The Independent London Olympics Website

Screens across the UK

2011-08-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

There are 18 big screens already operating at locations across the UK.

Working with the BBC and local authorities these Live Sites bring the latest news from London 2012. Each screen is programmed to feature a broad range of UK-wide and local content, events and partnerships with community, arts and media organisations.

The screens are erected and run in partnership between the London 2012 Organising Committee, the BBC and the various cities, in association with London 2012 partners BT and Lloyds TSB, supported by Cisco and the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor.

Locations

Birmingham, Victoria Square, B1 1BB
Bradford - Centenary Square, BD1 1SD
Bristol - Millennium Square, Waterfront, BS1 5DB
Cardiff - The Hayes, CF10 2DP
Derby - Market Place, DE1 3AE
Dover - Market Square, CT16 1NX
Edinburgh - Festival Square, EH3 9SR
Leeds - Millennium Square, LS1 3DP
Leicester - Humberstone Gate, LE1 1WA
Manchester - Exchange Square, M4 3TR
Middlesbrough - Centre Square, TS1 2QQ
Norwich - Chapelfield Shopping Centre, NR1 3SH
Plymouth - Armada Way, PL1 1DY
Portsmouth - Guildhall Square, PO1 2AD
Swansea - Castle Square, SA1 1JF
Swindon - Wharf Green, SN1 5AH
Waltham Forest - Town Square, Walthamstow, E17 7JN
Woolwich - General Gordon Place, SE18 6EU

The London Olympic 2012 Sports

2011-07-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

As we close in on the 27th July the UK will start to focus on the Olympic Games. The Olympic bid was launched online in November 2002 with the websitewww.LondonOlympics2012.com

The website supported the bid and has been the primary source of all news for the last 9 years. Over the next 12 months I will post lots of information about the games.

If you want to know more about all the sports which are included in the games please click on the links below:

The London 2012 Olympic Games will feature 26 sports. Please check below to discover more about each sport taking part in the London Olympics 2012:

Archery: The Olympic Archery competition will includes both individual and team events for men and women

Athletics: Athletics features running, jumping, throwing and combination events

Badminton: Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net.

Basketball: The basketball competitions will feature men's and women's events, teams will have pre-qualified and will comprise 12 teams

Beach Volleyball: Beach Volleyball is one of two disciplines in the sport of Volleyball

Boxing: At the London 2012 Games, Boxing will include women's events

Canoe Slalom: Canoe Slalom is one of the first of two disciplines of the sport of Canoeing

Canoe Sprint: Canoe Sprint is the second of the two disciplines of the sport of Canoeing

Cycling/BMX: Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX) is one of the four disciplines of the Olympic sport of Cycling

Cycling/Mountain Bike: Mountain Bike is the second of the four disciplines of the Olympic sport of Cycling

Cycling/Road: Road Cycling is the third of four disciplines in the Olympic sport of Cycling

Cycling/Track: Track Cycling is the fourth of the disciplines of the Olympic sport of Cycling

Diving: Diving is the first of four disciplines of the Olympic sport of Aquatics

Equestrian/Dressage: Dressage is one of the first of three disciplines of the Olympic sport of Equestrian

Equestrian/Eventing: Eventing is the second of the three disciplines of the Olympic sport of Equestrian

Equestrian/Jumping: Jumping is one of the third of the disciplines of the Olympic sport of Equestrian

Fencing: Fencing is one of just four sports to have the honour of being featured at every modern Olympic Games

Football: At the London 2012 Games, Football will be taking place at grounds across the UK including Old Trafford with the final being held at Wembley

Gymnastics/Artistic: Artistic Gymnastics is the first of the three disciplines of the sport of Gymnastics at the Olympic Games

Gymnastics/Rhythmic: Rhythmic Gymnastics is the second of the three disciplines of the Olympic sport of Gymnastics

Gymnastics/Trampoline: Trampoline is the third of the three disciplines of the Olympic sport of Gymnastics

Handball: Is one of th traditional sports with a long history in the modern Olympics

Hockey: The Hockey competition will both a men's and women's competition

Judo: Judo has a long tradition in the modern olympics

Modern Pentathlon: The sport of modern pentathlon consists of five elements: fencing, swimming, riding and combined running and shooting

Rowing: There are two types of Rowing at the London Olympic Games: Sweep Rowing and Sculling

Sailing: The sport of Sailing will feature 10 different classes at the London games of 2012

Shooting: The sport of Shooting will feature three disciplines: Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun at the London games of 2012

Swimming: The swimming competition is one of the four disciplines of the Olympic sport of Aquatics

