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Olympics: Please, don't ask for Pimm's... or chips

 

Will Dean
Wednesday 11 July 2012 23:27 BST
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All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club members enjoying Pimm's at Wimbledon
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club members enjoying Pimm's at Wimbledon (Getty Images)

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We're all aware of the Olympics' tenacious guarding of their sponsors' rights. And, if you're not, try getting into the archery at Lord's with an oversized "I LOVE BURGER KING" T-shirt. But this past week has seen two of the more hilarious cases. First the – not at all surprising – news that Pimm's, the drink that is to a day at Wimbledon as flat lager is to the British football experience, is to be sold unbranded at the tennis event.

While, it would be quite easy to sell, say, Carling as "lager", Pimm's doesn't have an obvious generic equivalent. "Plastic pot of gin-based fruit cup, sir?" What about Guinness? "Pint of black and white Irish dry stout drink please!"

Elsewhere, a photo of a sign informing Olympic Park staff that caterers aren't allowed – thanks to a McDonald's deal – to serve portions of chips individually. They can, however, be served with fish. A bit of Kafkaesque loop-holing that, judging by the reaction on Twitter, seems to have provided a chip to break the camel's back of public outrage at the Games' corporatism.

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