Security Snafu - Fake Bomb Smuggled Into Olympic Park

Despite turning London into armed encampment, it appears that those in charge of security of the London Olympics still have a few "issues" to address.

Number one on the list being the report that a fake bomb was smuggled into the Olympic park, 24 hours before yesterday's official opening!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Heathrow Clusterfuck

Earlier this month I wrote the following:

"Heathrow believes that its temporary Terminal 6 will be able to cope with the departing Olympics VIPs after the Games.

All very well, if you are a departing VIP. However, what of those coming to the UK before and during the Games?

It seems no one running Heathrow has thought of that. Step forward Culture Select Committee chairman, John Whittingdale, who has pointed out the elephant in the room and said that not enough thought seemed to have been given to ways of coping with long queues at immigration.

Seemingly, the much maligned and inept UK Border Agency (UKBA) is whining that it has insufficient money to open all of its passport stations.

Mr Whittingdale is quoted by the BBC as saying that MPs:

"did not leave the briefing confident that Heathrow was ready to cope with the arrival of a huge number of competitors, Olympic family and visiting tourists in timely fashion.

We understand that significant preparations have been made to accommodate unusual sporting equipment, special lanes for the Olympic family, welcoming arrangements for competitors and additional Olympic ambassadors.

However, far less thought seems to have been given to the issue of how to deal with long queues at immigration.

The UKBA (UK Border Agency) representative suggested that there was insufficient funding to ensure all passport stations would be open.

While visiting tourists will understand that the Olympics is a busy time, if the wait (at immigration) is in excess of an hour it may deter tourists from returning. The second impact may be that planes cannot unload their passengers into the terminal due to capacity being exceeded. This would lead to circling in the air, planes being left on runways or planes blocking gates."

In other words, Heathrow will be more of a shambles than ever during the peak travel season."

It seems, as news reports of 3 hour delays at Heathrow immigration show, that the shambles is already upon us.

Figures obtained by the Daily Telegraph, covering the first two weeks of April, have revealed the extent of the chaos faced by people flying into Heathrow.

Immigration Minister Damian Green was told he will have account for the chaos when he appears before the Home Affairs Select Committee and explain the chronic queues that are doing "huge damage" to Britain's reputation.

There are fears that the problems are tarnishing the UK's image, particularly with the London Olympics only three months away.

Heathrow is a clusterfuck, by anyone's standards!


Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Spying Game

How interesting, it seems that a man has been arrested over claims that London 2012 executives were put under surveillance by Tottenham Hotspur FC.

Baroness Ford, Chairman of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) told the London Assembly that all 14 OPLC board members had been spied on.

Baroness Ford told the London Assembly (as per the BBC):

"My board were put under surveillance by Tottenham Hotspur and the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur felt confident enough to say that in the Sunday Times several months ago, that all 14 members of my board were put under surveillance.

The Metropolitan Police are now conducting an investigation into that surveillance.

There has been all kinds of behaviour here that I could not have anticipated which, believe me, has not been pleasant in the last 12 months.

I'm expecting the unexpected because that's what the last 12 months has told me.

Our job now is to narrow, as far as we possibly can, the scope now for legitimate legal challenge in this next process. That is all that we can do.

If people want then to be vexatious, frivolous and vindictive or whatever they want, they will do that."


Dirty tricks involving football and sport?

Never!!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Another Court Case

The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) has revealed that it has suspended Dionne Knight, the OPLC's director of corporate services, who has been undertaking paid consultancy work for West Ham United.

Why does this matter?

It matters because West Ham were selected by OPLC to have the stadium after the games, against competition from Tottenham Hotspur.

Ironically, according to the Telegraph, Knight also previously worked for Newham Council, West Ham's partner in the stadium bid.

West Ham are not best pleased with the media slant and insinuations, and have launched legal action against Tottenham Hotspur and the Sunday Times over claims of the "secret" payments.

