THE notorious battlefield that is Olympic-year advertising last night threatened to ensnare the golden girl of Australian track cycling, Anna Meares.

The industry lobby group, Australian Mining - This Is Our Story, was forced to pull its television and online advertising campaign featuring the 10-time world champion and Olympic gold and silver medallist after the Australian Olympic Committee alleged it was in breach of strict advertising guidelines. Meares, 28, appears in the video in cycling gear branded with her sponsor BHP Billiton's logo as she talks about her campaign to win gold in London.

All Australian Olympic team members are subject to a month-long advertising ''blackout'', starting next week, which is designed to protect the dollar-value of Olympic sponsorships. They cannot appear in any advertising without the prior permission of the AOC.

In echoes of past ''ambush marketing'' controversies surrounding Olympics, BHP Billiton is a rival to official Australian team sponsor Rio Tinto, although the latter also helps fund Australian Mining's campaign.