Synchronised Swimming: Synchronised Swimming is the third of the four disciplines of the sport of Aquatics

Table Tennis: The London 2012 Games will feature women's singles, men's singles, women's team and men's team events

Taekwondo: The sport of Taekwondo is another sport has it's origins in the east. In the London games it will have four weight divisions

Tennis: This sport was first played at the modern Olympics in Athens,1896

Triathlon: The Olympic sport of Triathlon in London will consists of swimming, cycling and running

Volleyball: The Olympic sport of Volleyball is played indoors unlike beach volleyball

Water Polo: The fourth discipline of Aquatics is Water Polo

Weightlifting:The Olympic sport of Weightlifting is the oldest and most basic form of physical competition

Wrestling: The Olympic sport of Wrestling dates back to the orignal games and includes Freestyle and Greco-Roman

Hugh Darrington: My Olympic Story

2011-06-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

In 1948 my brother law (who as 18 at the time) went up to the Olympic games every day to watch something.

The only sport I ever like to watch is the Olympic Games and I was really thrilled when I heard it was going to be staged in London again. I was really looking forward to going to the Olympic Stadium and sharing in the experience with the nation from the ringside.

It never occurred to me that I would not be able to get a ticket. I was disappointed not to get a ticket in the first round and when the website opened yesterday I did everything right. I got up early and when six o'clock came I applied for a single session at the athletics. I don't want to watch horse riding, archery, shooting or football.

When I completed my application the website said it couldn't process it and I should try later. I tried every two minutes for about an hour and when I got back on all seats were sold.

As my wife and I are in our 70s, this is our only chance to go to the games. We can't afford huge prices either. I can't understand why such a ridiculous system was set up to sell tickets. LOCOG must have been aware that by inviting everyone to buy at once the system would crash. We wanted to go the stadium which we have watched being built and we wanted to be there just once to see and share it in action.

I just can't tell you how disappointed I am. Now I have got to watch the Olympic Games being thrust down my throat every day for the next year knowing that I am an outsider and can't share in it.

I wish we had never won it.

Hugh Darrington

Email enquiries@londonolympics2012.com if you want to contact Hugh Darington

London Olympic Tickets: One Fan's Message to LOCOG

2011-06-18T05:37:00.000-07:00

Your records will show as soon as the offer to register for Olympic Tickets was announced I registered my interest and therefore received information as it was released.

For personal reasons I was unable to actually submit an application for the Tickets I wanted until the last day though I tried to purchase tickets on 4 occasions on the deadline date and got through as far as the credit card details being accepted but then the final payment was unsuccessful and on all 4 occasions I was advised to try again!

I did so up until the time deadline for such applications, but did not try thereafter. I was SO DISAPPOINTED that there was no indication that the time limit for the ticket application/financial transaction had been extended to 1am because of the credit card system being unable to cope!

There should have been a notice on the Ticket website about the extension, the fact there was not reveals a flawed system and has led to unfairness to those not informed of the extension for applications.

The fact that a reported 60% of the public applications were not successful provides further evidence of a disproportionate small ticket allocation to the general public who are the main funders of the event whilst the relatively small contribution by the so-called Sponsors have been given a high proportion of the tickets!

All the early rhetoric by Lord Coe & Co that this will be the public's games is meaningless!

I just hope that our country's Sportsmen & Sportswomen of whom I was one in my younger day actually do get a look in and have they had a chance to book tickets through their sports associations or will our country's allocation be filled with Fat Cats and the hoy paloy who don't invest either their personal time in supporting Britain's sport talent and only their money if there's a big pay back via advertising or promoting their products!

In my view the London Olympics Committee has badly let down the Sport-loving public of our country and all Lord Coe's patronizing 'I understand' just won't wash!

If the actual organisation of the Games is the same shambles, we shall all despair, but will certainly hold those to account who are being paid huge sums of money in these hard times - for Lord Coe and his crew the jury's out!

London 2012

2011-05-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

I guess you must of heard by now that the Olympics will take place in London next year starting on the 27^th July 2012. They will run for until the 12^th August and will be followed by the Paralympics which start on August 29^th until the 9^th September.

This will be the third time London has hosted the Olympic Games having originally hosted them in 1908 and for a second time in 1948, following the second world war.

The 2012 Olympics will take place in a host of new venues and a number of traditional venues which have real historical value.

Many of the new venues will be re-used by the general public leaving a lasting legacy for the UK especially for the residents of Stratford and Lower Lea Valley in East London.

