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Iran
Iran objects to 'racist' 2012 London Olympics emblem
Iran’s Olympic Committee says the London Games logo spells out more than “2012″.
IRAN’S NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE has criticised the logo for the 2012 Olympic Games as racist and claims it will affect its participation in the Games.
The head of the Islamic Republic’s Olympic committee Mohammad Aliabadi claims the logo spells out “Zion”, a Biblical term which refers to the city of Jerusalem, the AFP reports.
He said the use of the word in the Olympic logo was “a very revolting act”.
Iran is now threatening to boycott the Games, unless something is done to change the logo.
The Guardian reports that the International Olympic Committee has received the letter of complaint from Iran, but said that the logo “represents the figure 2012, nothing else”.
The logo was unveiled to a mixed response, the BBC reported in 2007. It cost some £400,000 to design and was described as being “at the very heart of our brand” by the 2012 organising committee chairman Sebastian Coe.
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