A victim of the Bhopal gas tragedy who lost his parents and several other members of his family in one of the world’s worst industrial disasters has called for India to boycott the London Olympics to protest Dow Chemical’s sponsorship of the Games.
Sanjay Verma, who was born five months before the tragedy which left him an orphan and emotionally scarred for life, said the Dow had ``blood on its hands’’ and its sponsorship undermined the spirit of the Olympics.
India, he said, should officially boycott the Games if the deal was not scrapped.
"Indian Government should boycott the London Olympics and it should be left to individual athletes to participate or not,’’ he told a press conference called by the Indian Journalists’ Association (Europe) on Friday.
Mr Verma, who lost seven members of his family in the tragedy and himself suffered a stroke in 2002 that he suspects was related to the lingering effect of the gas on his system, said he planned to meet Games officials and MPs to press for the Dow sponsorship to be scraped.
"Thousands of people were killed by Dow Chemicals. They have blood on their hand and now the blood is going to the London Olympic. There should not be any business with Dow Chemicals," he said.
Mr Verma urged Lord Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, to visit Bhopal for a first-hand assessment of how little had been done to help the victims.
"I would like to see that the site is cleaned up, victims of the gas tragedy rehabilitated and the victims should have proper treatment," he said.
Barry Gardiner, chairman of the Labour Friends of India, who has been in the forefront of the campaign to against Dow’s sponsorship was against a boycott and said instead the organisers of the Games should be targeted.
"Athletes train for long time for the Games and I don't think boycott of the games will help. Boycott will be absolutely wrong. ..If there are protests, I don't want them to disrupt the athletes. They can target the organisers," he said.
As protesters step up their campaign, a group called ``Greenwash Gold 2012’’ is inviting members of the public to vote online for the “worst corporate sponsor” after watching three animated films about the environmental record of Dow Chemicals, the oil giant BP and Rio Tinto, a multinational metals and mining corporation.
Meredith Alexander, a leading environmentalist who resigned from the Games' ethics committee — the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 — protesting against Dow's sponsorship said the Olympics had become “big business” undermining its original values.
Besides a £7-million deal under which it is funding a fabric wrap for the Olympic stadium in east London, the company has a 10-year sponsorship arrangement with the International Olympic Committee estimated to be worth at least £100 million.
Dow, which bought the Bhopal plant from Union Carbide after the gas tragedy, denies any liability. The Games' organisers have defended the decision to award the contract to Dow, saying it was taken after all the issues were “very carefully” considered.
Keywords: Bhopal gas tragedy, London Olympics
If Dow Chemical 10-year sponsorship of the Olympics is not cancelled then yes, the Games should be boycotted. Dow was and is responsible for the deaths of many thousands of Vietnamese babies who died in their mother's womb due to Dow's Agent Orange. Many thouands died after they were born and millions, yes millions are now left with various illnesses and horrific deformities. How can such a company be allowed to sponsor Olympic Games?
It would be absurd if India boycotts the London Olympics, athletes spend
life time preparing for the games undergoing enormous tribulations and
ordeals. IOC should reconsider allowing Dow to sponsor the games, as it
has allegedly done very little to the Bhopal gas tragedy victims. They
are still traumatized and hold Dow in contempt. Only after Dow comes up
with a series of rehabilitatory policies for the victims, should it be
allowed to sponsor the games.
Certainly we should boycott the game..
See what America has done to British Petroleum for leakage of oil in
sea, not even any loss to general public.
And what we are doing, sending message that our Indian's life worth
few thousand rupee, no issue what the crime will be issue will be
settled here.
See the recent fisherman shooting in kerala, instead of govt fighting
for the cause, central govt busy saving the murderer.
Even bhopal gas case Arjun singh & Rajiv Gandhi intentionally allow ts
MD to flee from india and they doing same by freeing Italian's cold
blooded murder of Indian Fisherman.
I think not to participate in London games will not be a fruitful
manner to Boycott this event as "Athletes train for long time for the
Games". So to show your grievances it'll be better to take part & win
medals but let them(organizer) keep medals. This will fulfill both the
objectives of Bhopal victims and athletes too.
I don't like the boycotting of London Olympic issue because the athletes
have worked very hard for the game and this year seems really stunning
in regards of athletes performance . A descent number of athletes
qualified for the game and they should get a chance to participate. I do
agree that Dow chemicals should not be left free to sponsor the game but
that has to be done in a different way.......
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