Dow's Olympics bid invites protests; organisers unmoved

The organisers of the 2012 London Olympics have defended their sponsorship deal with Dow Chemicals despite protests from Indian Olympians and campaign groups over the company’s link to the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. Appearing before the culture, media and sport select committee of the British parliament, London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog) Chairman Sebastian Coe said the deal with Dow to fund and construct the fabric wrap around the Olympic Stadium in east London was on. He said he had met concerned politicians including Indian-origin Keith Vaz and Tessa Jowell, the shadow Olympics minister who is on the London 2012 board, the Guardian reported. [caption id=“attachment_132355” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Protests against Warren Anderson, former CEO of Dow Chemicals in Bhopal. PTI”]  [/caption] The issue has been taken up by several rights groups campaigning for justice for the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy in India, who protest the fact that the company that took over Union Carbide, has not paid compensation to victims. Indian Hockey Olympians Vasudevan Baskaran and Charles Cornelius had yesterday voiced their protest against Dow Chemical Company being a sponsor of the London Olympics and questioned why the Indian Olympic Association has not yet taken up the issue. A renewed effort was launched by MPs, Indian athletes and other groups aimed at convincing Locog to reverse its decision on Dow. The campaign is being coordinated by MP Barry Gardiner, chair of the Labour Friends of India group, the paper said. Responding to suggestions that the Games could face a boycott from Indian athletes over the issue, Coe insisted he had not heard anything to that effect from the Indian Olympic Committee, with which he had been in dialogue, it said. PTI