London Olympics 2012 will feature 26 different sports and in each category there will many different disciplines. A comprehensive list of all the sports are available at http://www.londonolympics2012.com/sports .

Following on from the games London will be hosting the Paralympics which has 20 sports, you can check a full listing of all the Paralympic sports at http://www.londonolympics2012.com/paralympic

The Olympics is not only about sport and the games it will also showcase a whole range of the UK’s outstanding heritage:

Cultural Olympiad

The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad

Art

The 'Art' strand of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad features a range of projects and programmes, from large commissions such as Artists Taking the Lead to events within the Inspire programme.

Film and digital

The 'Film and digital' strand of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad features everything from a short film competition for young people to individual projects in the Inspire programme.

Literature and libraries

The 'Literature and libraries' strand of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad features a number of Inspire mark projects. More programmes will come on board as we get ever nearer to the Games.

Museums and galleries

The 'Museums and galleries' strand of the Cultural Olympiad features UK-wide projects such as 'Stories of the World', alongside local programmes awarded the coveted 'Inspire mark'.

Music

The 'music' strand of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad includes a wide range of projects and programmes - from large-scale commissions to local activities run through the Inspire programme.

Outdoors and events

The 'outdoor and events' strand of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad features a wide range of projects, from'Discovering Places' to the Inspire programme

Theatre, dance and comedy

The World Shakespeare Festival, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company, will run from 23 April to 9 September 2012, celebrating how the world performs, teaches and engages with Shakespeare. It will form part of the London 2012 Festival.

A series of major commissions, Unlimited is the UK's largest programme celebrating arts, culture and sport by disabled and deaf people.

London 2012 Festival

Leading artists from all over the world will come together in the UK's biggest ever festival - a chance for everyone to celebrate London 2012 through dance, music, theatre, the visual arts, film and digital innovation and leave a lasting legacy for the arts in the UK.

Join the Cultural Olympiad

The website www.LondonOlympics2012.com was launched in 2002 by Hugh O’Brien a local businessman. He launched the website to support a UK bid having seen earlier Manchester bids fail.

No one thought London had a chance but as the years rolled on the country got fully behind the bid and on the 6^th July 2005 London won the race to host the games.

www.LondonOlympics2012.com is getting close to the million mark on visitors to its website and has nearly 9000 followers on http://twitter.com/#!/LO2012

We want to support all local activities in Stockport and Greater Manchester . We want your Olympic story and welcome contributions which we will publish online. Since 2002 we have released over 2750 stories and you can be next. Just contact Hugh@londonolympics2012.com

If you are planning to go to the games and want help with accommodation please check our support page at http://www.londonolympics2012.com/london-accommodation

London Olympics 2012 - Group Support - Hotels & Accommodation

2011-03-16T11:08:00.001-07:00

It is time to organise your London Olympic trip and you need accommodation but don’t want the hassle or don’t know where to start!

We aim to save you or your team the time and inevitable expense of finding the right hotels at the best prices and sorting through the whole booking process.

LO2012 are delighted to offer you a complete accommodation reservation service ABSOLUTELY FREE.

Our comprehensive service can support all your requirements whether large or small and there is no need to 'open an account' or be cautious of any 'small print' catches.

Fast, Efficient & Free

We have major partners in the hotel industry allowing us to offer support to the London Olympics and any major event throughout the UK. Over the years we have built strong relationships with hotels both in the UK and worldwide which has enabled us to negotiate the best rates with the highest level of service for our clients. We can be as flexible as you need us to be offering a range of options for each new enquiry to suit every pocket.

We will ensure the highest possible service as our team will:

Listen to you to understand you and your guest's needs
Source a selection of hotels to suit the location and a range of budgets
Negotiate the best possible rates for the stay
Produce a comprehensive ratecard giving details of both the accommodation and pricing
Agree the layout and contents of the ratecard with you
Provide hard copies for distribution via post/email/ fax to the organiser
Take and manage allocations of rooms to avoid disappointment
Take booking enquiries via email, fax, post and telephone and send out confirmations
Liaise with the hotels on rooming lists and last minute changes
Provision of management information for the event organisers
On-site support for the Olympics and all major events, to deal with any last minute queries

We provide a full hotel booking service for anyone wanting to make 'ad hoc' bookings. This service is provided free of charge, and all bookings will be confirmed back to both client and hotel with comprehensive details relating to the reservation and the hotel booked.

mailto:enquiries@londonolympics2012.com

Free London Listings: LO2012

2011-03-12T05:23:00.000-08:00

LO 2012 Listings

The London Olympics in 2012 will be the place for a global party. If you have accomodation to offer, a service to supply or a restaurant or leisure activity to advertise please visit http://www.lo2012.com/ to add your free listing online.

