nike was established in 1968. In 1971, company made a deal with a Japanese firm to manufacture Nike shoes for sale in the United States. Blue Ribbon Sports continued to expand its operations outside the United States through the 1970s, first to Canada and later to Australia, Korea, Taiwan, and parts of South America. The company stopped marketing Onitsuka Tiger shoes after a dispute in 1972. (Onitsuka eventually merged with another Japanese shoe manufacturer to become ASICS Company.) Knight and Bowerman quickly figured a way to gain customers for Nike shoes. At the 1972 United States Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, they convinced several marathon runners to wear Nikes. After the race, they advertised that “four of the top seven finishers” had worn Nikes.