Iran threatens boycott of 2012 Olympic Games

[AndreaGail]

2012 London logo draws ire of IranEmail Print Comments847 Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran objects to the logo for the 2012 London Olympics, contending it is racist because it resembles the word "Zion" and warning of a possible boycott of the Games.

The secretary general of Iran's National Olympic Committee said Iran sent a letter to International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge. The letter claims the 2012 logo spells out "Zion," a biblical term widely recognized to refer to the city of Jerusalem.


[+] EnlargeAP Photo
Iran objects to the 2012 London Olympics logo, contending it is racist because it resembles the word "Zion" and is warning of a possible boycott.
In comments carried by the official IRNA news agency Monday, secretary general Bahram Afsharzadeh said the letter urges other Muslim states to oppose the "racist logo."

"There is no doubt that negligence of the issue from your side may affect the presence of some countries in the Games, especially Iran which abides by commitment to the values and principles," the letter said.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for Israel's destruction and questioned historical accounts of the Holocaust.

Iranian athletes have refused to compete against Israelis.

The London logo shows the numbers "2012" in four jagged figures and until now has been criticized only for its design. The IOC said it received the letter and joined London organizers in rejecting Iran's complaint.

"Our response is as follows: The London 2012 logo represents the figure 2012, nothing else," the IOC said.

The London organizers said the design was launched in 2007 after testing and consultation.

"We are surprised that this complaint has been made now," the committee said.

[MNeagle]

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00637/news-graphics-2007-_637115a.jpg

Olympic chiefs under fire for 'puerile' logo


Bosses of the 2012 Olympics were plunged into a fresh row last night after spending £400,000 on a controversial new logo for the London Games..


In a move billed as the most significant event since London beat Paris in 2005 in the race to host the Games, the organising committee unveiled a striking, jagged emblem as the official symbol for the Olympics.

Aimed at the younger, "internet generation", it will will also be used as the logo for the Paralympics and will be crucial to hopes of raising private sponsorship for both events.

Based roughly on the figures 2012 and apparently inspired by graffiti artists, the image - which replaces an earlier logo devised for London's bid to host the Games - was hailed as "dynamic" and "vibrant" by organisers.

Lord Coe, chairman of the London Games organising committee (Locog), said the new logo was "edgy" and appeared to suggest it was designed to provoke a strong reaction: "We don't do bland - this is not a bland city. We weren't going to come to you with a dull or dry corporate logo that would appear on a polo shirt and we're all gardening in it a year's time."

Tony Blair raised hopes that the symbol would leave people "inspired to make a positive change in their life" while Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, praised it as a "truly innovative brand" that would appeal to the young.


But the logo, which cost £400,000 and took the best part of a year to be devised by brand consultants Wolff Olins, came up against widespread disapproval yesterday, with one Jewish person even ringing the BBC to complain that it was reminiscent of the infamous Nazi SS symbol.

Design guru Stephen Bayley condemned it as "a puerile mess, an artistic flop and a commercial scandal".

An online petition to get the logo scrapped already had more than 16,000 signatures by 10am today, and on the Telegraph website readers were heavily critical. The London Games has been plagued by rocketing costs, with the original budget of £2.375 billion now standing at £9.3 billion.

Although LOCOG last night stressed that the logo was paid for by private money, Mr Bayley voiced his astonishment that the emblem - available in blue, pink, green and orange - had cost £400,000. "That's outrageous," he said. "There are 5,000 talented designers who could have done the job for £10,000."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1553545/Olympic-chiefs-under-fire-for-puerile-logo.html

[Hillbilly]

It always cracks me up when some country threatens to boycott the Olympics. Fine do it, you are only hurting yourself and your athletes. The rest of the world will get along just fine with out you ;D

But...Why not go anyway and play hard and dirty and kick the shit out of your enemies athletes???

[Cobalt]

That logo cost £400,000?

Should have hired a 1st grader, probably could have got it for a weekend trip in Disneyland

[Serpo]

That logo cost £400,000?

Should have hired a 1st grader, probably could have got it for a weekend trip in Disneyland


Most of the money was spent disguising the word zion

50,000pound per word

what about these freaky mascots.....big brother is watching you

[JJ.G0ldD0t]

Aww man... and the Iranian womens swim team has been training so hard.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRx_pww7aawCxTh9KGOVoc5ntw6YlS0l 6iHAeRHP6zQk1ZAjN05&t=1

we've been denied some real eye candy boys....

Just look at those TOES!

[Ash_Williams]

It sucks but it's better than the runner-up logo:

http://www.mukamo.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/goatse-2012-olympic-logo.jpg

[oldmansmith]

That logo cost £400,000?

Should have hired a 1st grader, probably could have got it for a weekend trip in Disneyland


Most of the money was spent disguising the word zion

50,000pound per word

what about these freaky mascots.....big brother is watching you


Wow, TV sets with an eye in them. I for one will not be watching so i don't give a shit what they do.

[steyr_m]

It kind of looks like some hebrew writing. Looking at crap like that shows to me how far our Civ. has fallen. That wouldn't even be considered 10+ years ago.