Olympic logo triggers epilepsy
THE controversial 2012 London Olympics logo was rocked by another blow last night — after it was ruled too dangerous to view on-screen.
An animated version of the symbol used on TV and the internet had to be dropped because it could trigger fits in thousands of people.
The £400,000 logo, a graffiti-style spelling of 2012 in shades of pink, blue, green and orange, was branded “hideous” when it was launched on Monday.
And Olympics bosses were left squirming with embarrassment after an epilepsy group reported 12 cases of people collapsing through looking at it.
Epilepsy Action warned that 23,000 mainly young people in the UK were at risk from the TV and internet version.
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Slated ... the controversial logo |
They suffer from the photosensitive form of epilepsy and flickering images can trigger fits.
It is estimated there are 2.5million people worldwide with the condition — which could have left the Olympic Organising Committee facing massive injury lawsuits.
Epilepsy Action spokeswoman Ingrid Burns said: “The logo was not safe for people with photosensitive epilepsy.
“Within hours of it being launched we received 12 reports of people suffering seizures.
“This is extremely serious. Young people up to the age of about 19 are most at risk — and they are the logo’s main target group.” Leading epilepsy expert Professor Graham Harding said: “I can’t imagine how this slipped through.
“Thousands of people could have been affected. It’s serious and has to be corrected.”
London Mayor Ken Livingstone said: “If you employ someone to design a car and it kills you, you’re pretty unhappy about that. If you employ someone to design a logo for you and they haven’t done a basic health check you have to ask what they do for their money.”
The logo was created by international design agency Wolff Olins, who also came up with BT’s “wistful piper” symbol.
A spokesman for the Olympic Committee said: “The issue was not with the logo but a piece of animation that was used during the launch.
“We have been made aware of the concerns and have removed the material from our website. It will be re-edited and the original footage never shown again.”
More than 27,000 people had last night signed a petition calling for the logo to be scrapped altogether.
They want it replaced with either a new design or the old design used for London’s bid to stage the Olympics. Jonathan Ellis, who launched the petition on website GoPetition.com, said: “It is an embarrassment and portrays our country in the worst possible way. We need to get this terrible logo dropped.”
London 2012 committee boss Lord Seb Coe defended the design, saying: “It won’t be to be everybody’s taste immediately, but it’s a brand we believe can be hard working.”
Sun Doctor CAROL COOPER said: “Lights flashing 20 times a second are most likely to trigger fits but any between four and 59 times can do it.
“Rapid colour changes are added risk. The logo could have caused plenty of mischief.”
Source: RICHARD WHITE, The Sun Online