LO2012
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What to watch at the London Olympics

2011-02-15T16:22:00.000-08:00

The release of the Olympic competition schedule has been released. Please check below for those events and moments that are likely to capture your imagination during the Games.

Deciding what to watch - either from the sofa at home, or by purchasing tickets - will not be easy. There is a wealth of sport on offer, split into more than 640 sessions from 25 July to 12 August.

Tickets go on sale from 15 March 2011, allowing members of the public four weeks to inspect the schedule beforehand.

Remember that the schedule may change between now and the Games, and there is no guarantee that big names will participate in any given session - most have yet to even qualify for the Olympics, although they will expect to line up at the start in 2012.

Please click here for a comprehensive summary from the BBC:

www.bbc.co.uk/Olympics

Visa and IOC – losing at cards?

2011-02-06T12:16:00.000-08:00

Marketing material from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) emphasises the positive attributes of the Olympic movement with research showing the terms that people associate with the Games include:
Fair competition
Participation
Dignified
Respectful

Similarly, the IOC highlights the attributes that people don’t associate with the Games:
Exclusive
Commercialised
Selfish
Self centred
Exploitative

In other words the Olympics is all about being inclusive, friendly, non exploitative and not over-commercialised.

How does that image fit with the insistence that the only way to buy a ticket to the 2012 London Games with a credit or debit card from the organiser will be to use Visa?

Put simply it doesn’t fit. It feels:
Exclusive
Greedy
Paranoid
Commercialised
Inconvenient

… and several other negative adjectives to boot. It is the equivalent of saying that you are forced to eat McDonald’s and drink Coca-Cola if you attend.

There are 91 million Visa cards issued in the UK compared to 40 million MasterCards and four million American Express cardholders. In other words Visa is market leader but there are many people who do not have a Visa card or who don’t use it as their primary card. For those visiting London from abroad, the ratio of Visa cardholders is likely to be similar. Overseas fans will, however, be able to use other cards if purchasing tickets from their national Olympic committee, rather than London 2012 sites.

But the sponsorship deal also means that once on site, fans without Visa cards will not be able to withdraw cash from ATMs or make purchases at any Olympic sites unless they have cash. The London Organising Committee (LOCOG) hasannounced that it will be possible to buy a temporary pre-paid Visa card for the Olympics. It didn’t say whether or not you could buy one using a MasterCard.

The UK Office of Fair Trading is currently investigating the arrangement and could be in a position to rule against it. The question is – why hasn’t the IOC, LOCOG or the PR department of Visa beaten them to it?

Yes in cash terms Visa will earn more by being the exclusive card of the Games, it might even force a few people to switch from a rival or to take out an extra new card. In terms of global daily use and uptake of Visa, however, that’s a drop in the ocean.

That is hardly what Visa’s global sponsorship strategy is about. Surely it became a partner of the IOC and FIFA to make a statement of confidence in being number one in the market. And being allied to the most popular and, arguably most multi-cultural sporting events on the planet is also about being inclusive and democratic.

And what is the likely outcome of this insistence that people pay using Visa? Most Visa holders probably won’t be upset or angry because they haven’t been inconvenienced, although I suspect a fair few will think less of their card issuer. For holders of other cards however, who realistically want to buy online or over the phone, they are effectively being told that they can’t.

Sure, they could pay by cheque – but let’s face it, most of us never use cheques anymore and for buying tickets they aren’t ideal. You simply don’t know that the tickets will still be available by the time the cheque has been cashed, so if you need to have a second or third option, it could take weeks of playing postal tag.

And anyway, shouldn’t logic dictate that the only cheques acceptable be those issued by banking partner Lloyds TSB?

The reality is that of the 10 million tickets on sale, around two million members of the public will be told that they can’t simply complete a normal shopping transaction because they’ve had the audacity to use the wrong card issuer.

We are in living an age when major companies talk about customers being ‘brand ambassadors’. Many spend a fortune on experiential marketing to a few thousand people in the knowledge that on average they will tell another 17 about their experience.

In an era of Twitter and Facebook and the ability of members of the public to start viral campaigns that can go global in a matter of hours, do Visa and the IOC really want to recruit an army of two million ‘brand assassins’?

The whole issue has already resulted in acres of bad press and no one has yet been refused a ticket.

Visa has a huge opportunity to activate its sponsorship programme without punishing non-customers and likewise the IOC/LOCOG are making a big mistake if they consider that the interests of sponsors come before those of the public.

