Food Matters

It seems that the organisers of the London Olympics, with their enthusiasm for McDonald's and Coke, have neglected to mention London's largest fresh produce wholesale market (New Spitalfields Market) in food provision proposals.

This is somewhat ironic as the catering for the Olympics is, so we are told, meant to showcase British produce (does that include the 20% of food provided by McDonald's etc?).

The Fresh Produce Journal quotes Spitalfields' business development manager, Tim Williams:

"Despite our many attempts to connect with the relevant authorities, they have completely ignored the existence of the largest wholesale market in the UK, which is sited half a mile from the main Olympic Park, Olympic Village and press and broadcast centres."

Regrettably money and sponsorship is the driving force behind these games, vegetables simply are not as "exciting" as fizzy sugared water and processed meat products.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Sea Change?

The organisers of the London Olympics, LOCOG, have achieved something of a coup in creating an apparent sea change in attitude amongst the residents of Greenwich wrt plans for using Greenwich Park to stage the equestrian events for the London 2012 Olympics.

In October a survey, organised by the London Assembly, put opposition to the event at 68%. However, LOCOG's own survey released yesterday shows that 85% of residents now support the scheme; if the park is only closed for 6 weeks.

Great!

Except for one small problem.

LOCOG's planning application states that closure of parts of the park will begin in "spring 2010," but the grassland will not be fully restored and reopened until "November 2015."

Lorries will be driven onto the park 6,420 times - an average of 43 to 58 per day - during the set-up and removal of the main showjumping arena. This phase will close large parts of the park for a total of eight months in 2012.

In other words, LOCOG's survey is misleading, as it didn't provide the respondents with accurate information.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Food Glorious Food!

London Olympics organisers have promised that food and drink at London's Olympics will be British, "wherever possible".

However, 20% of that "Britishness" apparently includes products supplied by McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Cadbury.

As Chief executive Paul Deighton told the BBC, the Games would create a "great legacy for the catering industry in this country".

LOL!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Commuting Legacy

Sir Alan Haselhurst MP is a tad "cynical" about the Olympics legacy for the hapless, and fed up, commuters of East Anglia.

Despite much "hoopla" over plans to install new trains on the Stansted Express line, in time for the 2012 London Olympics, Sir Alan is quite rightly fighting for the commuters (of East Anglia who will be using the trains long after the Olympic "elite" have gone).

He is quoted in The Dunmow Broadcast:

"It is all very well looking to the Olympics, but what about the Audley End commuter who pays around £3600 for a standard season ticket? They deserve to be treated better than athletes who will be using the Stansted service just a few times.

After the Olympics it will be just the same users travelling on the Stansted route as before and I doubt that people who fly on Ryanair and Easyjet care too much about having modern and spacious trains."

Since when did anyone give a fig for commuters?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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£40M Not Saved?

Further to my earlier article about £40M being saved from the London Olympics "budget", by transferring badminton from a purpose built arena to Wembley, it seems that not everyone agrees with this idea.

Badminton's governing body, the Badminton World Federation, is opposed to the move (and by definition the saving). It says that it does not want the sport to be in a "stand alone" west London venue.

Back to square one!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Sponsorship Thumbs Down

Delegates attending ESA's (a market research organisation) Future Sponsorship conference gave a 66% thumbs down to the International Olympic Committee's TOP sponsorship programme, stating that it failed to deliver value for money.

Chris Townsend, commercial director at Locog, refutes this and has expressed "surprise" at the findings.

Well, he would say that wouldn't he?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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£40M Saved

In a rare display of financial acumen, the London Olympics organisers have come up with a way to save £40M

They will use Wembley Arena as the venue for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics at the London 2012 Olympics.

This means that a temporary £40M venue will not need to be built.

Who the hell thought up spending £40M on a temporary venue anyway?

I wonder how much more could be saved if people actually applied some financial commonsense?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Venue Plans Still Fluid

Aside from the ever elastic "budget", it seems that plans for the locations of certain 2012 Olympics venues are somewhat "fluid" as well.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has just finished its fifth visit to London, and is worried that venue plans are still not finalised.

Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell, as per normal sees no problem. She is quoted on Sky News:

"The discussions are taking place with the international federations [and] we hope they will soon be completed.

Wembley Arena will be used, ExCel will be used and I think the other venues around London are very well known.

But this is the kind of negotiation you always get in an Olympics, but you usually get it much later in the day than this.

We're really ahead of the game."

This coming from the woman who still insists that the budget is on track.

No worries then!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Jowell Satisfied

The Olympics minister, Tessa Jowell, has stated in the government's quarterly report on the London 2012 Olympics that:

"This report shows we are still on time and still on budget."

SNORT!

What budget is she looking at then?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Months of Olympic Chaos

It seems that mere mortals in Woolwich, not lucky enough to be granted special travel lanes/travel arrangements for the Olympics, will be suffering some considerable travel inconvenience during (and indeed in the 9 months preceding) the London Olympics.

The Olympics Delivery Authority (ODA) will be closing roads around the 2012 shooting venue, up to nine months before the event. Ha Ha Road, Repository Road and Circular Way will be closed before and during the Games.

The ODA planning application also shows that sports fields will be closed, and an unspecified number of trees felled.

I am sure that the residents of Woolwich will bear their inconvenience with fortitude!

After all the Olympics is such a "worthy, well supported and popular cause", isn't it?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Gentrification - The True Olympic Legacy

Unsurprisingly, as money is pumped into East London (around the site of London 2012 Olympics), property prices are rising and those locals who are at the bottom end of the economic pecking order are being displaced by a slow but steady wave of gentrification.

