A petition has been organised by a group of India’s Olympians, medstore past and present, calling for the athletes not to travel to the 2012 London Olympics because of the £7million Dow sponsorship around the Olympic Stadium.

The subject falls on touchy grounds due to the US company’s ownership of Union Carbide, the company responsible for the Bhopical chemical disaster in 1984, where an estimated 3,000 people died in the initial disaster caused by. A further 15,000 have since died from poisoning.

“We feel that it will be against the basic principles of the Olympics charter to partner with Dow Chemical, which is responsible for the ongoing disaster in Bhopal,” the athletes wrote in their petition.

The petition has received the full support of Bhopal politician Shivraj Singh Chauhan, who demanded that the Indian government support a boycott of the Olympics if the Dow sponsorship continued. Chauhan said: “I do not think it is at all appropriate that a company responsible for a tragedy of this proportion should be allowed to sponsor an event like the Olympics, which are expected to be the ultimate expression of fair play and honest, healthy endeavour.

The funds intended for sponsoring the Olympics would be far better spent in alleviating the misery suffered by the people of Bhopal.”

Although India aren’t expected to beat any record medal hauls at the games, it is the world’s second biggest nation with an ever increasing economy, therefore must be seen as an important player on the sporting podium.

V K Malhotra, the acting president of the Indian Olympic Association said: “We will be meeting in 10 days to sit down together and decide what to do. The government has not expressed a voice and I don’t want to give an impression before the meeting.”

Without giving a clue to which way the outcome was leaning, he did indicate that any outcome will rely heavily on the government’s decision.

A survey has given London’s 2017 World Athletics Championships bid a major boost after it revealed the city is the sporting destination guaranteed to provide the highest return and media profile for sponsors.

The survey, carried out by IFM Sports Marketing, showed that over half of the 110 global industry leaders polled believe that London offers the best opportunity to increase new commercial revenues.

Highlighting the appeal that a major event in London would bring to potential sponsors, industry leaders ranked it as the world’s top destination for providing an excellent return on investment, positioning the city as 20 per cent more popular than its closest rival Sydney.

Exactly 85 per cent of those polled cited strength of brand presence as one of the reasons why investing in London events is attractive, with 84 per cent claiming associated media platforms and 74 per cent saying that the city’s diverse population were key drivers for event sponsors.

Meanwhile, the impact of London as a sporting host extends to a range of commercial benefits, officials claimed, with more than 50 per cent of the industry leaders asked believed London offered a gateway to new brand markets.

UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos, said: “This survey echoes the conversations I’ve had with global sports sponsors and the message is loud and clear: London is the preferred destination for major brands. But this isn’t just about attracting the sponsor dollar for London 2017.

“A strong sponsorship programme combined with full stadium and record TV audiences could provide our sport with a significant legacy and a real foundation on which to build a global commercial platform.”

The World Athletics Championships are one of the largest sporting events in the world, broadcast to over 200 countries with a global audience of 95 million during peak times.

With an expected media value for London alone expected to be in excess of £60 million ($96m) in 2017, the impact for potential commercial partners is enormous, officials claim.

More than 2,000 athletes, 450,000 spectators and 14,000 personnel from over 200 counties would be in London for nine days if the 2017 bid is successful, meaning that the economic benefit of hosting the Championships to the UK would be in excess of £100 million ($160m).

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) has partnered with blinkx, the Internet Media platform powered by CORE video technology, to offer blinkx users professional golf highlights, player interviews, tips and more.

Leveraging its unique AdHoc platform, blinkx will place contextually relevant advertising against these videos and share resulting revenue with the LPGA.

“Professional sports clips, from highlights to player interviews, are always in extremely high demand on blinkx,” said Dan Slivjanovski, SVP, Chief Marketing Officer of blinkx. “This extensive partnership with the LPGA, regarded as the world’s premier women’s sports organization, allows us to offer our sports fans high-quality, professional golf clips straight from the course.”

“At the LPGA we are dedicated to celebrating our rich and rewarding history while keeping an eye toward the future, with a focus on enhancing business relationships, increasing exposure for the players and maximizing the LPGA experience for fans,” said Brian Carroll, Senior Vice President, Television and New Media, LPGA. “We are extremely pleased to partner with blinkx, whose advanced video platform and expansive audience will allow us to deliver on all three of these goals while reaching brand new fans.”

