How do I find out about business opportunities related to  the 2012 Games? Are there any?

The 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic  Games is set to bring unparalleled lucrative business opportunities for an enormous range of firms.

Regional Development Agency - One NorthEast, and its partners will work to ensure that regional businesses are well-placed to access the range of contracts associated with the 2012 Games, and to build regional capacity in relation to other major sporting contracts.

Delivering the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games will be a massive task, and business-related opportunities exist in many areas including: tourism; retailing; sports; transport; security; hospitality; construction; IT; marketing, and many other sectors and industries.

When the Games begin, uniforms for at least 70,000 volunteers, branded T-shirts, and hundreds of other items of merchandise will be needed; as will thousands of computers, phones, televisions, and the latest technology to wire the Games to the world.

The Games is also anticipated to require 11,500 shuttlecocks, 3,000 table tennis balls, hundreds of thousands of seats, 30,000 beds and 200,000 chairs.

And the athletes village is expected to need 100 tonnes of meat, 75,000 litres of milk, 25,000 loaves of bread, 350 tonnes of fruit and vegetables, one million bottles of water and 15,000 kms of toilet paper.

Click here to find out what was said at the 2012 Business Summit.

Click here to find out more about procurement opportunities.

Can I use the Olympic Rings or London 2012’s logo?

You should note that restrictions are in force governing the use of the Olympic rings and other trademarks and symbols.

When London was awarded the 2012 Games, a commitment was made to protect the integrity and image of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

The commitment was made because it is going to cost a lot of money to host the Olympic Games and the London 2012 organisers need to raise as much money as possible from marketing and sponsorship to help pay for it. 

For the 2012 Games sponsorship programme to be successful, those companies that participate need to be confident they are investing in something that is not available for free.

The commitment is legally binding and restricts the use of a whole host of names, phrases, marks logos and designs.
 
Regional organisations from across the public and charitable sectors are not permitted to use the names, phrases, marks, logos and designs associated with the 2012 Games.

Failure to adhere to this advice could result in legal actions being taken by London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other bodies involved in the 2012 Games.

Private sector organisations should contact LOCOG for additional advice. 

LOCOG will develop a new Games logo and further guidance will be issued to ensure that everybody from across the region can share in the excitement, passion and celebrations associated with the 2012 Games. 

The Olympic Symbol etc (Protection) Act 1995 is the law that governs the use of the Olympic symbols and associated marks in the UK.  

You can read the law here.

Marks covered by the legislation include

• The words ”Olympic” or ”Olympics”
• The words ”Olympiad” or ”Olympiads”
• The words ”Olympian” or ”Olympians”
• The symbol of the Olympic Rings 
• The Olympic motto ”Citius Altius Fortius”
• The Team GB logo
• The Great Britain Olympic Team
• The British Paralympic Association logo
• The Great Britain Paralympic Team and logo
• The words ”London 2012”
• The London 2012 bid logo
• London2012.com (and various derivatives)
• The British Olympic Association logo
• The official emblem of the 2012 Games (once it has been designed)

Find advice on the rules on using the Olympic symbol here.

Find further information about the protection of the Olympic brand here.

Relevant links

The 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games

The 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and the North East

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