The legacy of the games, as espoused by the politcians, was meant to be that of improving the living conditions and environment etc of the local population.

The reality is that those who are disadvantaged will be displaced.

Not exactly the legacy that they were promised.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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London Logo Farce - The Farce Continues V

The controversy over the "Lisa Simpson Gives Head" London 2012 Olympic logo continues unabated.

This time Brett Gosper, president of McCann Worldgroup in Europe (the agency that is promoting the games), weighed into the controversy noting that he would "probably not" have chosen it to represent the London 2012 games.

London 2012 officials responded by saying:

"This is surprising."

Where have they been for the past two years?

BTW I understand that the IOC hates the "Lisa Simpson Gives Head" analogy, as they quite rightly see that it damages their brand, and have tried to remove any videos from the web that purport to show such an action.

I wonder why they didn't see the similarity before choosing this logo?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Security Matters

It is "interesting" to note that, despite the Olympics 2012 being the greatest security threat to this country since the Second World War (not my words, but Lord West's), Olympics organisers are recruiting teenagers to guard the games.

London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) want to train up to 6,000 teenagers (16-19 year olds) to provide security during the 2012 Games.

The teen guards will receive a "staggering" 30 hours of training on communication, keeping people safe at events and crowd control.

Seemingly this forms part of "multi-layered security provision" for the 2012 Olympics.

Yes, that will work!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Olympics Are The Greatest Threat Since WWII

Admiral Sir Alan West, Britain's Security Minister, told a London conference today that London faces the largest security challenge since World War II when it hosts the 2012 Olympics.

The terrorism threat level will likely rise to severe, ie an attack is considered highly likely.

Tell me again, why do we want these games?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Boris's Massive Erection - Cloud Cuckoo Land

Boris Johnson's competition for building an Olympics tower (the £15M cost of which will be funded by Lakshmi Mittal, the steel magnate) have received a number of "interesting" entries, including one from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for a cloud of inflatable plastic bubbles that would float above London's skyline.

The MIT architects are quoted in This is London:

"It proposes an entirely new form of observation deck, high above the Olympics — one from which one can not only see the whole of London, but the whole of the world, immersed in the euphoric gusts of weather and world data.

It offers London's highest park and an immersion within both our great clouded skies and the cosmos of our dataworlds — as well as a live information system transmitting data and imagery from around the city and the world."

'Nuff said!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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PY Nails It

My compliments to former Millennium Dome supremo, PY Gerbeau, for nailing the Olympics 2012 nonsense squarely on the head re lack of accountability etc.

The hapless Jowell still claims it will cost less than £10BN!

See their chat on the BBC.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Olympics Now Costs £14BN

It seems that my warnings about the costs of the Olympics being out of control, made repeatedly on this site, are proving to be correct.

The Telegraph reports that the oft reported budget figure of £9.325BN is in fact bollocks. Note, I have repeatedly stated that the figure (even if costs don't rise) should be £12BN as there are around £2BN of running costs that need to be added in.

However, on top of this, the Telegraph notes that there are "hidden" costs being spent by other public bodies that amount to at least £2.7BN.

That brings the total cost of the Games (including £2BN running costs) to over £14BN.

My personal bet is that the costs will hit around £20BN by the time these games are held in 2012.

The hapless Olympics minister, Tessa Jowell, told Parliament last year:

"I have made it absolutely clear to all the many stakeholders in the Olympics that £9.325 billion is the absolute limit of public money, whether it comes from the lottery, the London council taxpayer or the Exchequer."

LOL!

The London Olympics will turn out to be a white elephant of monumental proportions.

BTW, I did warn the Mayor of London (20 June 2008) about the budget:

"Boris

I will stake my reputation (such as it is) on the fact that the cost for the games will hit £20BN

http://the2008olympics.blogspot.com/search?q=%C2%A320BN

Remember, on top of the current "budget" of £10BN there are £2BN running costs..you do know that don't you?

Good luck!

Ken Frost MA FCA FIPFM"

Oddly enough, he never answered!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Olympic Weather Forecast

The Met Office will be providing weather forecasts etc for the London 2012 Olympics.

The forecasts will start from now, and will cover all of the 2012 venues; they are intended to help to give an up-to-date overview of the "micro-climate" at each competition and training venue.

This from the organisation that told us were in for a "barbecue" Summer!

ROFLOL!

Here's my forecast, it will either be "hot for the time of year" or "what ghastly weather!"

I guarantee that the Met Office will be unable to surpass that for accuracy!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Illusory Boost To Tourism

Despite the hype spewed forth by the IOC and politicians as to the tourism benefits arising from hosting the Olympics, the reality is in fact very different.

That at least is the view of the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA).

The association have issued a report that states that the London 2012 Olympic Games may in fact have a "detrimental" impact on tourism in London.

The report notes that cities that host the games suffer a drop in tourism in the years around the event.

ETOA state that London will most likely see a fall of around 2.5 million visitors and a loss of £1.5BN of revenue.

The claims made by politicians, and those with a financial interest in the games, of a boost from the Olympics are "wholly illusory" according to ETOA.

ETOA used data from the past six Olympics to compile the report. All the host cities experienced a major disruption to their normal tourism market, and none showed any obvious signs of tourism growth.

Beijing experienced a fall in international visitor arrivals of 30% in the month before the games.

Sydney lost "significant ground" to other Australian and New Zealand cities.

