10,000 Target Unattainable

The Press Association report that the target of 10,000 special constables (volunteers) for the London 2012 Olympics is unattainable.

The target has been now been lowered to 6,667.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Highly Likely, or Critical?

There is a "cheerful" debate going on between MI5 and the Metropolitan Police as to whether a terrorist attack during the London 2012 Olympics is "highly likely" (MI5's view) or "critical" (the Met's view).

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Tube Misery Up Until The Olympics...At Least

The Press Association reports that London Underground services will be disrupted every weekend until just before the Olympics in 2012.

Pathetic!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Ticket Plans Nixed

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), despite allowing the governing bodies of the 26 Olympic sports in Britain to buy tickets for the London Games ahead of the tickets going on general sale next year, has forbidden the governing bodies from making any of their tickets available to the public.

LOCOG only want those tickets to be used exclusively for the people who run their sport, or for the governing bodies' sponsors.

For why?

LOCOG want exclusive control over the public's ticket sales market, in order to maximise their revenue from sponsorship and in order to maximise the prices that it can charge.

This means that plans by sports' governing bodies to raise money (eg via competitions to win tickets) and to reward volunteers have been nixed.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Spurs Bid "Completely Unacceptable"

The Chairman of UK Athletics (UKA), Ed Warner, has lashed out at Tottenham Hotspur's bid for the Olympic Stadium post London Olympics 2012.

Spurs with their bidding partner, AEG, have been named as one of the preferred bidders. However, if they win, they plan to remove the athletics track and turn the stadium into a mecca for the "god of football".

All very well, maybe. However, when the London Olympics organisers bid for the games in 2005 they made a "promise" (how these things tend to be "forgotten" with the passage of time) to leave a legacy of an athletics track.

Ed Warner hasn't forgotten that promise, and has told the BBC:

"It is [essential] for Tottenham and AEG to go back to the original promise made in 2005.

That was about UK Athletics being at the heart of the Olympic Park...

Anything they might propose for an athletics legacy has to be a compromise to the stadium continuing to operate at a world-class level. To my mind that is completely unacceptable."

The question is will money override fairweather promises?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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We're Not Backing Britain

I noted in March and May of this year that London Olympics pin badges are being manufactured in China, along with the "lovable" London mascots and even their promotional video.

Sky News has done some more digging and found that of the 446 items for sale on the official London 2012 website, 67% are made in China and 18% in Turkey, while only 8% bear the hallmark "Made in the UK".

A kick in the teeth for what remains of British manufacturing.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Costs Rise By £53M

The ever flexible London Olympics "budget" (currently standing at around £12BN - including £2BN running costs) has hit the headlines again.

The estimated costs of the Olympics have risen by £53M. The costs rises are projected in the following areas:

- the aquatics centre,
- the compulsory purchase of land
- and performance-related payments to CLM, the project management team.

Fortunately the "budget" is a highly flexible beast, and the Olympics organisers have assured everyone that savings can be found to offset this £53M.

I shall believe that when I see it!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Legacy Matters

Charlie Wijeratna, London 2012's director of commercial negotiations, is leaving to join Tottenham Hotspur in December as Executive Director with commercial responsibilities.

Ironically Spurs are one of the bidders for the £550M Olympic Stadium. In the event that they win the bid, they intend to scrap the running track after London 2012 (a legacy running track had been one of the pledges made by the Olympics bid team).

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Tourism Slump Expected

Despite the hype over the benefits of London hosting the Olympics in 2012, the professionals in the tourism industry are not convinced.

The European Tour Operators' Association (Etoa) has published a survey of inbound buyers' forecasts.

Etoa report that 68% of the 200 buyers surveyed expect an average 30% drop in visitors to London in 2012, compared with 2011.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.comwww.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Tube Strike

London's "world class" tube system is on strike today (the third in a series of strikes staged by the RMT).

The network is trying, in between strikes, to upgrade some parts of its service in time for the 2012 Olympics.

As to whether these upgrades will be completed on schedule, and to cost, I cannot say. However, I guarantee that Bob Crow and his "comrades" in the RMT will use the threatened disruption of service during the Olympics as a "bargaining" tool in thier ongoing dispute.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Party At Marble Arch

The Russians have applied for permission to hire Marble Arch during the London 2012 Olympics, and turn it into a party venue.

"Russia House" will, if permission is granted by Westminster council, consist of a temporary multi-storey canopy around the arch together with the requisitioning of some of the surrounding parkland.

It sounds like a fun idea.

Good luck to them!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Britain Nixes Aircraft Carrier

Britain has said "thanks, but no thanks" to an offer by the USA to station a US aircraft carrier in the Thames Estuary during the 2012 London Olympics to boost security.

The UK will instead station an anti aircraft destroyer in a suitable place, just in case any aircraft need to be shot down.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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