Streakers to Face Fines at London 2012 for Potential Ambush Marketing

Fans who bare all for publicity at the London Olympic Games in 2012 could face a large fine and even a jail sentence under strict rules being discussed in parliament.

The severe sanctions proposed by the Department for Culture, doctor Media and Sport are part of a clampdown on the choreographed marketing stunts that have become a feature of high-profile sporting events in recent years.

Under the rules, tadalafil “advertising on the human body could lead to a fine of £20,000 ($31,700),” a ministry spokesman said.

“It is about potential ambush marketing and trying to crack down on that. Sponsors pay a large amount of money to be the official sponsors of the Games.”

Companies including British Airways and BP are among sponsors who have paid £700 million ($1.1 billion ) to become official partners of the 2012 Games.

However, the insides of all Olympic venues must be clean of any advertising.

“These advertising and street trading regulations protect their investment and association with the Games,” the spokesman said.

The rules have passed through the House of Commons and are waiting to be approved by the unelected upper House of Lords. If passed, trading standards officers will be responsible for ensuring the rules are upheld.

At the Beijing Games in 2008, a male spectator interrupted an equestrian event dressed only in a tutu with the name of a website emblazoned across his bare chest.

In the World Cup in 2010, 36 orange-clad Dutch woman were ejected from a stadium when it was discovered that they were part of a guerilla marketing effort coordinated by a Dutch brewery.