To use the coming Olympic Games as a means to bring attention to the conditions of workers in the global clothing and sportswear industry. Not only those producing goods in China for the Olympics, but all workers, anywhere in the world, who are denied basic rights and forced into abusive, low-paid and often unsafe work.

Our short-term goal is to deliver a message to the IOC in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics, which clearly states their responsibilities and the actions they can take, to ensure fair and humane conditions for workers who produce Olympic merchandise. This message will include the names of all those who have shown their support for Catch The Flame and their personal experiences.

Our longer-term goal is to positively affect all future Olympic Games by persuading the IOC to take up, as a condition for hosting countries, that they must have ratified and implemented the core ILO (International Labour Organisation) conventions on Fair and Decent Work.
We want the IOC to award contracts only to those suppliers who meet the basic ILO recommendations.

You can find information on all the aims and demands of the Playfair 2008 alliance at PF2008 Campaign Statement.

This was first brought to the attention of the IOC in 2003, yet they have taken no action of any kind to address the problem and continue to say they have neither the power, nor the responsibility to do so.
We disagree very strongly. As the body that awards the contracts, the IOC can make the biggest difference, in the shortest time.

Perhaps they were, in 1892, when Pierre de Coubertin proposed an Olympic Games, but now they are a multi-billion dollar business.
The IOC has some 11 international sponsors who have already paid them almost US$900 million in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics.
It is estimated that the sales of Beijing Games mascots alone, will bring in more than US$300 million in profit, almost 35% more than the profit from the whole Los Angeles Olympics.
A German sporting goods manufacturer paid almost US$100 million, in cash, just to get its sponsorship deal for the Beijing Olympics.
Much of this profit is made possible by exploitation of the workers who are producing the Olympic-branded merchandise.
Read the full Play Fair Report, ‘No Medal For The Olympics On Labour Rights’

The Olympic Charter details precisely every aspect of the Games, from who can participate, how the opening ceremonies must be conducted, to the nature of the Olympic Village and much, much more. It begins, however, by reminding us of the six "Fundamental Principles of Olympism". What we ask is that the IOC uses its powers to extend these principles to Olympic merchandise industry workers and answer the following questions.

Principle 1
"Olympism is...respect for universal fundamental ethical principles."
The IOC profits from child-labour. Is this ethical?

From Principle 2
"The goal of Olympism is...promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity."
Is working 12 hours a day, 30 days a week, often in unsafe and unhealthy conditions, consistent with preserving human dignity?

From Principle 4
"Every individual must have the possibility… of friendship, solidarity and fair play."
Many workers have little time for "friendship" as they do not get even 1 day off per month.
No union representation or workers' associations means "solidarity" is simply not possible.
And is it "fair play" to force workers to do overtime, fine them a month’s wages for resigning and to threaten them with dismissal if they do not lie about pay and hours to inspectors and representatives of their customers.