British activists, who are lobbying against the sponsorship by Dow Chemical Company of the London Olympics next year, have described the move to drop all branding of the fabric wrap panels around the main Olympic stadium in east London, which Dow is funding and manufacturing, as “inadequate”.
In August, the London Olympics organisers had announced that Dow, which is the world’s second largest chemical manufacturer, will be making and sponsoring the £7-million fabric wrap around the main Olympic stadium.
Dow along with 10 other multinational companies is an Olympic partner for the London 2102 Games. It became an official Worldwide Olympic Partner in July 2010 and is the official “chemistry company” of the Olympic movement till 2020.
At the time, London Olympics organising committee (Locog) had said that Dow will be allowed to advertise on all panels until a month before the Olympic Games open next year.
“There will definitely not be any Dow Chemical branding on the wrap before, during or after the Olympic Games,” a Locog spokesperson said on Monday. “There was discussion about the test panels but Dow Chemical have now agreed to adhere to what we call our ‘clean policy’.”
However, the Bhopal campaigners in Britain, who want no Dow link to the London Games, have called for anti-Dow protests to continue.
Dow Chemical may have made a small effort to appease the concerned parties, but it is quite clear that this will not be enough and the furore surrounding its Olympic sponsorship is set to grow further, the activists said.
“This is the first real chink we have seen in Dow Chemical’s armour. It’s a clear admission that they (Dow Chemical) have started to understand the harm that a company with their appalling track record, including the unresolved situation in Bhopal, will do to the image of the ‘sustainable’ London Games,” a spokesperson for Brighton-based Bhopal Medical Appeal said, which has been campaigning with some Labour politicians against the move, said.
“This decision at last indicates Dow is showing some shame and that can only be positive. But we also hope any attempt by it to have a long-term involvement in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park are abandoned,” said Labour MP Barry Gardiner MP.
Mr Gardiner is leading the anti-Dow campaign and has petitioned the influential House of Commons select committee on sport, media and culture to probe the award of wrap tender to Dow Chemicals.