London Olympics with US wrapping

US printer will produce all 336 individual wrap panels to ring the London Olympic Stadium with Worldwide Olympic Partner, The Dow Chemical Company picking up the bill.

Paul Deighton, chief executive of the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) was keen to reinstate the £6 million (AU$9.46 million) wrap project after it was scrapped last year, only if it was cost-neutral to the organisers.

Dow has contracted a Seattle-based fabric printer, Rainier, to produce and print the entire wrap, as well as supply the ink. Each panel printed in the US, will be around 25 meters high and 2.5 meters wide.

The wrap will be manufactured and printed in line with London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG’s) ambition for a sustainable Olympic Games. It will include post-industrial recycled content and UV-curable inks will replace conventional inks to reduce emissions during the printing process.

With Dow funding the project, the IOC has awarded it the right to advertise on the panels until a month before the official Olympic period begins. Installation of the wrap will be completed by spring 2012.

Pictured: Dow’s artist impression of London's Olympic stadium fitted with the high-tech decorative wrap.


Keith Wiggins, managing director for Dow UK says the company is proud the wrap will be in compliance with the LOCOG Sustainability Source Code.

Hardware used to hang the wrap will be recycled in Europe following the Games. Dow is currently investigating several options for a sustainable post-games use for the wrap itself.

Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and Olympics, says while the government could see the benefit of the wrap it did not feel the taxpayer should pay. “I am delighted that a private sector company has taken up the opportunity which will become a major feature of the Olympic stadium.”