ETOA Executive Director, Tom Jenkins, is quoted by the BBC:

"We have yet to have a games where tourism has not been disrupted, and disrupted in a way that causes real harm.

Even in the case of Athens, where they carefully restricted new capacity, there were considerable losses before and after the games both in the capital and throughout Greece."

The costs of these ruinous games clearly outweigh the benefits.

Question: Why on earth do cities still compete to hold them?

Answer: The egos of the politicians, and the money to be made by the vested interests (eg multi nationals) with no local stake in the city/country hosting them.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Improving The Brand

Locog CEO Paul Deighton proved that he is not the man for the job of running Locog, nor should he be entrusted with taxpayers' money, when he said the other day:

"We're looking to put on a brilliant games that really works. To leave behind all those legacies and to improve the brand."

Why, pray tell, should the British taxpayer be funding the brand building of the IOC?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Retro Dining

BT are planning to reopen their revolving restaurant, at the top of the BT Tower in central London, in time for the London 2012 Olympics.

The restaurant has been closed to the public since 1980.

Regrettably, instead of looking for a good chef who can cook well, they are looking for a celebrity chef to oversee the restaurant.

The restaurant contains a 10ft-wide revolving section of floor that provides diners with a 360-degree view of London, it takes 20 minutes to complete a full revolution.

Given its limited seating (around 70) it is highly unlikely that the ordinary citizen will ever have the opportunity to dine there, I guarantee it that will be swamped with corporate bookings and (given the fact that a "celebrity chef" will be running it) the prices will be out of reach to most.

Which is sad as the Olympics legacy, I assumed, was meant to be for all the people not just the privileged few.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Olympics Spice

It would seem that the Spice Girls (a pop group that was famous in the 90's) may be planning a comeback just in time for the 2012 Olympics, and actually perform at the opening event.

All very nice, except for the fact that they already have made a "comeback" in 2007.

Has there been no new British musical talent since the 90's?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Waste of Resources?

Congratulations to Craig Coulthard, who has won a £460K lottery funded commission for "Artists Taking The Lead", to chop down some trees to make way for a football pitch as one of 12 art projects commissioned to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics.

The "Forest Pitch" will be located in the Borders area; the trees will be used to create a stand, goalposts and shelter.

Two football matches will be played, the pitch will then be left to return to nature.

Errrm...call be a boring old accountant, but isn't this rather a waste of resources (both environmental and financial)?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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An American in London

Doug Arnot has been appointed Director of Games Operations, by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG).

Arnot will be responsible for the overall planning, coordination and delivery of the 2012 London Olympics.

He was an executive vice president of the 1994 World Cup in the USA, then he went on to become managing director of venues and operations for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He was also managing director for event operations at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

Oddly enough, whilst working for the Salt Lake organising committee, Arnot pleaded guilty in 2000 to a minor assault charge for punching a pedestrian during a road rage incident.

He sprent 10 days in jail, was sentenced to 100 hours of community service, a fine, 12 months of probation and mandatory anger management counselling.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Boris's Massive Erection

Full marks to Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, for thinking big.

He has plans for a massive erection, to be erected for the London 2012 Olympics, that will rival the Eiffel Tower.

The 400ft tower (a cross between a Native American totem pole and a pylon) will be built at the Stratford Olympics site, and the £15M cost will be funded by Lakshmi Mittal the steel magnate.

At night "Boris's Erection" will be illuminated using power generated from solar panels.

Well, let's see how this goes then:)

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Black Hole

The London Development Agency (LDA) was given a well deserved drubbing in the London Assembly's Budget and Performance Committee Pre-Budget Report for its lamentable financial controls that caused a £159M financial black hole.

The shortfall has "not only damaged the Agency's reputation but has significantly reduced its resources".

"The financial prospects for the LDA in 2010/11 are bleak.

Together with clawbacks from central government of previously allocated grants, this shortfall will result in the LDA's available resources being over 20% less in 2010/11 than previously planned.

This comes in a period when the LDA will be trying to establish credibility with Londoners as the lead agency on economic development and regeneration in the capital in a challenging economic environment."

Committee chairman John Biggs said:

"The LDA must now demonstrate that lessons have been learned, controls improved and sufficient testing on budget areas carried out to ensure budgets going forward can be relied upon."

Quite!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Spectrum Is Green

With an estimated worldwide audience of 5BN, London Olympics organisers are keen to make sure the audience can actually see the games.

To this end Ofcom has announced that it will "borrow" spectrum from public bodies in order to deal with the demand for airwaves during the 2012 Olympic Games.

Ofcom intends to borrowing airwaves currently used by the Ministry of Defence and the Civil Aviation Authority to meet the short-term demand.

Ofcom emphasised that it would not endanger essential services by using publicly owned spectrum for the Olympics, and that the organisations had already agreed to make the resource available.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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BBC Screws Up Again

The BBC seems not to have learned its lesson wrt rigging phone votes etc, as it was revealed that Florence Jackson the 9 year old girl who won the Olympics 50p coin is in fact the daughter of Andrew Jackson (the head of the BBC's Natural History Unit and a former BBC reporter).

The BBC said:

"We strongly refute any allegations of wrongdoing. The judging panel who short-listed the finalists was not given any indication of the name, sex or age of any of the entrants.

Their decision was based purely on the design of the coin.

Any suggestion that anyone at the BBC could have had undue influence on the selection of the winning entry is totally wrong and without any foundation whatsoever. The competition closed in March, before any discussions between the NHU and Andrew Jackson.

The eventual winner was selected as a finalist in March. Andrew is due to start at the NHU at the end of October".

