Don't say the 'O' word !

[Jai1998]

I have noticed over the past few days that the presenters often refer to the Olympics but never actually say the word, preferring to say something like "This summer's big sporting events" while talking about what you could be watching on that new TV or photographing with that new camera.

Is there some problem with saying the 'O' word? Every other TV channel is continually spouting on about it.

 

[Loveinamist]

Not noticed but will be all ears now. Maybe it's catching:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/06/07/noel-clarke-furious-over-_n_1576796.html

 

[Loveinamist]

Found this:

Although we do benefit from strong legal rights and must exercise these to protect
our ability to fund the Games, the idea that the law prevents businesses from ever
mentioning the Games is a myth. The law provides for various defences and
exceptions which allow, for example, businesses to make non-promotional factual
statements and to provide relevant information.

http://www.london2012.com/documents...ection-information-for-the-tourism-sector.pdf

 

[BusyLizzie]

I think all these "legal" rights are just ridiculous. Surely anything to help promote this major sporting event can only be supportive in many ways? Our athletes in Team GB need all the encouragement and support they can get! In our area florists and butchers have been forced to take down window displays in the Olympic theme otherwise they would be sued which is totally stupid.

 

[Weathergirl]

It's just too difficult for a business lije QVC to be accused of using the word for promotional puroses due to the nature of what they do. But, take a business that manufactures dogfood. I can't see how they would have to avoid the word Olympics, as it would have nothing to do with promoting their wares

 

[donna255]

Okay, ORGASM:clapping:

 

[Frazzled]

I'd better rename my latest book "The Story of the Olympics 2012" then. Perhaps I'll just call it "The Story of O" :happy:

 

[Nicky-j]

It might seem entirely ridiculous that companies are so restricted in using the word 'Olympics' or, for that matter 'London 2012', but it really is the case. Multinational companies like Samsung, Coca-Cola and VISA pay many millions of pounds for the right to exclusive official association with the Olympic Games and so, to maintain that very profitable relationship (which, let's be honest is greatly off-setting the cost of hosting and running the games), strict rules and guidelines are applied. Imagine you were the boss of McDonalds and arrived at the Olympic Village to find that, just along the street a Stratford greasy-spoon was pedalling 'Olympic' burgers? You might argue that they would hardly represent much of a threat to Ronald's place, and you'd be right, but you might be a bit miffed if you'd paid millions and millions of pounds to have EXCLUSIVE rights to use the games to promote your product.
I am part of a local group that organises community events/fetes etc for our small suburb. At one point it was thought that the Torch Relay was to pass through our 'village' centre. As it happens this is now not the case, but in preparation we checked online to see what type of decorations etc we could use to bedeck the shops and businesses etc. It is clearly noted that you are not permitted to use any of the following wording or signage.
Olympic
Olympic Games
London 2012
The London Games
The Olympic rings, either by mentioning them, or displaying them.
The official logos.
The official mascots.

The advice is, to decorate your streets to welcome the Torch Relay, you should use any other decorations and perhaps red, white and blue.
If that is the advice being given to a handful of shops in a suburb on the extremity of a provincial city, one can only imagine just how strict they must be with a huge organisation like QVC.

 

[Akimbo]

I heard a Radio 4 programme about the history of sport which pointed out that "olympic" and other derived words were once used by anyone in any context:

like the Liverpool Olympic Festivals of the 1860s, the Morpeth Olympic Games that ran from the 1880s until 1958, and the Wenlock Olympian Games, as well as circus and music hall acts. My favourite, from 1815, is My Gyngell’s travelling variety show, which featured ‘Hydraulicks, Hydrostatics, Deceptions, Musical Glasses, Sagacious Birds, Astonishing Dogs, Olympic Exercises, and the Equilibrium Wire’.

from Martin Polley.

Part of me wishes the Morpeth games had taken out a monopoly on the O name and then what would the Olympic Games call themselves?

Wasn't Olympic the sister ship to Titanic?


Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic, Olympic! Blah! Bite me! :mysmilie_849:

Jude xx

 

[Boris Bear]

It's all far too commercialised. 800 of the 8,000 torchbearer places have been given to sponsors according to a newspaper article. A 77 year old man who has raised loads of money for charity by doing 12 runs of 155 miles through Death Valley in California was turned down but staff from Coca Cola, Next etc. have been selected for no apparent reason. I read that the torchbearers were meant to be young or inspire the young, the guy was a school caretaker so I imagine his achievements would be pretty inspirational to the pupils at his school but money talks.

I googled "Olympics cost to the taxpayer" and found an article from last year that said the funding from central government, London authorities and the lottery woudl be £9.3 billion. So we can pay so much but are not allowed to use the word olympics!

 

[BurlyBeaR]

Isn't it ridiculous. And anther example of The Olympic committee doing their level best to restrict others from using something they don't actually own. Yes they own the logo but they dont own the word olympic, or london or 2012. If I was to do a sponsored climb of Mount Olympus this year then I would be entitled to call it my 2012 Olympic challenge. They don't own the ****** mountain do they! Or the town of Olympus, or the Goddess.

I'm very pro-London 2012 but this, along with ridiculous rules and demands placed on the host city, is one of the things that really pees me off about it.

 

[Brissles]

I didn't see Jubilympic on the list.

I see that even knitters who were providing knitted cushions for the athletes as souvenirs- and who were initially given a spot inside the Village, have now been refused access - pity the same cant be said about David Beckham (who has been included in the football team) groan groan !!!!

 

[ERICS MUM]

Okay, ORGASM:clapping:

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Linda xx