GSK Olympics
One firm which will not be in Rio is GlaxoSmithKline, despite being what spokesperson Sarah Hornby said was an “official third tier sponsor” of the 2012 Games, providing official laboratory services to help ensure the event was dope free.
“We were invited to be a sponsor by LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) because they had the ambition to be the cleanest Games ever,” she said, and thus GSK – in collaboration with King’s College London – operated a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited anti-doping lab.
During the event more than 6000 anti-doping tests were carried out, including all the medallists, which was greater than at any other Games.
However, this was strictly a ‘patriotic’ partnership – GSK being headquartered about 10 miles west of the London Olympic park – and Hornby said this partnership will not continue.