I don't doubt the impartiality of the panel for one moment, nor the fact that Florence deserved to win. The trouble is the BBC is media organisation and should have seen how this would play out in the media, and would have known before Florence was announced as winner that Andrew was joining them again.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The "Real" Thing

As I have noted many times before, the Olympics is not about sport but about money and brand promotion.

Coca-Cola demonstrates this point admirably as reports indicate that it is less than happy with Locog's proposals for a £20M sponsorship deal with a major British supermarket chain.

Locog has been in talks with Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer wrt a possible deal.

However, Coca-Cola feels that the deal would damage its own campaigns and as such has complained to the International Olympic Committee.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Cost Savings

Financial reality seems finally to be dawning on those organising the budget busting London Olympics 2012 (aka the "flat pack" Olympics).

Badminton and rhythmic gymnastics will be moved to Wembley Arena, saving £42M in budgeted costs for a temporary venue which would have been built for these events in Greenwich.

£42M saved, less than £12BN to go!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Flat Pack Games

The London 2012 Olympics is rapidly morphing into the "flat-pack Olympics", as 17 sports will end up with zero bricks-and-mortar legacy at the end of the games.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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NOGOE

NOGOE (No to Greenwich Olympic Equestrian Events) is a community action group whose members believe Greenwich Park is not a suitable venue for the 2012 Olympic equestrian events.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Irregular Betting

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), in an attempt to eliminate irregular betting, is to set up a new system to monitor corrupt betting practices linked to Olympic competitions.

International Sports Monitoring, based in Switzerland, will monitor the 2010 Vancouver winter games and then the London 2012 games.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Boris Battles IOC

I see that Boris Johnson is going into battle against the IOC et al, over plans to build a £40M temporary venue near the 02 in Greenwich.

According to Adrian Warner of the BBC:

"Expect plenty of rows on this for months yet. And also expect Johnson to dig in hard to get his way.

2012 has become very political. This row is so acrimonious that Johnson rushed in front of TV cameras this week without even telling 2012 he planned to do so.

Boris has stepped out of the Olympic tent. The 2012 consensus has been shattered. With the IOC also ready to play a hard game, we are in for some interesting days."

My money's on Boris winning this one!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Building With No Name

There seems to be something of a problem brewing with the O2 Arena (no longer called the Millennium Dome because of it's association with white elephants).

AEG, the owner of the O2 arena, has had to remove the O2 branding from the building for the duration of the London 2012 Olympics as a result of a sponsorship clash with 2012 telecoms sponsor BT.

The building will be unbranded during the games, as AEG will not allow another brand to sponsor the venue.

Olympics organiser LOCOG is now in a flap, because the O2 Arena is to be used to host badminton and basketball events. Clearly it will look quite ridiculous to host the events at a building that has no name!

Needless to say this issue has been known about for several years. It is rather puzzling that it has only just come to a head.

As ever, the Olympics are not about sport but are about money and corporate image.

Feel free to make suggestions as to what to call the O2 Arena (Millennium Dome).

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Breaking The Rules

Baroness Ford, chairwoman of The Olympic Park Legacy Company (tasked with attracting developers to take on the Olympics site after 2012), is refusing to take on a £800M debt from the LDA (incurred in buying up the land for the 2012 Olympics).

The Evening Standard claims that she has been successful in convincing the Department for Communities and Local Government to take the loan on to its books.

However, if this is the case, this will breach Treasury rules on departmental borrowing.

The LDA, as you will recall, has a £160M black hole in its accounts as a result of lousy internal financial controls; it refuses to hold onto the debt, without mincing words, because it can't honour it without cutting back on other projects.

Ever get the feeling that there are simply too many agencies trying to "run" the 2012 games (ie stick their snouts into the Olympic trough)?

Ever get the feeling that the Olympics budget is out of control?

A mess by anyone's standards, courtesy of Nu Labour!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Woolwich Barracks Obscured

The London Olympics bid showed an artist's impression of a female competitor aiming her shotgun in full view of the grade II-listed frontage of the Royal Artillery barracks Woolwich.

The reality will be somewhat less impressive.

Owing to health and safety issues the backdrop for the Olympic clay pigeon shooting competition will be a 62ft (19m) high "ballistic screen", this will stretch across the shotgun range to prevent lead from pellets hitting nearby homes.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Cuts

As the old saying goes:

"Famine follows Feast"

Therefore we should not be surprised to learn that in the wake of the £160M blackhole, discovered in the accounts of those allegedly "in charge" (LDA) of the London 2012 Olympics, cuts have to be made.

Projects intended to deliver a legacy of the 2012 Olympics have been cut by the London Development Agency. There will be cuts of over £21M this year affecting 2012-related programmes run by the LDA.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The £160M Black Hole

In June I noted that:

"a £100M black hole has appeared, as if by magic, in the 2012 Olympics accounts of the London Development Agency (LDA) - the budget for which is not included in the £12BN Olympics budget".

Unfortunately, it seems that the size of this black hole has increased by over 50%.

The Times has obtained the unpublished report by KPMG into the black hole, which states that the black hole has expanded to £160M.

Unsurprisingly the report, according to The Times, "hints at a cover-up by officials who waited more than a year before alerting senior managers to cost overruns".

A £1.4BN compensation deal was agreed with businesses who were forcibly removed from the Olympics site. However, approximately 70 firms have yet to receive their money.

Seemingly the LDA has not set aside enough to settle the outstanding claims.

