Dow Chemicals Remain to be the Sponsor of London Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 16 February 2012 announced that Dow Chemicals will remain a sponsor of the London Olympics.

The Indian Olympic Association had appealed to the IOC and London Games Organizing Committee to withdraw the Dow’s chemical sponsorship from the London Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee turned down the appeal of IOA maintaining that Dow Chemicals, the parent company of Union Carbide had no role in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy in 1984. It insisted Dow Chemicals did not have any ownership stake in Union Carbide until 16 years after the disaster and 12 years after the USD 470 million compensation agreement was approved by the Supreme Court of India.

IOA had repeatedly expressed its opposition to Dow Chemicals’ sponsorship to London Olympic Games, attributed to its ownership of the Union Carbide which caused the worst industrial disaster in India in 1984.