Indian Olympic Association to Probe Dow Sponsorship of London 2012 with IOC

With the Dow Chemicals sponsorship of next year’s London Olympics causing outrage among Bhopal Gas tragedy victims, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) today decided to take up the matter with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The Indian Olympic Association today said that it will convey the concerns of the victims and Olympians to organisers of the 2012 London Games regarding its sponsorship deal with Dow. “We will discuss this issue in our Executive Board & General Body Meeting on 15th December, 2011.

IOA acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra said in a statement: “We will try to make Games Organisers aware of the feeling of the people who have suffered due to that tragedy. It is not only the Indians who are protesting this sponsorship, there has been an outcry against this world over from various NGO’s and other bodies, it is no longer a local issue.”

Dow Chemicals, which last year in July signed an agreement with the IOC, is the company that took over Union Carbide, responsible for the Bhopal Gas tragedy that killed over 15,000 people and disabled lakhs. The Indian sports ministry earlier today asked the IOA to raise the issue with IOC.

Dow Chemical will foot the bill of a temporary decorative wrap over London’s Olympic Stadium and the move has created “dismay among the victims and others who see Olympic Games as celebration of best of human spirits.”

The IOA has received representations from several Olympians and NGOs protesting the organisers’ link with Dow. Malhotra said former Olympians, IOA and the government are not happy with the sporting extravaganza’s association with any ‘tainted’ sponsors.