Successful sponsorship activation can only be achieved through being honest and respectful of customers and engaging with them. Telling them which products they can and can’t use is closer to bullying than enticing.

In this game of cards the winner is most likely to be MasterCard.

Simon Rines is publisher of International Marketing Reports ( imrpublications.com ). IMR is a sports marketing and sponsorship intelligence publisher and produces management reports on sports sponsorship. IMR is also publisher of the International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship and provides extensive editorial content on its website.

http://www.articlesbase.com/international-marketing-articles/visa-and-ioc-losing-at-cards-2856592.html

Tottenham and West Ham make final bids to take over Olympic

2011-01-21T12:11:00.000-08:00

The increasingly bitter off-field battle between Tottenham Hotspur andWest Ham United to occupy to the Olympic park after the 2012 Games intensified today as both sides submitted their final bids to the body that will decide their fate next week.

As both football clubs lined up experts and celebrity backers to make their case, outraged Team GB athletes said they would launch a high-profile protest against the Spurs bid.

But the Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy, appealed to fans as Pelé entered the fray, saying only the club's bid, which would remove the track, made financial sense.

Long jumper Greg Rutherford said there would be a huge backlash from athletes if the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), chaired by Lady Ford, decided to plump for Spurs – whose bid also involves an almost complete rebuilding of the area.

"The thought of it angers me. It makes no sense. You can't build a beautiful, inspiring stadium like that and then go and destroy it," Rutherford said.

"There will be outrage from the athletics community. There would be some level of petition. Every athlete in the country, past and present, would sign it."

Spurs, who argue that providing a refurbished 25,000-seat athletics stadium at Crystal Palace alongside a new 60,000 capacity football ground on the Olympic site is the only commercially viable solution, also hit back at claims that taking down the existing structure would be a waste of public money and harm the environment.

Its experts said it would reuse 80% of the existing infrastucture of the £496m stadium. "Football and athletics cannot coexist successfully in the same stadium," Levy said.

"There are examples all over the world of where clubs have removed tracks or moved stadiums simply because of the poor spectator experience and the lack of sustainability in the long term due to decreasing attendances."

Pelé, in an unlikely intervention, said in a letter to the OPLC: "I really don't understand wanting to play with a track around the pitch. The players don't like it and it probably won't last."

The OPLC faces a tough choice between the Spurs bid – which appears more commercially robust and is backed by the O2 operator AEG – and West Ham's joint bid with Newham council, which proposes to retain the track in recognition of the promises made when London won was awarded the Games in 2005 and has strong community elements.

A third option – to go back to the original plan of reducing the capacity to leave a 25,000-seat athletics stadium – remains a fallback option, but would require finding a tenant to begin all over again. West Ham are bottom of the Premier League and have spent much of the season in turmoil, enabling Spurs to question whether they would be able to fill a 60,000-seat stadium with a running track.

Tottenham point to their 34,000-strong season ticket waiting list and AEG's proven track record as evidence of the solidity of their plans.

But most of those involved in winning the Games for London, including Lord Coe, the chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Games, and the former culture secretary Tessa Jowell, have loudly campaigned for the track to be retained under the West Ham plan.

The east London club argue they are the natural tenant, and insist their business case stacks up even if they are relegated.

The Newham mayor, Sir Robin Wales, said today that the West Ham bid, which would also stage Twenty20 cricket matches and concerts, was best for the community and insisted it would work as a multi-purpose stadium.

"We are going to make this a fantastic centre that will be good for the community, good for London and good for the country," he added. "This is a magnificent stadium in a magnificent setting and we have a fantastic bid. West Ham have been very imaginative."

Newham is lending West Ham's bid £40m towards the £100m-plus cost of converting the stadium for post-Games use. "We're making a loan, we get that back. It's costing us nothing – in fact, we make money out of it," Wales said.

In his open letter to fans, some of whom have protested against the idea of moving away from Tottenham, Levy promised them "one of the finest stadiums in the world" if it was chosen. The OPLC board hopes to make a decision by Friday 28 January.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/21/tottenham-west-ham-olympic-park

http://www.londonolympics2012.com/default.aspx?atk=2628

Olympic Games ticket applications open 15 March

2011-01-15T13:12:00.000-08:00

LOCOG are excited to announce that applications for London 2012 Olympic Games tickets will open on Tuesday 15 March 2011 and will remain open for a period of six weeks, closing at 11.59pm on Tuesday 26 April 2011.

