Olympics commissioner resigns over Dow stadium sponsorship
A commissioner for the Olympic watchdog, Commission for a Sustainable London, has publically resigned on the BBC’s Newsnight programme over concerns as to the morality of a £7m sponsorship deal struck between the Olympic committee and Dow Chemicals.
Last night Meredith Alexander appeared on the news programme to tell Paxman (and the world) that she held Dow responsible for a 1984 chemical leak in Bhopal India which led to the deaths of 20,000 people.
Alexander said: "I feel I was part of a lobby which legitimised Dow's claims that it had no responsibility for Bhopal. This is an iconic case. It's one of the worst abuses of human rights in my generation and I just could not stand idly by.
“To be part of a body that publicly endorsed Dow is untenable and unacceptable."
Dow Chemicals merged with Union Carbide Corporation, which ran the Bhopal pesticide plant, in 1999.
Dow itself denies responsibility for the disaster and says a £288m settlement in 1989 is fair and final. It has also promised to remove its branding from the 900m stadium wrap it is sponsoring to appease campaigners.