KPMG noted that staff in the Olympic Legacy Directorate, the department in charge of the scheme, should have been aware of spiralling costs as early as April 2008.

Neither the person overseeing the budget nor his finance manager were qualified accountants. A remarkably inept arrangement, even by the standards of the Labour government and the London Labour administration (under Ken Livingstone) at the time.

The report states:

"The basic requirements for managing and accounting for a budget were not met. None of the senior officers of the LDA to whom we spoke accepted responsibility for checking the accuracy of the accounting information."

It would seem that those "in charge" of the Olympic finances couldn't "run a piss up in brewery", and then did their best to try to hide their failings. Hardly surprising that the budget for this Labour "ego fest" has ballooned from £3BN to £12BN (including £2BN running costs).

BTW, isn't funny how those "in charge" conveniently forget to add on the £2BN running costs whenever they talk about the costs?

For why?

They are trying to keep the headline figure reported in the media below the psychological break point of £10BN.

Unfortunately for the politicians, they will learn that the trouble with black holes is that they just keep growing.

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Disastrous Figures

The government claims that there will be a "sporting legacy" from the London 2012 Olympics. The government has made much of a target to increase, by two million by 2012, the 6.8m people playing sport, or doing some form of physical exercise for 30 minutes three times a week.

However, quarterly figures just released show that only three sports (athletics, canoeing and cycling) have recorded an increase in the number of people participating at least once a week; all the others have flatlined.

Don Foster, the Liberal Democrat shadow culture, media and sport secretary, is quoted in The Guardian:

"These disastrous figures show the government's Olympic legacy strategy is going badly wrong. Many sports which have had huge funding increases are actually witnessing a decline in participation."

Throwing money at a problem is not always the best way to resolve it.

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Kickbacks?

Lord laird has set the cat among the Olympic pigeons by questioning the integrity of charter deals for a fleet of boats intended to be used for corporate entertainment, media, accommodation and other purposes for the London 2012 Olympics.

Lord Laird has asked the Government to investigate whether Olympic officials were offered or requested "financial and other inducements, including vacations, periods of stay or trips on sea-going vessels for individuals and their family members".

Lord Laird named two British boat-charter companies (Top Sail Events and Charters Ltd) and has asked whether directors or staff members working for the Olympic Delivery Authority, the London 2012 Organising Committee (Locog), the Olympic board and the British Olympic Association had received or asked for on-board hospitality.

I wonder what has prompted Lord Laird's question?

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BBC Olympic "Budget"

The Sun has outed the BBC's travel "budget" for the London Olympics.

"The BBC is to land licence-payers with a £3 million bill to send sport staff to cover the London Olympics from Manchester – just a year after it relocates from the capital....flights, train fares, taxis and accommodation".

The reason that the BBC, based in London, is expecting to spend so much money is that (for reasons that only a "detached" and poorly managed bureaucracy such as the BBC can understand) the BBC sports department are moving out of London to Manchester one year before the Olympics.

Clearly an intelligent plan would have been to move after the Games.

The BBC then go on to dig themselves into a deeper hole by saying that, because plans are still being developed, they "can't speculate on the costs involved".

In other words, they have no budget (clearly taking their cue from the organisers of the London Olympics!)

Not very impressive is it?

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Brown's Bankrupt Britain

Gordon Brown, now so desperate to cling to power, has tagged on to the Olympics bandwagon in the hope of salvaging his reputation.

Brown took the Cabinet on an "away day" to the offices of a building contractor at the 2012 Olympic Games site.

Brown claims that:

"Thanks to the Olympics, thousands of jobs are being created and protected in some of the industries worst hit by the recession - and in some of Britain's most deprived areas."

1 The Olympics "budget" now stands at £12BN (including £2BN running costs), the original budget was around £3BN. A monument to Labour's inability to manage projects and costs.

2 Many of the jobs being created are short term construction jobs, which employ non British short term immigrants. Yet was it not Brown who came up with that absurd phrase "British jobs for British people?"

The legacy will be a deficit to be funded by the taxpayer.

Brown will have left office long before the games begin.

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Olympic Mascot

Mid Sussex council has created a mascot for the forthcoming Olympics 2012.

Quote from the council's site:

"The mascot hatched in spectacular fashion at the recent Olympos Burgess Hill Open Day of arts and sports events, hosted by GLL/Freedom Leisure.

The creature is a cute and colourful character that is already proving a major attraction for local youngsters.

It will appear at many of the Council's Participate Mid Sussex community events, growing each year, until it becomes a giant mythical creature in time for the London Olympic and Paralympic games in 2012."

It was created by Same Sky Community Arts Group in Brighton, with funding from the Arts Council.

Mid Sussex council is now appealing to the public to suggest a fitting name for the character.

Send you suggestions to arts@midsussex.gov.uk.

I wonder how much this cost?

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Wasting Money

Were there to be an Olympic event for wasting money, then Surrey council would win a gold for its performance.

The council wants to appoint an Olympics co-ordinator on a three-year contract, tasked to ensure that "the Surrey 2012 programme has maximum impact."

This is all well and good, except for one small problem.

Surrey is not staging any Olympics events!

Nonetheless, the job advert says:

"The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games offer a once in a lifetime chance to make a positive difference.

We are looking for someone who will help Surrey's residents and businesses gain from this unique opportunity.

We are looking for a skilled networker and influencer, who can inspire innovation and creativity in our partners."

I take it Surrey council haven't heard about the recession?

The salary, if you are interested in applying for this no job, is £46K.

