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Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Olympics Ad Causes Seizures


A spot for the 2012 Olympics has proven detrimental to some viewers. The spot contained a short animation clip with a diver diving into a pool which left multicolored ripples. The Charity Epilepsy Action reported it had received calls from people who claimed to have suffered Epileptic seizures after viewing the commercial. One man said that not only did he suffer a seizure after seeing the promo, but that his girlfriend suffered a seizure so devastating that she had to be hospitalized.

Professor Graham Harding, who developed the test used to measure photo-sensitivity in TV, said the spot should not be rebroadcast. He said, "...it does not comply with Ofcom guidelines and is in contravention of them." Charity Epilepsy Action said the ad had even triggered "breakthrough seizures" in people who have not had seizures in a long time.

A spokesperson for the Olympics has said the commercial will be edited to remove the controversial animation.


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