By Duncan Mackay

January 26 - Dow Chemical's controversial sponsorship of the Olympics is once again under the spotlight today after Meredith Alexander (pictured), a commissioner of the sustainability watchdog for London 2012, resigned in protest at the company's involvement in the Games.

Alexander claimed she was stepping down from her unpaid position on the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 (CSL), which monitors sustainability at the Olympics and Paralympics and is part-funded by LOCOG, in protest at Dow's links to the 1984 Bhopal disaster. 

"I don't want to be party to a defence of Dow Chemicals, the company responsible for one of the worst corporate human rights violations in my generation," Alexander said in a statement.

Dow is a worldwide sponsor of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and last August stepped in as £7 million ($11 million/€8 million) sponsors of the wrap around the Olympic Stadium.

"I think the responsible thing to do would be for Dow to withdraw from the wrap contract," said Alexander.

"Otherwise London 2012 is undermining its aim to be the most sustainable Games ever and showing contempt for the Bhopal victims."

Dow have come under fire from the Indian Government over their sponsorship of the Games due to the fact that Dow bought United States 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.

Following the Bhopal disaster, Union Carbide settled its liabilities with the Indian Government in 1989 by paying $470 million (£310 million/€351 million) for Bhopal victims and even though Dow bought Union Carbide a decade after the compensation deal, the company have been criticised for the Olympic sponsorship.

Dow announced last month that there would no corporate branding of the wrap in the hope that it would help calm the situation.

But the situation continues to haunt London 2012, despite Dow's sponsorship receiving the backing of International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge and Britain's Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Alexander claimed hat Shaun McCarthy, the chairman of CSL had failed to consult any of his 13 fellow commissioners when he gave the green light to the Dow contract and that he had undermined the credibility of the watchdog. 

She claimed that she had no choice to resign because the Commission was effectively allowing Dow to "use the Olympic flag to whitewash its reputation".

"This is not a historic disaster, it is ongoing, and attempts to clean up the area have been woefully inadequate," said Alexander, head of trade and corporates at charity ActionAid.

"I want to see Dow publicly admit responsibility for the Bhopal tragedy, to clean up the contaminated site, and to compensate victims. 

"I think the responsible thing to do would be for Dow to withdraw from the wrap contract. 

"Otherwise London 2012 is undermining its aim to be the most sustainable Games ever and showing contempt for the Bhopal victims."

McCarthy claimed that Dow's sponsorship of the Olympics and the wider issues it raises were nothing to do with his Commission.

"Meredith has said that she completely supports the work of the Commission and I am sorry to lose her," he said.

"However, her campaigning work on wider human rights issues falls outside the Commission's remit, and while we wholeheartedly agree that human rights are of paramount importance, it is not something we as an organisation are empowered to handle.

"We wish her the best of luck with her endeavours."

Alexander's resignation coincides with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) raising the matter with the James Bevan, the British High Commissioner in New Delhi.  

IOA acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra told James that he feared London 2012 organisers were not taking the issue seriously. 

"IOA's stand remains that Dow should not be the sponsors of Olympic Games till the matter is resolved," Malhotra said.

"Former Olympians, members of the civil society and even the [Indian] Government feels that there is a need for correction in the sponsorship process of the Games."

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