Olympic cauldron design row settled

The organising committee behind the Olympic Games in London has reached a settlement in a row over who designed the structure that housed the iconic Olympic flame.

The “cauldron” of copper petals, which was lit at the culmination of the opening ceremony of the 2012 Games, formed a focal point throughout the tournament.

Initially, the design was attributed to UK designer Thomas Heatherwick but the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has now admitted that US design company Atopia was behind several ideas that became key features.

The acknowledgement from LOCOG, which does not reveal the financial details behind the settlement, says it “recognises” that designers from Atopia were engaged in the “consulting and tender process” relating to a proposed project for “showcasing sustainability” at the Games.

LOCOG acknowledged that Atopia came up with features, including the real-time construction of a pavilion from more than 200 flower-shaped forms, one for each participating nation.

Last year, The Guardian newspaper reported that Atopia had submitted its ideas to LOCOG in 2006, six years before the Olympic opening ceremony, but had never heard back.

The case did not go to court as Atopia was only free to make its initial claims in 2013, having been gagged by a non-disclosure agreement preventing all companies from promoting work related to the Olympics.

“We are very relieved that LOCOG has decided to settle with us and publicly acknowledge the work we produced,” an Atopia official told the newspaper yesterday, (July 23).

Thomas Heatherwick said he “knew nothing” of the settlement.

"It has no implication for any of the creative team. As we've said before, the design process was categorically our own, from start to finish,” he said.