IOC Responds to Dow Controversy; Crosby Joins Winter YOG Ambassadors

IOC Responds to Dow Controversy

The IOC tells Around the Rings it'sreceived a protest letter from the Indian Olympic Associationregarding Dow Chemical's sponsorship of the Games.

IOA head Vijay Kumar Malhotra penned the letter earlier this week, contending that Dow should be dropped as an Olympic sponsor. Dow, which is providing a giant fabric wrap for London Olympic Stadium , hasbeen harshly criticized for an industrial disaster in Bhopal, India in1984 that killed thousands.

"We can confirm that we havereceived a letter from the Indian Olympic Association. The IOC recognizes thatthe Union Carbide Bhopal Gas disaster in 1984 was a very tragic event," says a Wednesday statement from the IOC Press Office.

"The IOCunderstands that Dow never owned or operated the facility in Bhopal, and thatthe State Government of Madhya Pradesh owns and controls the former plant site.Dow is a global leader in its field of business and is committed to goodcorporate citizenship. The company has supported the Olympic Movement for overthirty years, providing financial support and bringing industry-leadingexpertise and innovation to the Games."

Meanwhile, activists continue to call for Dow to be dropped as a sponsor despite news that London's showpiece venue will not bear the company's logo.

The company recently clarified that it had no intention of branding the stadium wrap, but this announcement has not placated activists and Bhopal survivors, according to Indian media.

"We think that the announcement by Dow Chemical is clear admission of its guilt in relation to the continuing disaster in Bhopal," said Satinath Sarangi of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action.

"The news that Dow Chemical is not going to have its logo on the wrap is indeed a very welcome news for us but of course it is a small step and it is a small victory in our efforts to get Dow Chemical dumped by LOCOG," Sarangi said, according to media reports.

Both Dow and LOCOG have said there were never plans to have the company’s logo on the wrap during the Games.

While Dow never owned or operated the pesticide plant that leaked gas in Bhopal and killed tens of thousands, in 2001, it did purchase Union Carbide Corporation, which owned more than half the shares of the responsible company at the time of the incident.

Indian media also reports that parliament member Barry Gardiner is calling for a full investigation of Dow’s procurement process over ethical considerations and claims that savings associated with the stadium wrap were misleading.

Crosby Named Youth Olympic Ambassador

Ice hockey player Sidney Crosby is the fifth and final ambassador for the upcoming Winter Youth Olympic Games.

"I hope my involvement in the first Winter YOG can help inspire the athletes and motivate them to be the best they can be in everything they do, not only during competition," said Crosby, who won a gold medal at Vancouver 2010.

Crosby joins figure skater Yuna Kim and skiers Lindsey Vonn, Benjamin Raich and Kevin Rolland as ambassadors.

The Winter YOG will be held Jan. 13-22 in Innsbruck, Austria.

"Mixed Messages" for Aussie Performance

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates says there are "mixed messages" for Australia ahead of the London Olympics.

Following the release of the AOC’s Benchmark Results, which predicts its Olympic performance, Coates notes that the Australians will have a strong gold medal haul, with 15 if their results hold up, but will finish eighth in the medal tally with 34 medals.

"The gold medal result is very pleasing but we still have ground to make up on the overall medal tally as we head towards London," he said.

"Thirty-four medals and eighth on the benchmark is our worst result since we started keeping these records. Previously our worst result was 37 medals in 1997. Since then we have hovered in the 40’s for close on a decade until a significant drop post-Beijing. In 2009 we finished with 39 medals and we have slipped even further."

A statement from the AOC touts their gold medal winning performance, proudly noting Australia will finish behind China, the United States and Russia, according to their predictions, in the gold medal count.

Korean Prediction

A top South Korean Olympic trainer predicts the country could surpass its performance in Beijing – its best performance in any Olympics.

South Korea finished seventh on the medal tally in 2008 with 31 medals, 13 of them gold.

"It’s possible we can even surpass what we did at the Beijing Olympics, said Jong Gil Park, head of the Seoul athletic training camp for Korea’s athletes.

"We hope to sustain our dominance in taekwondo and archery, our traditional gold mines, and also take titles in wrestling, boxing and gymnastics," he was quoted by The Korean Herald.

Park predicted medals in badminton, fencing, gymnastics, judo, shooting, swimming and wrestling.

KV Varadaraj, Two-Time Olympian, 89

KV Varadaraj, a member of India’s 1948 and 1952 Olympic football teams, died on Tuesday. He was 89.

A report in The Times of India says he died in Bangalore after "a brief illness."

He played goalie on both teams, neither of which won a match at the Games.

Thief Nabs Olympian’s Medals

Olympic swimmer Phil Rogers of Australia is missing many medals after someone broke into his home.

The Canadian Press reports that eight medals were stolen including his bronze medal from the 1996 Olympics.

Roger’s name is engraved on many of the medals and police told secondhand dealers to look out for people attempting to sell the stolen items.

NOC Websites

The National Olympic Committees of Bermuda and Nigeria unveiled websites Tuesday.

You can view the Bermuda Olympic Association website hereand the Nigerian Olympic Committee website here.

Media Watch

South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency says PyeongChang’s victory to stage the 2018 Olympics is one of the top 10 domestic news stories of 2011.

CNBC reports on how Olympic sponsors benefit from their partnership with the Games.

A behind-the-scenes look at how NBC Sports ended up having its headquarters in Stamford, Conn.

Dan Milano reviews the "Michael Phelps: Push the Limit" video game and finds it sinks, rather than swims.

Written by Ed Hula III.

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