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Bonus Deferred

Paul Deighton, CEO of London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (Locog), (salary £453,440 for the year to April 2009) has deferred £185K bonus payment until after the 2012 Games.

Locog made a loss of £38M last year.

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Dirty Blog

It seems that the Leabank Square Residents' Association (who reside in the shadow of the London Olympic construction site) have fallen foul of the Olympic Development Authority (ODA), in a dispute over comments made on the residents' blogsite.

The blog had accused senior officials of lying about their efforts to reduce noise and air pollution at the development.

The ODA then threatened court action if "libellous" comments were not removed from the site, they noted that some of the comments were "personal and threatening" to an individual.

The contentious posts have been removed.

However, the residents still want the dust removed as they believe the ODA promised they would do but claim is not happening.

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Boris Bans Hookers

Boris Johnson is trying to avert the expected massive influx of prostitutes into London in the run up to the 2012 Olympics.

He wants mobile phone operators to target the phone numbers advertised on the thousands of sex calling cards that adorn London phone boxes, and cut their numbers off.

That will have but a minimal effect, as most of the advertising is done online these days.

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Women's Boxing Given Green Light

The IOC's decision to allow women's boxing at the London 2012 Olympics has produced an effusive outburst of joy from Tessa Jowell (who will not be Olympics Minister by the time the games are staged).

She is quoted by the BBC:

"It will be a landmark moment come London 2012 when for the first time every sport will have women participating in it.

There are still major disparities in the number of medals women can win compared to men but this is a step in the right direction.

In this country women's boxing has come on in leaps and bounds and is growing quickly at all levels.

London 2012 will now create the first-ever generation of boxing heroines and hopefully inspire even more women to take up the sport."

Funny that, I thought that Labour and the Nanny state were anti boxing; as they regard it as dangerous and violent?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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It Hardly Ever Rains! II

Re my earlier article about claims by those who should know better that hardly ever rains in London:

"Mayor of London Boris Johnson claimed it was dry 94% of the time.

Olympic minister Tessa Jowell said: "In the unlikely event that, at some point it rains, people are used to pulling on raincoats in this country."

Maybe they should take a look at the London Olympics webcam?

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Food Fit For Athletes

In keeping with the government's promise that there will be a legacy, once the "hoopla" over the London 2012 Olympics has long since passed away, it can be confirmed that there will at least be "food" and "health" legacy that will doubtless imprint itself into the minds of all of those who attend that games.

It seems that McDonald's, the company that gave us Ronald MacDonald and the "Big Mac", may well become the only branded restaurant at Britain's Olympic venues.

Other food chains, including British and Indian outlets, have been told they will not be able to sell their products at the Olympic sites, without removing labels or changing packaging; restaurants/cafes already at sites such as the ExCel Centre have been told to "hop it" whilst the Games are on, to make room for the "anointed purveyor of fries and burgers".

It's a done deal, apparently.

Meanwhile Coca-Cola has secured exclusive rights to selling non-alcoholic drinks, including tea and coffee within the Olympic venues.

What is it doctors and health experts say about fizzy drinks loaded with sugar, and fat laden fries?

Can someone remind me?

By all means serve McDonald's, but do not exclude others from the Games.

What a legacy!

What a con by Labour and the Olympics organisers!

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War Footing

Kevan Gosper, a member of the International Olympic Committee, has said that London faces the "toughest time - short of wartime" to stage the 2012 Games.

Errmmm, I thought that these games were meant to be "fun"?

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It Hardly Ever Rains!

ROFLOL!!!!

London 2012 leaders claim it does not matter that the Olympic Stadium roof does not cover everyone - because it hardly ever rains in the capital.

Only 40% of the stadium will be under cover but Mayor of London Boris Johnson claimed it was dry 94% of the time.

Olympic minister Tessa Jowell said: "In the unlikely event that, at some point it rains, people are used to pulling on raincoats in this country."

Source Teletext

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Money

The Guardian reports that some of Britain's top athletes, swimmers and cyclists are still refusing to sign a sponsorship scheme that has been designed to plug a £50M funding gap.

Seemingly they are concerned that they will sign away their rights to earn money from their own sponsorship deals, ie they feel that they can make more money elsewhere.

All very well, but did they not get to their "elevated" sporting positions by using taxpayers' money?

Isn't it time they gave a little back?

I thought that it was simply the thrill of taking part that mattered!

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The Real Olympic Legacy

Ministers have approved the sale of more than 200 school and community playing fields, despite repeated promises to protect them.

Even in the four years since London was chosen to host the 2012 Olympics, the Government has allowed the sell-off of 49 school sports fields.

In total since Labour came to power in 1997, 203 pitches have been lost. In its 1997 General Election manifesto, Labour pledged to bring the then Tory government's 'policy of forcing schools to sell off playing fields to an end'.



Sacrificed: Since Labour came to power in 1997, 203 pitches have been lost

Opposition MPs said the latest figures made a mockery of the Government's commitment to boost school sport, with every child supposed to be doing five hours a week in the run-up to the Games.

Five years ago, the Government said any future sales would have to be signed off by the Secretary of State and the money raised reinvested in educational facilities.

As well as the playing fields, more than 1,000 other smaller pieces of school land have also been sold off.

Only pieces of land smaller than half an acre can now be sold without being signed off by a minister.

But until March, the limit was an acre, meaning that sizeable areas were being sold off without consent.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families rejected claims that it was allowing schools to cut sports facilities.

It said pitches had never been better protected, and sales were allowed only at closed schools or where land was surplus to school and community needs.