This will be your best chance to get the tickets you want, so take the time to plan your application before submitting. Remember, tickets will not be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. This means there is no advantage to submitting your application on the first day.

There are a few things to remember when planning your ticket application:

- When choosing the sessions you want to apply for, you choose seats in a price category rather than a specific seat or area within the venue.
- You can also add a price range, indicating the lowest and/or highest prices you are willing to pay for tickets to a session – by entering this range it will increase your chances of being allocated tickets.
- Wheelchair spaces and companion seats, as well as seats for people with other accessibility requirements, will be available for every sport. You will be asked to specify any accessibility requirements you may have in your application.

Please take care to avoid bogus websites claiming to sell Olympic or Paralympic Games tickets. The only way to apply will be via www.tickets.london2012.com or through the official London 2012 ticketing guide and application form which will be available on your high street from 15 March. Hospitality and travel packages will also be available via Thomas Cook, Prestige Ticketing and Jet Set Sports from 15 March.

LOCOG are also pleased to announce that applications for Paralympic Games tickets will open on Friday 9 September and will follow a similar process. Further information will be released later in the year.

http://www.londonolympics2012,com/

http://www.london2012.com/

The Real Cost of London’s Olympic Bid

2011-01-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

www.frumforum.com/the-real-cost-of-londons-olympic-bid

Britain’s Spectator magazine has taken a page from WikiLeaks and uncovered its own scandal about what London had to agree to before being awarded the 2012 Olympic Games.

This, trumpets the Speccy is “entirely without the help of Julian Assange.”

We all know that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reeks of favoritism, manipulation, greed and dogmatism. It’s most comfortable when feeding at the trough, which is why cities and countries vying for the Games feel required to shower gifts on committee members, and bow and scrape for the honor of playing host.

Still, the Spectator article revealing terms of London’s agreement, seem a trifle startling to even the most cynical of Olympic observers.

For one, London must provide the IOC and the “Olympic Family” (i.e. staff and officials) with 40,000 hotel rooms for the entire period of the Games. IOC elite are guaranteed 1,800 rooms in four or five-star hotels.

The 40,000 rooms do not include the athletes, who will live in an $800 million Olympic village being built for them. Nor do they include spectators to the Games, who may have to stay in lodgings 50 miles from London.

Included in the contract are 500 air conditioned limousines to carry officials, complete with uniformed chauffeurs, who will be guaranteed traffic-free speed lanes.

London was awarded the 2012 Games in 2005. Included in the contract are measures to deter what they call “ambush marketing,” which includes advertising or using the Games for promotional purposes without paying the IOC.

This includes billboard advertising, bus advertising, airport advertising. It does not yet include journalists writing about the Games, but you can be assured that if there was a way this could be done, it would be done. Especially for scribblers who might criticize the 115-member IOC.

Also in the contract is the right . . .nay, the duty . . . of customs officials to confiscate non-official Olympic paraphernalia that’s not approved by the IOC: “. Customs officers, instead of searching for heroin or child pornography, may end up targeting fake Olympics T-shirts.”

Also, spectators at the Games “must not wear clothes or accessories with commercial messages other than the manufacturers’ brand name.” If that dictum is enforced, it’s hard not to imagine all sorts of hell being raised by victims.

In other words, a spectator wearing a football jersey may be required to remove it, or be denied entrance to the stands. Wow!

At every ceremony during the Games, the official Olympic flag must be more prominently displayed than any other flag, including the Union Jack. How will that wash with Britons? But it’s what London agreed to, in order to get the Games.

What really offends the Spectator is that since French is the second language of the IOC, “billboards and pageantry shall (also) be in French,” which is interpreted to mean “we are required to plaster our capital city with thousands of posters in French.” (London beat out Paris for the 2012 Games.)

Considering what London had to agree to for the 2012 Games, it’s perhaps Britain’s good fortune that the groveling by Prince William, Prime Minister David Cameron, and British footballer extraordinaire David Beckham, failed to land England the 2018 World Cup tournament.

England got only two of 22 votes and was eliminated in the first round. Russia getting the 2018 World Cup may be good news, since FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) is another of those IOC-like gangs that relish the good life and govern like dictators.

http://www.londonolympics2012.com/

Mark Lewis-Francis eyes an injury-free 2011 season

2011-01-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

Mark Lewis-Francis is focusing on staying injury-free throughout a busy 2011 as he continues his preparations for the London 2012 Olympics.

The Walsall sprinter, who won European and Commonwealth silvers in 2010, has the indoor European Championships and outdoor World Championships coming up.

And he told BBC Sport: "My main focus is staying injury free because the fast times happen when you're in shape.

