Gaylord T. Minnis

In an attempt to come to the aid of London Olympics, Dow Chemical has caused a major controversy, which threatens to add India to the list of nations boycotting the Olympics. Dow Chemical saved the day, so to speak, by providing a wrap for the exterior, an innovative curtain designed to encircle the Olympic stadium. Dow being a major sponsor of Olympics for decades, to the tune of one hundred million every four years, but suddenly finds itself in the limelight, with this act of good will turned bad press.

Some wounds never heal, such is the case of the Bhopal disaster at the Union Carbide plant in 1984, purportedly killing 15,000 people and injuring half a million. The fact that Dow had only recently purchased Union Carbide in 2001 does not seem a relative factor to the nation of India. It appears the Indian government and the survivors do not want Dow Chemical to reap a positive imagine by supporting the London Olympics.

In December 2011, thousands of Bhopal survivors blocked railways and set vehicles ablaze in protest on the 27th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster. Amnesty International, countless groups and The Indian government seek $1.7 billion for proper compensation from the new owners, Dow Chemical. The Indian government has demanded that Dow make amends and has urged the London Olympic organizing committee to rid itself of Dow Chemical to keep the name of the Olympics clean and untarnished. Guilt by association - Dow’s support of the Olympics, though it has existed for years, would now somehow tarnish the purity of the Olympics and question its concern for social responsibility.

Should the London Olympic marketers yield to the external pressure and drop all ties with Dow Chemical and reject its support, even though Dow Chemical is completely innocent of the charges presented by the Indian government?

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