London Olympic Organizers: Don’t Mess with the Olympic Brand 伦敦奥组委呼吁:不要滥用奥运品牌

2012年奥林匹克运动会即将在英国伦敦拉开帷幕，主办方也进入了最后的紧张筹备阶段。奥运气氛越来越浓重，一些商家却钻起了小空子，未经允许，就将和奥运相关的品牌占为己有，如“奥运”咖啡，“五环”三明治等，这一行为严重损害了赞助商们的利益。为此伦敦奥组委呼吁：不要滥用奥运品牌。

One day， the small coffee shop near the site of the london olympic Games was the “Olympic” cafe. The next day， it was the “Lympic.”

So where did the “O” go？

The manager won’t say. But it’s more than likely the small business became another case in the battle against guerrilla marketers—advertisers who try to associate their products with a famous event without paying to the sponsors.

Protecting the Olympic brand is always a big job， and never more so than this year. Olympic organizers say the increasing sophistication of guerrilla marketers and the rise of social media are putting the five rings under assault in ways barely thought a decade ago. That means action against anyone who infringes the Olympic brand or sponsors’ deals—no matter how small.

The rings are among the world’s most recognized symbols. Companies such as Mcdonald’s， Coca-Cola and Samsung pay as much as $100 million each to be official sponsors during each Olympic cycle. They expect organizers to protect their rights. If others can use the rings and the name “Olympic，” why should the big companies pay so much money？

“Without our sponsors， the Games simply wouldn’t happen，” London organizers said in a statement. “They provide funding， products， services and expertise to help us stage the Games and with that have purchased exclusivity in their sector.”

British lawmakers did their part， passing a law that gives organizers the power to bar companies from using Olympic trademarks and even certain combinations of words—such as “London 2012”—that may infringe on the rights of sponsors.

But if the crackdown on guerrilla marketers goes too far， it could anger those attending the games or going about their business in London. Organizers will find it hard to tell people they can’t wear their Nike T-shirt into Olympic Stadium because Adidas is the sportswear partner.

“Where there are serious or deliberate attempts to assault the Games ... we will take swift and firm action，” London organizers added.

Link： Wenlock and Mandeville

伦敦奥运吉祥物：文洛克和曼德维尔

Wenlock：My name is inspired by Much Wenlock in Shropshire， a town that is at the heart of Olympic history. In the 19th century， Baron Pierre de Coubertin was invited there to watch the “Much Wenlock Games” inspired by the Olympic games of ancient Greece. De Coubertin was inspired by the Wenlock games too， and went on to found the modern Olympic movement. The Much Wenlock Games are still held annually to this day！ The light on my head is inspired by the lights on London’s iconic black taxis. The shape of the front of my head is based on the shape of the Olympic stadium roof. My eye is a camera lens， capturing everything I see as I go.

Mandeville：My name is inspired by Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire， the birthplace of the Paralympic Games. On the same day as the opening ceremony of the London 1948 Olympic Games， sir Ludwig Guttmann held his own sport competition in Stoke Mandeville for World War II soldiers with spinal injuries. The Stoke Mandeville Games grew and grew until they became the Paralympic Games.

more than likely 很有可能

guerrilla marketer 游击营销者

never more so than 更是，尤其是

sophistication n. 诡辩；老于世故

assault n. 攻击；袭击

vt. 攻击；袭击

infringe vt. 侵犯；违反；破坏

例如：At no time should you endanger yourself or others， take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. 任何情况下，请不要危及自己或者他人，也不要冒无谓之险和违反法律。

exclusivity n. 排他性；独占权

bar...from doing sth 禁止做某事

例如：The mother bared his little son from eating candy for a month because of his poor teeth. 妈妈禁止儿子吃糖一个月，因为他的牙不好。

crackdown n. 镇压；（美）制裁；强制取缔；惩罚

go about 从事，着手做

at the heart of 处于……的中心，……的核心，和……有莫大联系