"This year is all about building blocks for next year."

He added: "If I can have a good 2011, it more or less guarantees a good start to 2012, which is just around the corner now.

"It's exciting, but I'm dreading it at the same time. Every athlete is getting a tingling at the bottom of their stomach and it's about turning that into something positive."

The highlight of the 2011 season will be the World Championships in South Korea in August.

But Lewis-Francis, 28, is also looking forward to the Diamond League - the prestigious global series that will stop off in London and Birmingham this year.

Birmingham hosts the ninth meeting of the 14-event competition on Sunday, 10 July, with London hosting the 12th leg on 5-6 August and Lewis-Francis believes the two meetings will provide a good barometer of what to expect at the London 2012 Olympics

"The Diamond League is very important," stated Lewis-Francis. "It's a big boost to have a meeting in Birmingham - I don't think I've ever run a Grand Prix in my home city and it's always good to have a competition in front of your home crowd.

"It will give the athletes and fans a taster of what to expect in 2012 as all the top athletes will be competing.

"But everything is a stepping stone to the World Championships. It's going to be hard to get in the team, but I'm keeping my drive and ambition and I want to get a spot in the final [of the 100m]."

To do that, Lewis-Francis may well have to officially break the 10-second barrier for the first time in a career that promised much as a teenager, but has only recently started to deliver.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/9355300.stm

http://www.londonolympics2012.com/default.aspx?atk=2613

As I was saying to my friend the other day.....: Dirty Laundry

2011-01-11T07:54:00.000-08:00

As I was saying to my friend the other day.....: Dirty Laundry: "London is a great city. It has all the attributes a great city should have. A city as ancient as ours has much to recommend it - the palace..."

Frank Cottrell Boyce reveals his involvement in the opening ceremony for the London Olympics

2011-01-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

WRITER Frank Cottrell Boyce today spoke of his excitement at being chosen to script the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. The Crosby-based author is working with long-time collaborator, Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle, on the global event due to take place in July next year.

And he admits while he was 'hesitant' at first, he's enjoying his involvement in the world's greatest sporting occasion.

He said: "I was very hesitant about doing it when Danny asked me to and said I don't know anything about that. And he said 'nobody knows anything about it' because nobody ever does it twice so everybody does it in their own way.

"We're starting with a completely clean sheet in that Beijing was the ultimate of one kind of opening ceremony, you can't compete with it on its own terms, so someone has to rip it up and start again really, which is great."

While the team, which also includes a set designer, and costume designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb who worked with Danny Boyle on his new film 127 Hours, is keeping tight-lipped about the ceremony's content, director Danny has revealed it will be "on a human scale".

It is a fitting project for Frank, who as a young man was a very good middle distance athlete and whose 15-year-old nephew is a top runner with Olympic ambitions.

The 51-year-old dad-of-seven added: "It's been amazing so far, because you meet a lot of people you wouldn't normally meet, choreographers and people who put on huge shows for other Olympic Games or U2 or whatever, and you're just thinking in a different way.

"Normally I write books and I want people to be reading them in 20 or 30 years' time. But this is going to be over that afternoon, and that's that. It's an amazing thought really."

And he said the scale of the audience is mind-blowing: "If 100,000 people see my film or read my book, that makes it very successful.

"A billion people at least are going to be watching this!"

The London Olympics run from July 27 to August 10 next year.

http://www.londonolympics2012.com/

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

London Eye to carry name of Olympic 2012 sponsor after £8 million deal

2011-01-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

EDF Energy are to sponsor the London Eye in an £8 million ($12 million) deal designed to link in with its sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

Owner Merlin Entertainments has announced it has awarded EDF naming rights to the famous wheel for the next three years.

As part of the deal, the London Eye has agreed to take its electricity from EDF, Merlin said.

"The London Eye is one of Merlin's premier attraction brands and recognised internationally as a 21st century symbol for modern Britain," the company said.

The Eye is scheduled to reopen later this month after its annual two-week maintenance period.

The South Bank-based attraction will now be known as the EDF Energy London Eye.

The French energy supplier hopes that the London Eye link will boost brand visibility as tourists flock to the capital for the Games.

The wheel, launched in December 1999 to tie in with the new millennium, carried title sponsor British Airways' name when it opened to customers in 2000.

British Airways gave up the naming rights in February 2008.

The wheel was only intended as a temporary exhibit in its key location opposite the Houses of Parliament.

But it proved so popular it was made a permanent installation and it is visited by around 3.5 million people every year.

