London 2012 Olympics: Government unveils plans to ban ambush marketing and bolster Games security
Handing out free T-shirts or hiring a plane to sky-write messages near London 2012 Games venues and major transport hubs has been outlawed by the Government in its anti-ambush marketing legislation.
Put your hands up, it's a raid: ambush marketers from a Dutch beer company struck at last year's football World Cup in South Africa Photo: EPA
By Jacquelin Magnay, Olympics Editor 10:23PM GMT 07 Mar 2011
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The Government says individuals will still have the right to express opinions by means of a peaceful protest — if their banners are displayed on private property. And people will also be allowed to display protest slogans outside Games venues.
The Government has vowed to clamp down on any non-Olympic companies seeking to gain a benefit from associating with the Games and has banned activities such as sky-writing, flyers, posters, billboards and projected advertising within 200 metres of any Olympic venue. Companies face a £20,000 fine for breaching the rules.
Interpretation of the bill could also apply to clothing that people wear to Games venues, especially if there are blocks of people wearing the same item.
Last year in South Africa 376 Dutch models were arrested for an ambush marketing stunt conducted by a beer company.
Local traders during the Olympic Games advertising a ‘gold medal menu’ or ‘Games specials’ could also be caught up in the rules.
The Government bill was first legislated in 2006, when details of specific word associations such as Olympics, gold, silver, bronze, medal, Games and 2012 were outlined but yesterday it released more specific proposals under the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Advertising and Street Trading) Regulations 2011.
Standard shop signage and in-store advertising will be exempt under the legislation, which will expire on Aug 14 next year. However, traders who are affected will have to apply to the Olympic Delivery Authority for a free licence to be allowed to continue to trade.
The rules will apply to a broad area of London and Olympic venues outside the capital, but only on the days when competition takes place.
Hugh Robertson, the Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said sponsorship contributes half of the £2 billion budget for staging the Games and the regulations will prevent ambush marketing and unauthorised trading.
“Like many other sporting events, the London Olympic and Paralympic Games could not go ahead without its sponsors so it is important that we protect their investment as well as creating a welcoming and unobtrusive atmosphere for people arriving at venues,” Robertson said.
Robertson said “a light touch proportionate to the offence” would be adopted by officers from the ODA responsible for enforcing the regulations.
The venues and routes affected by the legislation in London are: Earl’s Court, the ExCel, Greenwich Park, Horse Guards Parade, Hyde Park, Lord’s Cricket Ground, North Greenwich Arena 1, the Olympic and Paralympic marathon routes, Olympic Park, Olympic race walk route, Olympic and Paralympic road cycling routes, Olympic time trial route, Olympic triathlon run and cycle routes, Royal Artillery Barracks Woolwich, Wembley Arena, Wembley Stadium, and Wimbledon.
Outside London the rules will apply to venues at Broxbourne, Coventry Stadium, Eton Dorney, Hadleigh Farm (Essex), Hampden Park, Millennium Stadium, Old Trafford, St James’s Park, Weymouth and Portland and the outer London sections of the Olympic and Paralympic road cycling routes and Olympic time trial route. Consultation will run until May 13 this year.
Meanwhile transport minister Theresa Villiers has announced a no-fly zone over the Olympic Park at Stratford from two weeks before the Olympic Games opening ceremony until the end of the Paralympics to protect the Games from terrorist and security threats.
The heavily restricted air space will allow only certain preapproved and security cleared types of aircraft to fly near the Olympic Park. An outer restricted zone of 60 miles will allow aircraft which are readily identified and monitored by air traffic control.
Airspace controls over other Olympics venues outside of London are still being considered.
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