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Animated London 2012 logo pulled over epilepsy fears

Lord Sebastian Coe launches the logo for the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Roundhouse theater in London on Monday. PHOTO: EPA

An animated display of London's jigsaw-style 2012 Olympics logo -- which has drawn an unfavorable public response -- was withdrawn from an official Web site on Tuesday following concern it could trigger epileptic seizures, organizers said.

The ?400,000 (US$796,000) design, comprised of four jagged pieces which form the numbers 2012 in a variety of colors, was specifically designed to appeal to young people and feature on the Internet.

Epilepsy Action, a British health charity, said 10 people had complained about the animation on Tuesday and some had suffered seizures as a result of watching images depicting a diver plunging into a pool.

"We have just been notified of the problem and we have taken immediate steps to remove the animation from the Web site," a London 2012 Olympics spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity in line with policy. "We will now re-edit the film."

The logo, unveiled on Monday, has already attracted ridicule and within hours an online petition was established asking for a new design.

London's Design Museum founder Stephen Bayley said the logo was "a puerile mess, an artistic flop and a commercial scandal."

Chief organizer Sebastian Coe said the graffiti-style design was created to draw the attention of young people.

In a departure from previous games, the logo has no visual imagery of the host city or country.
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