Opposition to the controversial £400,000 London 2012 Olympics logo was growing on Wednesday night as tens of thousands of people signed an online petition calling for it to be scrapped.

Thousands more criticised the symbol in internet chatrooms and promoted alternative logos for the Games created in minutes by amateurs.

But a London 2012 spokesman said ditching the design was "not an option'', whatever the strength of public feeling.

Meanwhile, it emerged that at least 22 people experienced seizures after watching an animated film promoting the 2012 Olympics shown at the launch of the logo on Monday.

Leeds-based Epilepsy Action said one person even vomited after seeing the flashing multi-coloured footage, and another five complained of migraines.

A spokeswoman for the charity said a seizure could have a ``major impact'' on epilepsy sufferers' lives, potentially leading to them losing their driving licences.

The animated footage - showing a diver plunging into a pool - was removed from the official London 2012 website after the complaints.

The London 2012 spokesman said that Olympics organisers were in contact with the company that produced the film.

The firm, which was responsible for Monday's launch event but did not design the new logo, told 2012 chiefs it would not cause any problems.

The spokesman added: "There was an announcement made before it was shown saying there were flashing images.''

In a statement, Epilepsy Action said: "The animated footage could affect the

23,000 people in the UK who have photosensitive epilepsy and may also affect other people who do not yet know that they are photosensitive.

"We are grateful to the Olympics Committee for withdrawing the animated footage and we hope that this version of the animated footage is not screened further until it is known that it poses no risk to people who are photosensitive.

"The animated footage incorporates both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which is ironic as the latter is a showcase for athletes with disabilities.

"We are concerned that the animated footage will not just be shown in the UK, where half a million people in the population have epilepsy, but it will also be shown all over the world.

"People can strive for years to gain seizure control and it is important that nothing puts this at risk.''

London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the company that produced the animated footage which triggered the seizures should not be paid for its "catastrophic mistake''.

He told the BBC: "Who would go to a firm like that again to ask them to do that work? I mean, this is a pretty basic thing.''

A year's research, including consumer testing, went into creating the jagged new logo, intended as a modern take on the Olympic colours.

Organisers have hailed it as dynamic and vibrant but critics say it resembles a "toileting monkey'' or a "broken swastika''.

More than 44,000 people around the world had signed the internet petition against the design by 5.30pm on Wednesday.

The petition, created by Jonathan Ellis, calls on the London Olympics committee to ditch the "ridiculous'' logo.

Mr Ellis wrote: "A new logo has been unveiled for the London 2012 Olympics. I feel it is an embarrassment and portrays our country in the worst possible way.

"The original London 2012 logo was better by far. We need a new logo now, or at least a return to the old one.

"I should add I am proud and excited about the Olympics coming to London, and the UK, and it is for that very reason we need to get this terrible logo dropped as soon as possible.''

Scores of groups calling for the design to be changed have also been set up on the social networking site Facebook - along with a handful backing it.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell, a former Olympic athlete, said the row over the logo should not overshadow the Games or their legacy.

Sir Menzies, who appeared in the promotional video for the 2012 games, said he was amused by media contests inviting people to submit their own versions of the design.

"There are some very bright people out there, people who have produced logos for a lot less than £400,000,'' he added.

Bookmaker Paddy Power is offering odds of 11-8 that more than 100,000 people will have signed the petition against the logo by next Monday morning.

The odds of the 2012 Olympic committee reverting to the original logo are 12-1, while it is 100-1 that the new emblem will be entered into the Turner Prize.

Michael Wolff, who co-founded brand business Wolff-Olins which designed the logo, although he is no longer with the company, said he liked the design.

"What I like about it is it comes to pieces and can be put together again as all sorts of things,'' he told BBC News 24.

"There have been some beautiful Olympic symbols, such as Barcelona, but I don't think there has ever been one you can activate and do things with.

"Over the years, I think it's not just going to sit there, it's going to be a very lively, active thing.

He added: "It's innovative and imaginative expression is typical of London's creativity and I very much hope it survives.''

Asked about the £400,000 price tag of the logo, he said the development of such brands was an intricate process which involved a huge amount of time and input from a number of different people.