It has been revealed that over 100 Pre-Games Training Camp agreements (PGTC) have been agreed across the UK, buy viagra building up to the the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  

The camps organised, through formal agreements between cities in the UK, National Olympic and Paralympic Committees and international teams  will provide athletes with a base from which to prepare, train and acclimatise ahead of next year’s Games.

In some cases partnerships between PGTC hosts and participating countries have already begun, with cities adopting their countries to forge strong relations and developing exciting community engagement programmes. 

In London St Mary’s has a new £8.25m ($13.2m) sports facility to offer athletes from South Africa and Ireland, while Brunel University aims to host the Korean NOC, and several teams including Athletics Canada

The East Midlands plan to have two of the most high profile NOCs, with Team GB and Japan signed up to use Loughborough University, while Loughborough has already hosted preparation camps for Japanese athletes in various sports including Modern Pentathlon, Triathlon, Athletics and Wresting. 

The West Midlands hope to host USA and Jamaica, using their newly renovated Alexander Stadium and the Birmingham University campus.

Seb Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee said: “Training Camps are essential preparation for the London 2012 Games. Each facility will provide a vital service to ensure athletes can prepare for competition in 2012 while engaging their local community with sport and culture.”

Hugh Robertson, minister for sport and the Olympics added: “We have always been determined to make the 2012 Games not just about London, but the whole of the UK. Offering 100 training camps across the country highlights the many world class sporting facilities that can be used by athletes from around the World. I am sure that all the athletes will be given a fantastic, warm welcome.”

English League One side Leyton Orient FC has announced it will bid to move into the Olympic Stadium after the original deal with West Ham collapsed last week.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) pulled out of the deal, allegedly following delays to the agreement caused by the legal challenges made by Tottenham Hotspur. 

Spurs had launched a bid for a judicial review into the decision, after neighbours West Ham were selected as the ideal suitors for the venue but have since dropped that review now that West Ham bid was axed.

Orient chairman Barry Hearn told BBC Sport the club would have to clarify how the athletics track can be dealt with.

‘We want to see if we can get around the athletics track,’ Hearn said, ‘it has to stay, we know that. But can we build up, not down, and see if it’s possible to get it covered while we play?’

Meanwhile, West Ham has already stated that it still hopes to move into the stadium after the Games, by renting the venue, while Tottenham Hotspur is currently negotiating with the Mayor of London for public money to aid the development of a new ground in the North London.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) have revealed the Olympic Flame will be within 10 miles of 95% of the UK population when the 2012 Olympic Torch Relay makes its journey around the country ending up in the capital for next summers games.

The announcement of the 1, doctor 018 villages, cheap sale towns and cities on the route means LOCOG has matched its target of taking the Olympic Flame to within an hour’s journey time of 95% of the population. 

Over 95% of the population will be within 10 miles of the Olympic Flame next summer. The street by street detail of the route will be confirmed next year. 

LOCOG has worked closely with representatives from a number of sectors in each Nation and Region to devise the route. 

Not only does the route include villages, town and cities, the Olympic Torch Relay will also take in hundreds of landmarks and will showcase and celebrate the diversity of the UK. 

LOCOG has also announced a selection of the modes of transport by which the Olympic Flame, including horseback, bicycle, tram and steam-train.

Every county in England and every Local Authority area in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will host the Olympic Flame.

Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: “I’m delighted that the Olympic Torch Relay will take the 2012 Games to almost every corner of the UK and that we have achieved our ambition to take the Flame to within an hour’s journey of 95% of the population. Now everyone is invited to plan their welcome and find out where they can go to be part of this historic occasion. The Olympic Games are coming to you as the Olympic Flame gives our people and places their moment to shine.”

Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, added: “When the Olympic Flame arrives here in the UK on 18 May next year it will mark the final countdown to the greatest sporting event the country will host in our lifetime. The Olympic Torch Relay will be an amazing opportunity for people to see the Olympic Flame in their own towns and communities. The Flame’s journey is steeped in the rich history of the Olympic Games, travelling from Athens then right around the UK. I encourage everyone to get out and take part in the excitement of the Torch Relay as it comes through their town.”

The 70 day Olympic Torch Relay, presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung, will start at Land’s End, Cornwall on the morning of 19 May 2012. On leaving Land’s End, the Olympic Flame will travel an estimated 8,000 miles around the UK.

On the final day of the Olympic Torch Relay, it is LOCOG’s intention that the Olympic Flame will travel down the River Thames as it makes its way to the Olympic Stadium on 27th July 2012 for the lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony, signifying the official start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.