Norway's Olympic Mascot: Sea Lice

The official mascots of the 2012 Olympic Games starting in London today are a creepy pair fashioned from British steel called Wenlock and Mandeville.

If the Olympics were being held in Norway, however, the official mascots would be spawned on a Norwegian salmon farm and look something like this:  

During the last Olympics in 2010, protestors held a 29-hour fast at the Union of BC Indian Chiefs office in Vancouver to raise awareness of the 29 Norwegian-owned sea-lice infested salmon farms operating in the Broughton Archipelago (watch online here). 

“Norwegian-owned salmon farms operating in our traditional territorial waters are killing wild salmon and strangling the lifeblood of our whole culture,” said Chief Bob Chamberlin, of the Musgamagw-Tsawataineuk, a tribe located around Alert Bay and Port McNeill, on northern Vancouver Island.  “Norway is a proud country, but Norwegian salmon farming companies are bringing Norway into international disrepute.”

“Go home. Take your toxic and lethal salmon farming practices with you!” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.
 
“The demise of wild salmon is tantamount to genocide because it reflects the demise or our culture, way of life and spirituality,” said Robert Joseph, Hereditary Chief of the Gwa wa enuk First Nation.

When Norway failed to win a gold medal during the last Olympics, Norway’s state broadcaster NRK reported news of a shaman in Northern Norway claiming it was due to a curse put on by First Nations fighting Norwegian salmon farms.

“I can honestly report that I do not possess this kind of spiritual power he's suggesting that I do,” said Chief Bob Chamberlin in an interview with CBC News.  “If I did possess such a power, I don't think I would be directing it at the Norwegian national sportsmen.  I think I would direct it towards the fish farms.”

Sadly, if gold medals were handed out for sea lice infestation then Norway would top the medals table at every Olympics. 

Read article in full online here