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BEIJING (AP) - The Olympic image could be damaged by allegations that children as young as 12 are being employed to make officially licensed products for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. That's the message Wednesday from Chen Feng, deputy director of marketing for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, who has summoned four manufacturers to Beijing to answer charges of labor-law violations in the making of Olympic goods.
A report released Sunday entitled "No Medal for the Olympics on Labor Rights" alleges four factories in southern China broke national labor laws on child labor, overtime pay and minimum wages to make souvenirs for the 2008 Olympics.
The four manufactures acknowledge they have Olympic contracts, but deny charges in the report by Brussels-based PlayFair 2008. The report also says the Beijing organizers — and the Lausanne-based International Olympic Committee — are doing too little to guarantee ethical work conditions in the making of official products that carry the five-ring Olympic logo.
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