Mark Franchetti in the Halifax Herald Limited describes the restrictions the Olympic organizers are putting on the display of branding messages by spectators at the Olympic games.
In a far cry from the high-minded ideals of humanity and tolerance embodied by the Olympics, the organizers of the Athens games have warned spectators that they could be barred for taking a surreptitious sip of Pepsi or an illicit bite from a Burger King Whopper.The restrictions even apply to bottled water. Fans must only carry the official water Avra which is a Greek subsidy of Coca-Cola. Even clothing is subject to inspection:Strict regulations published by Athens 2004 last week dictate that spectators may be refused admission to events if they are carrying food or drinks made by companies that did not see fit to sponsor the games.
Staff will also be on the lookout for T-shirts, hats and bags displaying the unwelcome logos of non-sponsors. Stewards have been trained to detect people who may be wearing merchandise from the sponsors' rivals in the hope of catching the eyes of television audiences. Those arousing suspicion will be required to wear their T-shirts inside out.Do you think this kind of message control will spread to other venues and events? Do you think it's a fair practice to protect the sponsors investment? Would it go to far in a free society?Known as the "clean venue policy," the rules were drawn up by the Greeks and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to shield sponsors from so-called "ambush marketing" - an attempt to advertise items during the games without paying sponsorship fees.
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