India not considering a boycott of London Games: official

The Indian Olympic Association are not considering boycotting the London Olympics despite local demands to do so over a Games sponsorship deal with Dow Chemical, the IOA’s acting president told Reuters on Monday.


Dow bought US chemical firm Union Carbide, whose Bhopal plant in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh leaked toxic gases in 1984, killing thousands of people in the world’s worst industrial accident.


Dow will foot the bill of a temporary decorative wrap over London’s Olympic Stadium much to the dismay of Shivraj Singh Chauhan, chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, who has urged the Indian government to boycott the Games.


“We are meeting next week but it’s not about boycotting the games. Some people have raised a concern about the sponsorship issue and we will discuss that, along with some other issues,”


IOA acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra told Reuters by telephone.