Washington, July 17 (ANI): Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney has landed in a fresh controversy after it emerged that the presumptive GOP nominee had outsourced the production of torchbearer uniforms of the 2002 Winter Olympics to Burma.
The Congress was reportedly up in arms after it emerged that the U.S. team's uniforms for the opening ceremony of this year's Olympic games were manufactured in China, and snubbed the U.S. textile industry at a time when it has yet to recover from the struggling economy.
According to Huffington Post, reports in 2002 revealed that the decision to outsource the torchbearer uniforms to Burma caused an uproar among human rights advocates and trade groups and prompted the head of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions to write a letter to the International Olympic Committee, stating that "No responsible organization or body should make use of products originating in Burma."
Torchbearers, too, were shocked to see the "Made in Burma (Myanmar)" label on their tracksuits.
"When I looked at the label for the uniform, I went nuts. When you are sending work representing the U.S. to a military dictatorship, I have an issue with that," said 2002 torchbearer Susan Bonfield in an interview.
GAP, North Face reportedly confirmed that both the pants and top of the uniform were produced at a textile plant in Burma/Myanmar, the report said.
The Romney campaign declined to make any comments. (ANI)
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