EDF Energy were the second company to sign up as a Tier One London 2012 sponsor when they agreed a £50 million ($78 million) deal in July 2007 to become the sustainability partner.

insidethegames.biz

http://www.londonolympics2012.com/

London Olympics: Getting Tickets

2011-01-08T07:04:00.000-08:00

With tickets for the Olympic games going on sale in March it's time to plan. First you'll need a Visa card ... and deep pockets.

Back in the summer of 2005, when it was announced London had won the right to host the Olympic games, 2012 seemed like half a lifetime away. But the world's greatest sporting event will be here in 18 months' time - and tickets go on sale in March, so it's not too soon to start giving it some thought.

If you're keen to go to several events, you will need two things: a Visa card and deep pockets. The official advice is that to maximise your chances of getting tickets, you will need to apply for lots of things. But be warned: if you get everything you apply for, you are committed to buying all those tickets - which could mean a bill of hundreds of pounds. So families on a budget will need to think carefully.

Forget Take That, Wimbledon and Glastonbury - London 2012 is set to trigger a ticket frenzy that will dwarf all of those. Around 8.8m tickets will be available, plus another 2m for the Paralympic Games. So far, well over 1.9 million people have registered an interest in buying them.

When ticket prices were announced in October, Olympics minister Hugh Robertson pledged that "people of all ages and budgets will have the chance to attend". But some voiced doubts after it emerged that only 2.5m of the tickets would cost £20 or less, with a top-price seat at the men's 100m final or one of the swimming finals set to cost £725 and £450 respectively. Here, we tell you all you need to know (based on what we know so far) about getting those must-have pieces of paper.

How will it work?
You will be able to apply for tickets from March 2011. About 75% of the 8.8m total will go on sale to the public. Sign up to receive information by logging on to the 2012 tickets website.

How much will they cost?
Full-price tickets start at £20 for all sports, though what you pay will vary depending on the event and where you sit/stand. You can view the detailed pricing information on the 2012 website.

Prices will be per session, the length of which will vary from sport to sport. There will be 649 sessions across 26 sports. Good news if you have kids: more than 200 of the sessions will allow anyone 16 or under at the start of the games to "pay their age" for the ticket - and anyone over 60 pays £16.
How can I get the tickets I want?

Unlike Take That shows or other "hot" events, this isn't going to be first come, first served, so there is nothing to be gained from submitting your application on the first day, organisers say.
The application window will be open for a set time, after which all applications will be considered equally, they add: "With so many sports, venues and days to consider, we recommend you take your time and discuss your plans with family and friends."

For sessions where demand exceeds supply, there will be a ballot. "To increase your chances of being successful, we recommend you apply for more than one or two sessions and for a range of sports," says the Olympics ticketing team. Early indications are that the sports that will see the highest demand include athletics, swimming, gymnastics, diving, tennis and cycling.

What happens after I've applied?
It's only after the tickets have been allocated and payment taken that you will find out whether you have got what you applied for. "If you are successful in all your session applications, you are committed to buying all the tickets," say the organisers.

Can I sell tickets I don't want?
It will be illegal to sell tickets for a profit, unless you are an authorised partner, such as Thomas Cook, which will be offering hotel and ticket packages to international travellers. So if you put tickets up on, say, eBay, you will be committing an offence. However, London 2012 is developing an online exchange through which people can resell them.

Can I give them to friends/family?
The name of the buyer will be printed on the ticket, but it's unlikely that ID will be required when presenting them. A London 2012 spokesman says: "The person buying the ticket will have their name on the ticket and therefore be responsible for them. If you can't make it and pass it on to someone else, then we will be sensible about it, but our default position is that the buyer is responsible."

I don't live in London. Is there anything for me?
Travel and accommodation costs may put off lots of Brits from outside the capital. Non-London options are sailing, which is being held off the coast of Weymouth and Portland Harbour in Dorset; rowing, which will be at Eton Dorney near Windsor Castle, 40km west of London; and football, which will be held at the City of Coventry Stadium, Hampden Park in Glasgow, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Old Trafford in Manchester and St James' Park in Newcastle. Mountain biking will take place in Hadleigh Farm, between Basildon and Southend in Essex.

How do I apply - and what's all this about a Visa card?
You will be able to apply online at the 2012 website or via forms that will be available from shops. A Visa card (credit, debit or prepaid) will be the only payment method accepted for online applications - in recognition, organisers say, of the company's support for the games. However, cheques and postal orders will also be accepted for paper applications. If you've only got a MasterCard or Amex, you should probably think about taking out one of the numerous Visa prepaid cards available.