http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2012/07/21/london-olympics-lord-coe-s-astonishing-sponsors-outburst-86908-23910798/London Olympics: Lord Coe's astonishing sponsors outburst HEAVY-HANDED security chiefs will ban Olympic spectators for wearing the wrong brand of clothes, it emerged yesterday.
Games boss Sebation Coe warned anyone wearing a Pepsi T-shirt is likely to be booted out because it would upset sponsors Coca-Cola.
And he only said spectators in Nike trainers “could probably” be allowed in although Adidas are also backing the event.
Coe defended the draconian move and said it was to protect corporate sponsors who have paid a fortune to be involved.
It’s the latest example of a ruthless brand crackdown in the run-up to the London games.
A cafe manager in London who displayed five bagels in the style of the Olympic rings was ordered to take them down. A butcher in Weymouth, Dorset, also had to take down five rings made from sausages.
And police have been told to put sandwiches, crisps and chocolate in clear plastic bags to avoid breaking rules on advertising.
The Nike swoosh logo has also been blocked out at Old Trafford before the Manchester stadium hosts the GB Olympic football team next week.
Officials ordered the bright white symbol emblazoned across the red seats of the stadium to be erased before the game against Senegal on Thursday.
In a tetchy interview for BBC radio, Coe said some of the stories circulating about the way the Olympic and sponsors’ brands are being protected was like the myths about the EU rules on “straight bananas”.
But the peer, who was former Tory leader William Hague’s chief of staff, admitted that some brands of clothing could see Olympic ticket-holders barred.
Asked if someone wearing a Pepsi T-shirt would be allowed in, Coe replied: “No.
“You probably wouldn’t be walking in with a Pepsi T-shirt because Coca-Cola are our sponsors and they have put millions of pounds into this project but also millions of pounds into grassroots sport.
“It is important to protect those sponsors.”
He was also asked if spectators would be allowed to wear Nike trainers. Coe said: “I think you probably could...”
Pushed for an answer, he snapped: “Let’s put some reality in this, you probably would be able to walk through with Nike trainers. Does that satisfy you?”
He angrily dismissed the long delay suffered by US athletes when they got lost on their journey to the athletes’ village.
“Out of 100 journeys, one coach driver missed a turning,” he said. And he also tried to dismiss the G4S fiasco, saying: “Believe it or not, this is not a security event with a little bit of sporting overlay.”
Charles Farr, Whitehall’s top security official, also claimed the games would be more secure as a result of the shambles.
Another 1200 troops had to be put on standby this week after G4S admitted they will not be able to provide enough security guards, potentially taking the total involved to 18,000.
Farr said: “We’ve had a last-minute hitch but we’ve resolved the hitch and one could argue that we’ve come out of it stronger than we were when we went into it.
“We’ve got a really effective armed forces as a military component to our venue security.”
Home Secretary Theresa May yesterday angrily denied charges that she had been “selective” over what she told MPs about the mounting problems.
It has emerged that G4S told the Home Office there were problems recruiting staff two weeks before May told the Commons about the shambles on July 11.
She said the issues initially looked like “teething problems”.
