IOC tells India it will not drop Dow as sponsor

New Delhi: The International Olympic Committee has reportedly told India’s Sports Ministry that it will stand by Dow Chemical Co. as a sponsor of the London 2012 Games despite pressure over the company’s links to the 1984 Bhopal disaster. The Sports Ministry wrote to the IOC last week, following letters from the Indian Olympic Association over recent months demanding that Dow be dropped. The Press Trust of India reported Thursday that the IOC has replied to the latest letter as it had to previous correspondence, saying that Dow neither owned nor operated the Union Carbide plant when the disaster occurred. Dow bought Union Carbide in 2000. Union Carbide’s Bhopal plant is blamed for the deadly gas leak that killed an estimated 15,000 people and injured half a million people. IOC’s Director of National Olympic Committee Relations Pere Miron wrote in the latter that the IOC sympathized with the grief of the victims’ families but that Dow had bought Union Carbide 16 years after the accident and 12 years after a compensation settlement was agreed. [caption id=“attachment_238254” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Dow is sponsoring a $11.4-million decorative wrap that will be installed around London’s Olympic Stadium. AP”] [/caption] “The IOC has taken on board the opinions raised by different groups you mention in your letter, but let us assure you we only enter into partnerships with organizations that we believe work in accordance with the values of the Olympic Movement,” PTI quoted Miron as saying in the letter. “Dow is a global leader in its field of business and is committed to good corporate citizenship. We thank you for your letter, understand your concerns and appreciate the difficult situation you are facing in your country.” Dow is sponsoring a $11.4-million decorative wrap that will be installed around London’s Olympic Stadium. AP