Iran Threatens Olympic Boycott Over 'Racist' Logo

When the logo for London's 2012 Olympics was unveiled a few years ago, its many critics said it looked like anything from a swastika to a Simpsons character performing a sexual act. Iran has now joined them, saying the jagged logo looks like the word "Zion" and threatening to boycott the Games unless it is replaced, the Guardian reports. Iran accuses its designers of being part of a pro-Israel conspiracy.

"Using the word Zion in the logo of the 2012 Olympic Games is a disgracing action and against the Olympics' valuable mottos," Iranian officials wrote in a formal letter to the International Olympic Committee, urging other countries to oppose the "racist logo." An IOC official confirmed that a complaint had been received from the Iranians but stressed that the "London 2012 logo represents the figure 2012, nothing else." (For more on the London Olympics, check out its odd-looking mascot.)