But Tory culture spokesman Jeremy Hunt said: 'Labour insist they are the guardians of school sport yet they have clearly failed, and are continuing to fail, on a key manifesto promise.

The fact that more than 200 pitches have been sold with direct ministerial approval shows Labour's commitment to school sport is nothing more than an empty promise. Their actions simply do not match the rhetoric.'

Margaret Morrissey, of campaign group Parents Outloud, said: 'Despite all the Government's wonderful words on this issue, it seems that when we get to the truth playing fields are still being removed.

'It's something that ministers should be seriously ashamed of.

'One of the excuses we often hear is that an area of AstroTurf is being built instead. But it just isn't the same thing. Children do not run around in the same way and play on a sterile surface.

'Ministers are very keen to be seen playing cricket and football and running around gyms with schoolchildren. But when there are playing fields disappearing, they're nowhere to be seen.'

Helen Griffiths, of the charity Fields for Trust, which campaigns to protect playing fields and outdoor sports facilities, said the Government deserved credit for tightening the rules, adding: 'The number of sales has been reduced in the last two years.

'There has been a change in the law which means the threshold for ministerial approval has now been brought down from one acre to half an acre.

'It means the sale of junior pitches and smaller sites now have to be signed off.

'But it's clear there have been a considerable number of sales over recent years. That is a real worry.'

Dawn Primarolo, Minister for Children and Young People, said: 'School sport has never been as well-funded.

'We have ended the scandal of local authorities being forced to sell playing fields simply to pay for essential repairs, which saw more than 10,000 playing fields sold off between 1979 and 1997.

'School playing fields have never been better protected. The Government will not sign off any sale of surplus playing fields unless it is an absolute last resort and no sale goes ahead unless the proceeds are invested in school sports or educational facilities.'





Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1202881/200-playing-fields-sold-Labour-How-justified-ahead-Olympics-ask-critics.html#ixzz0MfIOYwSi

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics



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Olympic Tickets Costs Rise

Unsurprisingly statements made in 2004 by Lord Coe, that the minimum cost of tickets to see the London Olympics 2012 would be around £15 are proving to be a tad exaggerated.

Olympics organisers have back peddled on the £15 starting price, and now say that the price quoted by Lord Coe was based on Dollars and therefore the price has now moved upwards.

Needless to say, the organisers still claim that the tickets will be "highly affordable".

We shall see.

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Boris Was Right

Boris Johnson was right, when he proudly declared in Beijing that "ping pong is coming home".

Quarterly tracking figures from Sport England show that, of the 31 sports measured according to how many people played them at least once a week, only table tennis recorded an increase. Nine (including football, rugby and gymnastics) showed a decline.

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HMRC published the Consultation Resposnes Document to its draft Charter last week.



The consultation attracted an unprecedented 1900 responses:



– 124 online,

- 1748 youth (aged 15-24 years), and

- 54 written responses from representative bodies, businesses and individuals (including HMRC staff).



I am surprised that 15 year olds have even the slightest understanding/interest in matters concerning taxation.



Two phrases:



- "purse relentlesly", and

- "bend or break the rules"



caused some angst amongst the respondents. HMRC have modified them accordingly:



"3.31 The phrase 'pursue relentlessly' is part of the HMRC Vision. The language is appropriate for internal use and it accurately reflects our role. Given the concerns expressed we have changed the term to 'tackle' in the Charter, however the sentiment remains the same.



3.32 The phrase 'bend or break the rules' is also part of the HMRC Vision. Internally HMRC staff understand the difference between evasion and avoidance. We have amended the wording in the Charter to make a clearer distinction for an external audience between 'deliberately break the rules' and those who 'bend the rules' And the additional notes make more clear our approach to tax avoidance as compared to tax evasion."



Given this change in the Charter, is not alos appropriate that the HMRC Vision is also changed to reflect this, lest it cause confusion internally?



BTW am I seeing things, or is that Barak Obama in the top right hand picture on page one?



Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics



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Police Powers

It seems that ZaNuLabour have given the police some quite extraordinary powers in the run up to the 2012 London Olympics. The police will be entitled to enter private homes and seize political posters during the London 2012 Olympics.

Those who break the rules could be fined up to £20K.

The powers were introduced by the Olympics Act 2006, and passed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, in theory to preserve the monopoly of official advertisers on the London 2012 site.

The powers allow advertising posters or hoardings placed in shop or home to be removed. However, as with all ZaNuLabour legislation, it has been drafted so "broadly" that it also includes 'non-commercial material' - which could include legitimate campaign literature.

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Terrorist Contingency Fund

The organisers of the London 2012 Olympics have released £19M from the £2BN contingency fund, in order to improve the protection of Olympic sites from terrorist attack.

Of the £2BN contingency fund, £700M has been released.

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Contemptuous Arrogance and Greed

In a display of arrogance and greed, the organisers of London 2012 have threatened to sue a removal company.

Their crime?

Since inception, 22 years ago, Olympic Removals have used the Olympic rings logo on its vans.

Needless to say, because the Olympics 2012 is primarily about money, those in charge of it are spoiling for a fight with anyone who has the "temerity" to infringe on the "hallowed" and "revered" "trademark" of the Olympics.

Founder/owner of Olympics Removals, Steve Tanner said:

"We are not going to be bullied. This is all about money.

It's disgusting. The Olympics used to be about more than money – the whole spirit has been lost."

Were it possible, given that the word "Olympics" is also trade marked, you can be sure that the Olympics organisers would try to charge everyone whoever used the word in speech or written form.

The Olympics is about money, not sport.

