NEW DELHI (AP) — The International Olympic Committee has rejected Indian calls to drop Dow as a sponsor of the London Games because of its links to the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster.
IOC President Jacques Rogge said in a letter to the Indian Olympic Association that the IOC was aware of the disaster when discussing the partnership with Dow but the company “had no connection with the Bhopal tragedy.”
Dow is sponsoring a decorative wrap that will be installed around London’s Olympic Stadium.
Dow bought Union Carbide in 2000. Union Carbide’s Bhopal plant is blamed for the deadly gas leak that killed an estimated 15,000 people and injured half a million.
Critics argue that the purchase makes the U.S.-based company responsible for lingering groundwater contamination and other issues.
