The Poison Olympics Slug: India Bhopal Olympics Date: 02/08/2012 Reporter: Bismillah Geelani I !

RO "ll eyes #ere on $ondon%s Olympic Games last #ee&' and their spectacular opening ceremony( "nd helping )und the )ire#or&s are the sponsors * some o) the +iggest names in #orld +usiness( One o) them is Do# ,hemical' #hich o#ns the company that caused India%s lethal Bhopal gas disaster * one o) the #orld%s #orst industrial catastrophes( Bhopal sur-i-ors don%t )ind the Games entertaining * instead they%-e held protests and called )or an Olympic +oycott( "nd they%re &eeping the true Olympic spirit' +y holding their o#n Special Olympic Games( Bismillah Geelani has this story( !./! S0/11 Sounds )rom the Stadium2(( +ed under Bhopal%s sports stadium o-erloo&s the pesticide plant #here gas lea&ed out nearly three decades ago( !oday it hosts the opening ceremony o) an Olympics #ith a di))erence( Do3ens o) children parade in )ront o) a cheering audience * some o) the &ids su))er)rom cere+ral palsy' partial paralysis' or mental retardation( Others are in #heelchairs' or #al& assisted +y their parents and relati-es( !he audience is mostly made up o) sur-i-ors o) the disaster( S0/ 1 45 !his is Bhopal%s Special Olympics' and a#ay )rom $ondon%s commercial e6tra-agan3a it sho#s a true Olympic spirit * it doesn%t 7ust recognise triumph' +ut also struggle( !hese Games #ere organised +y Bhopal sur-i-ors to start one day ahead o) $ondon%s party' and dra# attention to their continued su))ering( 121year old Imran is one o) the participants * he has cere+ral palsy and can neither #al& or tal&(

8eenat Begum is his aunt( Begum ,$I5 1 9 0.:"$. ;I DI < =!his is #hat 4nion ,ar+ide did to our children( !hey are participating in this Special Olympics to sho# the #orld that it is +ecause o) these corporations that #e are in such a state( $et them see the disaster they ha-e +rought upon us(> 4nion ,ar+ide ,orporation is a 4S1+ased company that o#ned the Bhopal pesticides plant( "round t#enty1)i-e thousand people died the night the gas lea&ed* and local communities still su))er )rom the poison( Do# ,hemical' also )rom the 4(S(' +ought 4nion ,ar+ide o-er ten years ago * and no# Do# is one o) the $ondon Games% main sponsors( S0/12 :ore sounds )rom the stadium Some o) the participants at Bhopal%s o#n opening ceremony carried +rooms to sym+olise their demand that Do# clean up the tons o) to6ic #aste still le)t +ehind( Rachna Dhingra is one o) the organi3ers( Dhingra ,$I5 1 9 0.:"$. ;I DI < =!his special Olympics is a protest against the International Olympic ,ommittee%s decision to ha-e Do# ,hemical as one o) its sponsors' not only )or the $ondon Olympics +ut )or the ne6t 10 years( Do# o#ns 4nion ,ar+ide #hich is responsi+le )or deaths o) more than 2?'000 people' maiming hundreds o) thousands o) children and polluting the #ater supplies o) more than @0'000 people( ;o# can they ha-e such a tainted company as a sponsorA Be ha-e +een campaigning )or Do#%s remo-al as sponsor )or the last year and a hal)' #e ha-e put pressure on the 4C go-ernment as #ell' +ut nothing seems to ha-e #or&ed(> Bhopal%s struggles ha-e also hit other recent set+ac&s( $ast month' a e# Dor& )ederal court dismissed a la#suit against 4nion ,ar+ide' saying the company +ears no responsi+ility )or the tragedy( But the Olympic sponsorship deal dre# protests )rom rights groups and acti-ists around the #orld( "nd t#o 4C opposition :em+ers o) 5arliament called )or a 5arliamentary inEuiry' into Do#%s Olympic stadium ad-ertising contract( ;undreds o) people staged protests in $ondon during the o))icial opening ceremony( One o) the protestors is !im .d#ards' )rom the Bhopal :edical "ppeal' #hich raises a#areness a+out the disaster and Do#%s responsi+ilities( ;e spo&e to Iran%s 5ress !F( .d#ards ,$I5 1 9 :"$. . G$IS; < =Do# ,hemical #hich is a top sponsor o) the

International Olympic ,ommittee and a main sponsor o) the $ondon Games here' 11 years ago +ought up the company that caused the Bhopal disaster( Do# ,hemicals re)uses to ta&e responsi+ility' so #e are here to remind the IO, and the Do# ,hemicals that #e are not going to rest until 7ustice is done(> .arlier this year India%s Olympic "ssociation lodged protest #ith the International Olympic ,ommittee' urging them to remo-e Do# as a sponsor * +ut this #as re7ected( "t one stage' the Indian go-ernment e-en considered a Games +oycott( But it turned a#ay )rom that idea * saying it #ould hurt athletes #ho ha-e trained and #aited )or this e-ent )or years( ;o#e-er )or )ormer Olympian "sh#ini acchapa' Do#%s sponsorship isn%t the only outrage( " +igger issue is #hy India still allo#s Do# ,hemical to operate in the country( achappa ,$I5 1 9 0.:$. . G$IS; < =Do# is still earning ?00 million 4S dollars )rom Indian mar&ets( !hey are selling their products in India itsel)( Bhy aren%t #e ta&ing them outA Be ha-e actually patroni3ed them' #e continue to patroni3e them to mar&et their products in India' ho# do you e6pect a stand to +e ta&en thenA> S0/12 :ore sounds )rom the stadium Bac& at Bhopal%s stadium' the Special Games are in )ull s#ing( .-ents include the Gcra+ #al&%' #here children una+le to stand unaided' race using their hands as #ell as their )eet( Other e-ents are a t#enty1)i-e metre #al& #ith a support aid' and another #al& #ith an assistant( Rashida Bee is one o) the contestants( She lost her entire )amily to the tragedy and +eli-es it is important to ma&e corporations pay )or their crimes( Bee ,$I5 1 9 0.:"$. ;I DI < =!he Bhopal tragedy is a clear e6ample o) irresponsi+le and repressi-e corporate +eha-iour( !he day #e ma&e Do# ,hemicals o#n up to its responsi+ility )or Bhopal and pay #ill +e a great day )or human +eings on earth( Because it #ill +egin an era #hen corporate esta+lishments #ill +e )orced to thin& a+out the human li-es and resources in-ol-ed in the pro)its made )rom their +usinesses(> 0rom e# Delhi' this is Bismillah Geelani )or "sia ,alling