Screengrab of the cache of the original nomination story for Samsung’s Sven Eric Durr. The story has since disappeared from the London2012 website

Nine Olympic torchbearers nominated by Samsung have been airbrushed from the London2012 website.

The MD for Samsung Mobile UK and Ireland, the Chief Operations Officer at Samsung Africa, and the President and CEO for Samsung in Southeast Asia, Oceania and Taiwan are among seven individuals who are no longer listed on the site.

The change was made after the executives were identified as torchbearers by The Independent and The Guardian following our investigation.

Some of the webpages containing their stories still exist on the site, but cannot be found on the dates or locations where they were due to carry the torch, or through the search by name facility.

CEO Gregory Lee, for example, still has a profile if you type in the URL directly [UPDATE 31/7/12 – now page no longer exists] – but a search for “Gregory” does not find it.

In addition, two other Samsung employees have had their stories removed but are still listed as torchbearers on the date and location pages. Todd Bouman and Sven Eric Durr carried the Olympic flame through Milton Bridge and Kirkoswald.

Todd’s original nomination story read:

Todd Bouman is Director and head of IT Marketing for Samsung Electronics Americas. Bouman is responsible for leading the marketing communications and product marketing activities for mobile computing, display, and printer hardware in the U.S market. In addition, he directs the development and execution of channel marketing activities that are focused on building up strong relationships with industry-leading IT partners. Bouman is also active in his town community as a coach for the local youth soccer team.

Sven Eric Durr’s story read:

Svein Eric is 29 year old and is a dedicated Samsung ambassador. When we introduced the sales competition in the Telenor chain Telekiosken (largest retailer in Norway) Svein Eric quickly became the competitor to beat. Through his five years of working as a sales person in the telecom industry he has proved to be a dedicated Samsung Mobile Phone ambassador. He is also a passionate sports enthusiast. Svein Eric is known to be a team player and is highly respected among his peers. Most importantly he will be a good representative for Samsung in the torch relay due to his passion for the brand and the values we stand for.

A ‘cache’ of Sven’s story can still be viewed through Google. Todd’s story lives on in the articles by the two broadsheet newspapers.

Notably, the number of torchbeaerers on the site who do not have any nomination stories has almost tripled since we first looked at the end of May. 449 of the 6084 listed torchbearers – 7.3% – give no indication of the reasons for their nomination, compared to 167 of 6056 in May (2.7%).

A table of all torchbearers mentioning Samsung – with links to original stories – is included below:

Name	Still listed?	story	Relay location	Hometown	age	Date	Image
Fg Ferreira Ferreira	No	George Ferriera is the Chief Operations Officer at Samsung Africa Regional Head quarters . Even though he has a very busy schedule he has found time to dedicate himself to corporate social investment causes that are close to his heart. These include being personally involved with the setting up of internet schools around Africa to help better educate previously disadvantaged communities. He was also the person, together with MR KK Park CEO and President of Samsung Africa Regional Headquarters that personally met with Mr Nelson Mandela regarding community intiatives and transforming the original church built by Nelson Mandela`s mother into a community centre for the benefit of the greater community. They also took it upon themselves personally to initiate the Employee volunteer program and as a result Samsung Korea sent over Doctors and medical support to help the needy and sick.	Alderminster	Bryanston, Johannesburg	41	01-Jul-12
Gregory Lee	No	Gregory is the President & CEO for Samsung in Southeast Asia, Oceania and Taiwan. An avid cyclist, Gregory battled knee injuries in order to continue his zest for the sport. He actively encourages colleagues and friends to take up cycling for a healthier lifestyle.	Accrington	Singapore	49	23-Jun-12
Jonghyuk Jeong	No	JONG HYEOK has worked over 15 years at Samsung heavy industry shipbuilding yard in Geo Je do and he is doing hobby of taking a picture.	Preston	Geoje-si	41	23-Jun-12
Liene Ernstsone-Tava	No	My name is Liene Ernstsone-Tava from Latvia (Liepaja), 32 years old and working for Samsung Electronics Germany. Since 10 years I am living in Germany. Personally I am very communicative and like to getting know other people from different countries. As this is one of the most important fact of the Olympic idea and I’m a very sportive person I think this combination fits perfectly to me and my attidude. So, it is a great pleasure for me to be a part of the Olympic torch relay as well as representing my colleagues and company within this very unique, √Ǭ†traditional and fantastic event next year. Due to the very limited chance participating this event I’m definitely sure to keep this in my memories forever? Best Regards Liene	Petworth	Offenbach	33	16-Jul-12
Marina Petkovic	No	Marina Petkovic is a local hero chosen by her friend and Samsung jury. She is 26-year old, very smart, well educated and hard-working girl. Marina studies coaching and managerial fields at Football Academy. In spare time she is a goalkeeper at “”Red Star”” football club, where she achieved great results with her team. Marina is also a regional league judge. Besides that, sho took all responsibilities for taking care of her little sister who lost her mother. Due to her great body condition she would be a great candidate for the Olympic torchbearer. She is a local hero due to her beautiful soul, versatility and great ambitions.	Westgate-on-Sea	Belgrade	27	19-Jul-12
Qingnan Liu	No	Qingnan has been suffering from cataract since she was born in Hebei Province. In 2007, she restored vision through “”Samsung Vision Recovery”” At the Dream of the Dragon Samsung Olympic Concert, she painted the eye of the dragon with Samsung CEO. She is studying in a Middle School.	Hadleigh	Hebei Province	13	06-Jul-12
Simon Stanford	No	Simon is the Managing Director for Samsung Mobile in the UK and Ireland, responsible for the Samsung mobile, tablet, MP3/4 and accessories businesses. Over the past 6 months Simon has made it a focus to develop and reward his team, particularly given their huge efforts on achieving the number one manufacturer spot for 32 consecutive weeks. Staff rewards to date have included a night for the entire team to a Take That gig, of which Samsung were headline sponsor, as well as recently introducing an annual awards night, where several members of the team will be rewarded for their ongoing commitment to the business.	The London Borough of Hounslow	Slough	40	24-Jul-12
Andy Griffiths	Yes	Andy Griffiths has led Samsung UK’s Consumer Electronics business since the end of 2005. He is a keen mountain bike and this June completed the “”Coast to Coast”” trail across Northern England in three days. This raised thousands of pounds sponsorship money from his group of eight that went towards various charities.	The London Borough of Hounslow	Guildford	50	24-Jul-12
Artur Partyka	Yes	One of the most talented Polish athletes. The winner of two Olympic medals in High Jump (Barcelona, Atlanta). A keen promoter of Athletics. He has been cooperating with Samsung as SAC ambassador for two years now.	The London Borough of Hackney	Lodz	42	21-Jul-12
David Barrett	Yes	David has been with Samsung about 2 years and is a popular team member, but his nomination is for charitable efforts getting as many of the men in the team to take part in Movember which is all about growing a moustache for the month of November. His has generated lots of interest two years running and raised several hundred pound for Cancer Research . He was nominated and seconded by members of his own team	Sutton (London Borough)	Sunbury On Thames	26	23-Jul-12
Major Liu	Yes	He is an ordinary employee from Samsung SCIC. He not only tries his best to his work but takes part in charitable activities actively, such as organizing donations (medicine, clothes, cash, etc.) for Tibetan children to construct school in rural area. He loves music and takes part in all kinds of public service. He was chosen as the Olympic torchbearer because he won champion in “”Samsung S Talent Show”” .	Ipswich	Beijing	34	06-Jul-12
Ming Dong	Yes	Dong Ming was Beijing Olympic Samsung Ambassador& Torchbearer. As a diving athlete, she was wounded to be lower body disability by training accident when she was 9 years old. Since the Samsung Ambassador experience she has been active as a representative of people with disabilities. She also participated The Shanghai World Expo, Guangzhou Asian Games and Shenzhen Universiade as a volunteer. K21National Moral Model, National Youth 5·4 Medal Winner. Meet with Hu jintao, Wen jiabao	Southend-On-Sea	Wuhan Hubei	26	06-Jul-12
Ross Watts	Yes	Ross Watts (22) is nominated to carry the Olympic Torch for Samsung during the Exeter leg of the torch relay because he has demonstrated sheer determination to succeed in the face of adversity and overcome a severe learning disability. Ross has become an Ambassador for the Prince’s Trust and was awarded the Prince’s Trust Young Achiever of the Year 2010 for the effort he has made to change his life and to encourage others.	Bideford	Exeter	22	21-May-12
Sven Eric Dürr	Yes	Svein Eric is 29 year old and is a dedicated Samsung ambassador. When we introduced the sales competition in the Telenor chain Telekiosken (largest retailer in Norway) Svein Eric quickly became the competitor to beat. Through his five years of working as a sales person in the telecom industry he has proved to be a dedicated Samsung Mobile Phone ambassador. He is also a passionate sports enthusiast. Svein Eric is known to be a team player and is highly respected among his peers. Most importantly he will be a good representative for Samsung in the torch relay due to his passion for the brand and the values we stand for.	Kirkoswald	Bergen	29	08-Jun-12
Todd Bouman	Yes	Todd Bouman is Director and head of IT Marketing for Samsung Electronics Americas. Bouman is responsible for leading the marketing communications and product marketing activities for mobile computing, display, and printer hardware in the U.S market. In addition, he directs the development and execution of channel marketing activities that are focused on building up strong relationships with industry-leading IT partners. Bouman is also active in his town community as a coach for the local youth soccer team.	Milton Bridge	Northvale	42	14-Jun-12
Valerii Valerii	Yes	Valeriy is Co-owner of one of the bigest CE company (chain of shops) in Ukraine, and a very loyal partner of Samsung Electronics Ukraine. Last year his company and Valariy personally supported an Idea to have a Corporate Social Responsibility co-op activity with Samsung. The project was very successful and proved that our partnership with Foxtrot is very productive and fruitful, as we have collected and passed a large sum of money to the Children’s institute of Cancer	Dolgellau	Kyiv	51	28-May-12

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