each and every day.

Why are trainers so popular? Well, if we knew that we would make them ourselves. No, just kidding.

Still, the answer is a simple one. The fact is that trainers are popular because they are some of the best sport-specific shoes on the market. And Adidas was prescient enough to know that not all shoes are the same and that athletes require a much higher level of performance and adaptability.

That is one reason why many of the world’s top athletes swear by their shoes and why they remain the most popular form of footwear at the Olympic Games.