Austria
 
Grecian Gods ask for Fairness

The Olympic Games 2004 were the reason for the Grecian gods to descend from the Olympus. Themis (goddess of Justice), Hera (godess of Heros), Hermes (god of trade), Nike (godess of victory) and Zeus (God of thunder) fought in the name of the Clean Clothes Campaign for improving the working conditions in sportswear factories.

This spectacular event took place on one of the most famous shopping streets in Vienna, Austria, on Saturday the 19th June 2004. The action was to call attention to the "Play Fair at the Olympics" Campaign, which demanded that sportswear companies and the International Olympic Committee took action to respect workers' rights. The five activists of the Austrian Clean Clothes Campaign, who wore white togas, were gazed at by the surprised passers-by. Because of this eye catcher event it was possible to collect 200 signatures for the "Gobal Petition" during one afternoon, which was a big success for the Grecian gods and the Campaign!

Launch in Vienna
CCC-Austria and ÖGB (Austrian federation of trade unions) launched the campaign at 10 o'clock with an action in front of the office of the Austrian Olympic Committee (AOC). They brought a sewing machine and a lot of sewing machines noises. Five people in the campaign-shirts formed the Olympic logo for a photo moment.
Then they presented the report to the AOC. Their president had no time on the 4th of March but instead offered to meet with the campaigners on March 10th. The accompanying press release got support from the social democratic and green party, who also did a press release on the subject themselves. With this, an article appeared in the sports section of Der Standard, which is one of the two big quality dailies in Austria.

Women's Marathon
In Austria, on 8 June the Women's Marathon featured a "Play Fair" flyer in the "starter bags" of the 8,000 runners, generating much interest and persuading many athletes to join the campaign.

 

June 19, 2004 - The Olympic Games 2004 were the reason for the Grecian gods to descend from the Olympus.
CCC-Austria and ÖGB (Austrian federation of trade unions) launched the campaign with an action in front of the office of the Austrian Olympic Committee.
Hera
Zeus & Hermes
Themis & Nike - copyright photos: Michael Klein - mike@photolocation.com