London 2012 chiefs defend Dow deal for stadium wrap
LONDON 2012 chief Lord Coe has defended the Olympic Stadium deal with Dow Chemical Company in the face of growing concern from MPs and Indian athletes.
Dow paid £7m earlier this year to cover the cost of the unbranded hi-tech fabric wrap, which will surround the stadium and had been threatened by budget cuts.
Concerns have been raised over the association with Dow, however, owing to its links to the Bhopal disaster in India. The 1984 toxic gas leak, in which 15,000 died and tens of thousands more were maimed, involved a factory then owned by Union Carbide, a company bought by Dow in 2001.
MPs and 21 Indian athletes have called for the Dow deal to be scrapped.
Lord Coe said: “I am satisfied that at no time did Dow operate, own or were involved with the plant either at the time of the disaster or crucially at the time of the full and final settlement.”