Adidas pulls off 'raunchy' clothing

Adidas agreed on Tuesday to stop selling two raunchy T-shirts months ahead of the World Cup in Brazil after the government complained that they associated the country with sexual tourism.

One shirt shows a bikini-clad woman with open arms on a sunny Rio de Janeiro beach under the word-play “Looking to Score.” The other has an “I love Brazil” heart resembling the upside-down buttocks of a woman wearing a thong bikini bottom.

Adidas, the world’s second-largest sportswear maker, said the shirts would not be sold anymore, adding in a statement that they were from a limited edition that was only on sale in the United States.

The shirt designs touched a nerve in Brazil, where people often complain about foreign stereotypes of Brazilian sensuality. Brazil’s government is campaigning aggressively to shed the country's reputation as a destination for sex tourism.

“Embratur strongly repudiates the sale of products that link Brazil's image to sexual appeal,” the Brazilian tourism board said in a statement that asked the German multinational to pull the shirts from its stores.

The shirts went on sale in Adidas shops in the United States while Brazil is preparing to host the World Cup soccer tournament, which kicks off on June 12.