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Snouts In The Trough

How reassuring to see that, despite the current recession and a budget that is out of control, those tasked with keeping the costs of the London Olympics 2012 under control are making sure that they are personally not in danger of facing any undue financial hardship.

CLM, a consortium of surveyors overseeing the Olympic construction project, received £151M last year (double what had been previously paid).

On top of this largess to the consultants, Olympic bosses found the time and the funds to award themselves some very generous pay rises.

Staff at the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) took home £30M, including £2M of bonuses. David Higgins, CEO, received took home £537K (generously deferring half of his £201K bonus until 2012).

Howard Shiplee, director of construction, claimed £19,343 in expenses, including £11,478 on hotels and nearly £2,280 on taxis.

It is reassuring to know that those who are running this "venture" on behalf of the taxpayer, really know and understand the true value of money.

Our money safe in their hands!

Yes?

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Cuts

Over £20M per annum, for the next 3 years, will be cut from the London budget to cover irregularities in the 2012 Olympics accounts.

The black hole (estimated at being between £60M-£100M) in the accounts means that the London Development Agency, the Mayor of London's economic and business unit, does not have sufficient reserves to cover compensatory commitments owed to businesses forcibly relocated from the Olympic Park.

KPMG are conducting a forensic investigation into the irregularities, and will issue a report at the end of July.

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No Cuts?

In spite of the recession, Lord Coe continues to insist that the "fluid" budget for the London 2012 Olympics (currently standing at £12BN, including £2BN running costs) will not be cut.

Given that the government is planning to make cuts in the public sector of up to 30%, quite how he can make such an unrealistic and frankly ridiculous promise is a mystery.

No project or spending commitment is ringfenced. The Olympics is most certainly a target for cuts, as it is a badly managed waste of money that was not professionally costed at the time of inception.

Coe is quoted:

"The budgets are set so stories that the Olympics might suffer from cuts in public spending are inaccurate."

Coe is wrong, a budget is just that - a budget.

Until the money is spent, the budget can be adjusted up or down (until now, that adjustment has been upwards). Coe knows from his time as an MP that no budget is set in stone, to suggest otherwise is highly misleading and demonstrates and ostrich "head in the sand" mentality.

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Brothel Funds Olympic Bid

Full marks to Logan Campbell from New Zealand for using his initiative wrt sourcing funds for his Olympics 2012 bid to win a medal at taekwondo, he has opened a 14 bedroom brothel.

New Zealand decriminalised prostitution six years ago, and brothels are allowed to operate with few restrictions.

However, Team NZ funding manager John Schofield is not happy. He is quoted in the Sunday Star Times:

"Selection takes into account not just performance but also the athlete's ability to serve as an example to the youth of the country."

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Jowell Contradicts Johnson

Tessa Jowell has contradicted Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, over the legacy of the London Olympic Stadium.

Johnson said last week that it would be "very foolish to rule out" retaining at least a 50,000 capacity as England bids to host the 2018 World Cup

However, Jowell claims that it will not be a potential venue for the 2018 World Cup.

"We don't need another football stadium, we have got Wembley.

Funding the maintenance of a stadium between 2012 and 2018 is quite a stretch, so I think we will continue to develop the plan that we have for the Olympic Stadium."

The one small problem with Jowell blocking this is that she will be leaving Parliament at the next election, some two years before the Games. The final decision over the legacy of the stadium will therefore be made by someone else.

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Cyber Crime

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Janet Williams of Scotland Yard has warned that international criminal networks are preparing to target the London 2012 Olympics, using the Internet to carry out their frauds.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Williams, speaking at Association of Chief Police Officers annual conference, said:

"There is a lot of work to be done with e-crime and the Olympics. First of all we need to get the money sorted and there is an imperative about that now.

We know from Canada and Beijing that the threats are real and they have grown in the last six months.

These are all potentially subject to abuses and we need to understand these and put plans in place very quickly now.

That is a projected area of work and it is where e-crime meets the more significant threats and terrorism threats."

Needless to say, the police are asking for more money to help them fight the 2012 threat. Funny how the Olympics is used by all and sundry as an excuse to get the begging bowl out!

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Jowell To Quit

The hapless Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell, is to quit Parliament at the next election (latest 2010). Which means that she will be quitting at least two years before the London games.

Will this make any difference to the Olympics?

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Legacy Targets Falling Short

The London Assembly Economic Development, Culture, Sport and Tourism Committee stated in a report today that organisers of the London 2012 Olympics are falling short on delivering employment targets, tourism strategy and sports participation.

Quote:

"The promise of a legacy was a significant factor in London winning the bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Urban and social regeneration, and increased sports participation, were to be the hallmarks of these Games.

Some aspects are on track, but there are still areas that need more attention to deliver the promises that were made."

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Photos Banned

Photographers wishing to take pictures of the Olympic construction site in East London have been warned they will be questioned if suspected of photographing 'security operations'.

Amateur photographer Dr Patrick Green found this out to his cost on 14 June, when security guards stopped him taking pictures from a public road that leads to the Olympic site.

Amateur Photographer quoted him:

"One guard also threatened to call more security who he said 'would come with dogs'.

At first I didn't notice that there was a security guard in a cabin to the left of the barrier and took a few pictures. I then walked closer to get a better view. Next to the blue fence is what I assumed to be part of the Olympic Village construction and I wanted to include that in my picture.

The guard saw me and called out that photography was forbidden… I said that I was on public land, could take pictures if I wanted and that this had been confirmed by Olympics bosses in the past."

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