London 2012 Olympics: boycott over official logo
According to reports from The Guardian, the Islamic Republic of Iran has threatened to boycott the London 2012 Olympics unless organisers agree to change the design of the logo.
The Iranian government claims the official logo spells out the word “Zion”. According to Wikipedia, Zion is a term that most often refers to Jerusalem and, by extension, the Biblical land of Israel.[1]
Zion? Really?
A formal protest has been lodged with the International Olympic Committee over the four year-old logo; Tehran warned Iranian athletes might be ordered to stay away from the London Games if the graphic is not replaced.
The state-backed Iranian Students News Agency, divulged part of the letter of protest:
As internet documents have proved, using the word Zion in the logo of the 2012 Olympic Games is a disgracing action and against the Olympics’ valuable mottos.
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.
It’s not the first time the logo has been at the centre of unusual complaints: in the past it has been heavily criticised and has been compared to everything from a swastika to a stylised image of two people making love.
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February 28th, 2011.
TRC
