A Blight on The Landscape

Cabe, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (the government's architectural adviser), has vented its spleen on the £355M Olympic media centre (where the journalists covering the London 2012 Olympic Games will sit).

Cabe describes the building as being "monolithic", and notes that the building will be a blight on East London's already ugly landscape:

Paul Finch, chairman of the London 2012 design review panel, is quoted in The Times:

"People could be forgiven for wondering why sheds have been removed from the Lower Lea Valley in the name of high-quality urban regeneration, only to be reinstated at a much larger scale."

Money well spent then!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Cyber Threat to Games

David Blunkett, the former Home Secretary, will warn that the London 2012 Olympic Games are at risk of a "cyber attack".

Blunkett will give the warning during his opening address to the Infosec annual conference at Olympia this Tuesday, and will go on to say that terrorists could hack into computer and communications systems causing a "complete meltdown".

He wants a co-ordinated approach between government, security experts and business to mitigate the threat.

The threat of a cyber attack is indeed very real. However, that threat exists and will continue to exist, with or without the London Olympics.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Piffle!

The IOC, having completed their two day inspection of London's preparations for the 2012 Olympics, have magnanimously stated that the UK is justified in spending £12BN (including £2BN running costs) on the games.

Given that the money is not coming out of the IOC's pockets, and the continuing existence of the games justifies their junkets and salaries, the IOC would say that.

Denis Oswald, the head of the Coordination Commission is quoted in The Guardian:

"In every city where you organise the Games, it's a unique opportunity to improve the infrastructure in one way or another.

If you look at most previous cities like Athens, they have a new airport, they have a new train line, they have a new metro line, they have a new tramway, they have a new motorway... all this was done on the occasion of the Games.

These were investments which were needed by the city in order to be a modern city and I think it's a very similar situation with the east end part of London which needed improvement. The Games are just the best opportunity to do it."

Oswald neglects to mention that the hapless citizens of Greece will be spending years paying off the debts of the 2004 Olympics, and that many of the venues constructed for the Athens games are now rotting.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Too Small To Compete?

The Liberal Democrats have warned that the organisers of the London 2012 Olympics have failed to award small businesses, promised a share of the games, despite the fact that a special website (CompeteFor) for matching Olympic suppliers with buyers has been set up.

The Liberal Democrats claim that the ODA had awarded 880 contracts, but only 140 of them were through the website. The website cost the taxpayer £5M to set up.

However, the ODA claim that awarded 550 contracts before the website was launched.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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LOL!!!

The hapless Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell, is quoted in the Financial Times talking about future "tests" for proving the viability of a city wishing to host the Olympics:

"The test for the Olympics is no longer just about being on time and on budget, as important as they are..."

Errm could she please explain then why it is that the London Olympics "budget" has rocketed from under £3BN to £12BN (including £2BN running costs); and why, given this budgetary failure, London is a good example of a well run Olympic host
city?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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An Inspector Calls

The IOC return to London today, and will remain here until Thursday, to the review progress of the preparations for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee, is quoted by the Associated Press speaking about the recession:

"If you speak to most people anywhere in the world, they are having a hard time, so it's very important that they don't think it's impacting upon us, because actually it's not."

What planet is Lord Coe living on?

Of course the recession is impacting the Games!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Design a Coin

The Royal Mint is running a competition whereby would-be contestants can design an Olympic 50p piece for the London 2012 Olympics.

The competition is open to the general public and offers a winner the chance to have their designs made into coins and circulated, as well as a £1,000 prize.

Contestants must select one of 27 Olympic and Paralympic sports to represent on their design; they may not include the image of recognisable sportsmen or sportswomen, and they must include the Olympic or Paralympic logo.

The closing date for entries is 24 April.

More details can be found at the Royal Mint website.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Kiss of Death

British Airports Authority (BAA) is in talks to become a sponsor of the London Olympics, in a deal that would confirm Heathrow as the gateway to the 2012 Games.

BAA currently owns the much loathed third world quality Heathrow, together with six other British airports.

