IRAN has threatened to boycott the London Olympics as it believes the 2012 Games logo is “racist”.
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The charge of racism stands on the grounds that the logo, presumably viewed at an unlikely angle while squinting through a telescope, is meant to spell out the word “Zion”. Zionism is the creed of the state of Israel, one of Iran’s sworn enemies.
On planet earth, the logo is simply a stylised version of the number 2012.
“Using the word Zion in the logo of 2012 Olympic Games is a disgrace and against the Olympics’ valuable mottos,” reads a letter sent by the National Olympic Committee of Iran to the International Olympic Committee.
“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 a commitment to values and principles.”
To be fair, the Iranians aren’t the only ones to come out with overblown rhetoric about the logo. Here’s what Olympic chief Lord Coe said on the logo’s launch:
“It is different, exciting and it really defines us as a city, a country and an organisation. It is interactive and absolutely at the heart of what we need to do – engaging the attention of young people through new media and the virtual world they can get transported into.”
