Corporate sponsors make a splash at the Olympics

The London Olympics are well underway and so far, generally, Britain has won plaudits for its running of the Games. But there has been some disquiet about the role of big corporate sponsors.

The London 2012 opening ceremony last Friday was heralded as a triumph around the world, even earning the distinction from Germany's tabloid Bild as being the "coolest show ever." Meanwhile, the French daily Liberation said the performance was full of "humor and unbridled imagination," while Le Parisien called it "magnificent, inventive and offbeat."

But within the country itself, there is a deeper sense of unease about the role of big corporate sponsors in the Games.

There have been complaints about global giants like Coca Cola and McDonald's. Between them, eleven giant corporate sponsors have paid more than a billion dollars for the exclusive use of the Olympic brand. But critics say that exclusivity has been enforced in a heavy-handed manner, quite alien to the Olympic spirit.

The Games have even attracted the attention of the American anti-consumerist preacher and comedian, Reverend Billy Talen, who chanted "Get the corporations out of the Olympics please! The Olympics are corrupt!" on the streets of London.

His comic ravings resonate with some Brits. Julian Cheyne has campaigned against the London Olympics.  "This is large corporations who profit," Cheyne told DW. "Large corporations are the sponsors. Small people are left aside."

Read more: Corporate sponsors make a splash at the Olympics | Europe | DW.DE | 02.08.2012