In the event that the deal is approved by the 2012 organising committee Locog, BAA would provide free services such as welcome desks, fast-tracks for athletes, VIP escorts and media facilities.

In return it would become a "tier three supplier" and have use of Olympic branding at the airport, it would also be granted first refusal for staff on tickets and hospitality at the 2012 Games.

BAA has been ordered by the competition commission to sell Gatwick and Stanstead.

The deal would cost BAA £10M, which some would argue would be better spent on improving the lousy infrastructure at Heathrow.

Despite wishing to spend £10M on the Olympics, passenger numbers at BAA's seven British airports fell 11% to 10.6 million in March from a year earlier.

Additionally, BAA's £10BN debt burden will be reclassified as "junk" within two months, potentially triggering a financial meltdown at the airports operator as lenders recall their loans.

The question that Locog may care to ask themselves is this, will BAA actually be around in their current form when the Olympics are held?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Olympic Bailout

Such are the lousy state of finances for the London 2012 Olympics, that the organisers have had to go "cap in hand" to the European Investment Bank for a £225M loan for the development of athletes' village project in East London.

The loan is required to plug the shortfall in private sector funding that has all but dried up because of the recession.

The interest charged on the loan will be higher than interest charged by the UK Treasury, thus adding further costs to the already out of control Olympics budget which currently stands at £12BN (including £2BN running costs).

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Appalling Contracts

Some well known British athletes have been told not to sign the new Team 2012 contract, because the drafting of the contract has been deemed by the athletes' lawyers to be "appalling".

The draft contracts propose that athletes promote corporate "partners", selected from a list of 2012 sponsors that includes Lloyds Banking Group, Adidas, EDF Energy and Samsung.

Richard Butcher, a solicitor at Payne Hicks Beach, said that the wording is unclear and appears to limit athletes' ability to arrange their own sponsorship deals.

One agent is quoted in the Guardian:

"Any athlete who sat down and read this properly would have an issue with it.

They're signing their rights away to be used by pretty much whoever."

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Security

Will Geddes, chief executive of International Corporate Protection (ICP), talking about the London 2012 Olympics is quoted by Reuters.

"At this particular time and moment we are probably the highest risk Olympic Games to be held."

Hardly encouraging for the games!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Gardening Olympics

The government, keen to try to justify the cost of the Olympics circus coming to London in 2012, has decreed that gardening will count in the Government's target to get two million people more active in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics.

LOL!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Golly!

The organisers of the London 2102 Olympics are reportedly taking action against Apollo Badge and Pin which are marketing "Olympic Gollies", these are lapel badges in the form of a "Golly" with an "Olympic" theme.

The London Olympics legal action would probably use copyright laws against the sale of the Gollies as unlicensed merchandise.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Marketing Failure?

Conservative shadow tourism minister Tobias Elwood and Liberal Democrat shadow culture, media and sport secretary Don Foster have taken a pot shot at the government over the marketing of the London Olympics 2012 abroad wrt Britain as a tourist destination.

Elwood claimed, at the Best of Britain & Ireland Travel Trade Forum last week, that the Olympics are a "once in a generation" opportunity to market Britain overseas, but "not one extra penny has been put aside" for marketing.

Foster claimed:

"The question is whether or not we grab the incredible opportunity 2012 offers, but there has been no commitment by the government to provide additional resources."

Maybe so, but given the budgetary disaster and the funding shortfalls caused by the recession, is it wise to draw attention to an event that may in fact fall far short of the media hype?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Team GB Deficit

Aside form the £12BN or so costs of holding the 2012 London Olympics, there is the small matter of actually funding the British athletes.

Team GB currently faces a £50M shortfall in its budget. As a result of the shortfall some events may take place without British competitors.

The British Olympic Association has joined with other 2012 stakeholders to raise extra cash through a new "Team 2012" sponsorship programme, and tap the public for more funds (outwith the tax that they are already paying).

In theory, if the public pay up, they might be able to raise around £10M - £20M.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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