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Special to the tribune
Labour says no to Dow sponsorship of Olympics
Shyam Bhatia in London

Leading members of the British Labour Party are supporting Indian athletes who say a company linked to the Bhopal gas disaster should not be accepted as a sponsor of next year’s London Olympics.

Dow Chemicals owns Union Carbide which ran the Bhopal chemical plant that leaked poisonous gases in 1984 when an estimated 25,000 persons were killed.

Dow bought Union Carbide in 2001, seven years after the disaster, and has refused to pay for clean up operations because it says its obligations have been met through an earlier settlement with Union Carbide.

Three months ago the London organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog) said it had reached a £7 million deal with Dow to provide “sustainable” facing for the main Olympic Stadium.

It is this deal that has been criticised by Labour MP Barry Gardiner, who is also chair of the Labour Friends of India and who commented last Friday, “Locog cannot continue to ignore the risk that Dow poses to the Games. They need to focus on preparing to give the performance of their lives.

"It is not fair to distract them or have them embroiled in a political dispute. LOCOG made a mistake in partnering with Dow. They must now accept that, end the relationship and lift this cloud from London 2012. They now have a deadline of 10 days to do so.”

Amnesty International has also been critical of the Olympics link with Dow, saying in a supportive statement.

"Locog put itself in an untenable situation in granting the wrap contract to the Dow Chemical company, in the face of its continuing failure to address one of the worse corporate related human rights disasters of the 20th century. It should put as a central concern the outstanding needs of the survivors of Bhopal and recognise that ongoing human rights concerns were not properly considered prior to the contract being given to Dow."

In just over a week’s time India’s Olympic Association (IOA) is holding a vote on whether its athletes should boycott the games. Acting President of the IOA Vijay Malhotra said last week, “Many Olympic athletes have expressed concern about it and they are upset that Dow is sponsoring the London Olympics and they want to boycott." India’s boycott threat has won the sympathy of Former British Labour minister Tessa Jowell who said, “This is a very significant step to take for the IOA on behalf of their athletes. It is a reminder to the world, nearly 27 years after the disaster in Bhopal, of the continuing outrage in India at the apparent indifference towards the suffering Union Carbide has caused.”

Before India’s boycott threat was made public Locog chairman Sebastian Coe said, "I am the grandson of an Indian so I'm not completely unaware of this as an issue. But I am satisfied that at no time did Dow operate, own or were involved with the plant at the time of the disaster or the time of the full and final settlement."

Earlier he welcomed Dow’s sponsorship, saying, "The stadium will look spectacular at Games time and having the wrap is the icing on the cake. I’m delighted that Dow, as one of the newer worldwide partners of the Olympic Movement, will be providing it and importantly doing it in a sustainable way. It reflects our vision and is a real statement of intent from Dow about their commitment to the Games."

Why the row

Dow Chemicals owns Union Carbide which ran the Bhopal chemical plant that leaked poisonous gases in 1984 when an estimated 25,000 persons were killed.

boycott possible

In just over a week’s time the IOA is holding a vote on whether its athletes should boycott the games. Acting President of the IOA Vijay Malhotra said last week, “Many Olympic athletes have expressed concern about it and they are upset that Dow is sponsoring the London Olympics and they want to boycott."