Dow Row: A genuine battle for Bhopal victims, but must athletes suffer?

A toxic burden on the conscience. That is what the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984 will always remain. Thousands died – estimates go from a conservative 8,000 to an unconfirmed 20,000 – in that catastrophic December night as methyl isocyanate and other chemicals gases leaked from the poorly maintained Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal. Many of the victims died much later due to the effects of exposure to poisonous gases. Many alive still carry the scars. It was – and still is – one of the worst industrial disaster in the world. What the victims received as compensation from the company was a pittance – Rs 750-crore ($470 million). The company’s promise to clean up the site of the disaster remains unfulfilled. More than 27 years on, compensation remains an unsettled question. And the short-changed people are a burden on the conscience of the world. [caption id=“attachment_196659” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The plight of the Dow victims is genuine, but boycotting the Olympics may not be the answer: Reuters”]  [/caption] Dow bought Union Carbide in 2001 and now denies any responsibility for the companies Bhopal liabilities. It says it did not own or operate the Bhopal plant in 1984 and that legal claims regarding the gas leak were resolved when Union Carbide paid compensation for those killed or injured. The company has been a global Olympic sponsor since 2010 and in London Olympics it would fund the hi-tech fabric wrap with its logo for the main stadium. Dow role in the games has kicked up a storm with international and Indian NGOs demanding that the company be dropped as sponsor. “Everyone agrees that Dow didn’t buy the plant until well after the gas leak. But what Dow is failing to recognise is that when it bought the plant and the company, it bought all the assets of the company and its liabilities. By buying Union Carbide, Dow Chemicals bought that toxic legacy in Bhopal,” said Meredith Alexander, who resigned from the Olympics Ethics Committee recently. The Indian Sports Ministry is in agreement with her position in principle. The developments, predictably, have stirred emotions in India with a section of the media, as usual, taking the extreme populist position. It advocates that India boycott the games if the Olympics organising committee refuses to drop Dow as a sponsor of the Games, a demand which the organising committee has refused to accept. The suggestion is dangerous and it works against the interest of the silent and non-assertive athlete community. It makes the athletes unsuspecting pawns in what is a massive legal issue, unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. The point here is, sympathy for the gas victims is alright – the whole country is with them in their demands – but must it be taken to an illogical limit? What about the athletes who have prepared for years to be a part of the greatest sporting event in the world? Every athletes dream is to represent their country in the Olympics. It takes a lot of sweat, determination and talent to get to a point where you can match abilities with the world’s best. The preparation is a lengthy, stressful affair. After all that they gone through to prepare for the event is it humane to rob them off a chance to compete? India may not be a strong contender for the highest number of gold or other medals, but for the potential participants the opportunity to be there is the fulfilment a life’s goal. If India misses the chance to participate, a whole lot of athletes will be out of the race for the next Olympics. Four years is a very long time in a sportsperson’s life. Moreover, it would be a huge disincentive for the next generation of athletes. Why would anybody set an eye on Olympic participation and invest energy in preparations when there’s no guarantee that they would be participating at all? Moreover, let’s not overestimate India’s importance on the world stage. India boycotting the Olympics won’t make a huge difference to the event the way a boycott by the US or China would. India does not figure prominently in the world athletics map. If they don’t participate, nobody will notice and neither the world community nor Dow would be seriously affected by it. Gaining popularity points at home makes little sense when the real battle needs to fought in the international areana. The correct approach would be to join the games and bring attention to the Bhopal issue through other channels. There’s a lot of international sympathy for India on this particular case already. This should be leveraged better by the government to highlight the plight of the gas leak victims and bring greater attention to it. The Bhopal tragedy and its aftermath are a toxic burden on all of us alright, but athletes should not be made pawns in the broader battles.