The concept of "secret cash payments" relating to football is hardly new, if FIFA's soiled reputation is anything to go by. However, if West Ham have been unfairly maligned they are right fight for their reputation. That being said, they should bear in mind that it is not just the "legal susbtsance" of these payments but how they look to everyone else that have done the damage.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Spurs Consider Legal Action

West Ham, as predicted, have won the approval of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) for taking over the Olympic stadium after the 2012 games.

However, Spurs are not best pleased with this result and are reportedly considering legal action.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Stadium Debacle

Despite Lord Coe chastising the Spurs bid for the post Olympics stadium and, seemingly, coming out in favour of West Ham's bid (on the basis that they will leave some form of athletics legacy) it is interesting to note that 18 months after winning the bid to host the games the Olympic Board had in fact rejected both clubs.

The Telegraph reports that both bids were rejected at the time, because the Board wanted no diminution of the athletics "legacy".

Time and financial reality often crush naive dreams, and it seems now that the Board will have to accept a bid from one of these two football clubs.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Stadium Decision Delayed

A decision on the future use of the 2012 Olympic stadium, and which football club (Spurs or West Ham) is entrusted with the stadium, has been postponed from this Friday.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company claims that it needs more time to study rival bids from the two clubs.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Banquo's Ghost

The BBC, with a degree of partisan delight, report that Former Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell has been offered a place on the Olympic board running the Games.

I don't recall her as being particularly good when she was Olympics Minister, or am I biased?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Anti Doping Line Opened

The UK will launch of a confidential 24-hour hotline that will encourage anonymous callers (athletes, coaches, support staff, parents and friends etc) to provide tip-offs about those they think might be cheats, or supply and traffic in performance-enhancing substances during the Olympics.

All very well, maybe.

However, I guarantee that this will be abused.

What better way to put an athlete off his/her game by having them investigated for drugs the day before an event?

Who would want to do that?

Fellow competitors, bloody minded individuals, people with money bet on the event.

The list is endless.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Anti Competitive

The organisers of the London 2012 Olympics have been accused of being anti competitive, as a result of their decision to ban all payments by credit cards except for Visa.

No other cards will be accepted to buy tickets, merchandise or even food and drinks.

Visa, according to The Sun, have paid £61M in sponsorships fees; part of which gives them the right to exclusivity.

Whilst it may seem ironic that a sporting competition bans competition, it should be remembered that the Olympics are not about sport but money!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The "Green" Olympics

In an attempt to close the stable door after the horse has bolted, the London Assembly is now looking into the the environmental sustainability of staging the London Games in the hope of being able to match the extravagant promises made five years ago that London 2012 would be the greenest games ever.

The London Assembly's environment committee is examining what progress the Olympic Organising committee and the GLA are making in their green preparations.

What happens if they find that progress does not match the promises made five years ago?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Vancouver Winter Olympics Ends On A High

A crowd of 60,000 attended Sunday's closing ceremony for the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Canadians celebrated a record haul of 14 gold medals, Canada ranked number one in the medal league table.

Attention now turns to London, and the games scheduled for August 2012. Organisers are hoping that lessons can be learned from Vancouver wrt eg; traffic management, technical glitches, safety issues and winning medals.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Britain Wins Gold Medal

Britain seems to have won one gold medal at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, that at least is the view of ctvolympics.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Vancouver - Worst Olympics Ever?

The Guardian is of the view that the Vancouver Winter Olympics are turning into the worst Olympics ever, even beating the financially ruinous games held in Montreal in 1976.

For why?

The paper lists a number of "indicators" of failure:

- The faulty hydraulics on the torch bowl in the opening event.

- Lousy transportation infrastructure that caused the Premier of British Columbia, Gordon Campbell, and the chiefs of the four host First Nations to miss the singing of the Canadian anthem at Friday's opening ceremony.

- Safety issues over the Whistler sliding centre.

- The faulty wiring on the Cypress mountain, which blew a fuse at the weekend and closed the concession stands.

- Rain that has washed away snow on Cypress mountain, making it impossible to build spectator viewing areas that would be safe.

All in all a damning indictment of failure.

What else will go wrong I wonder?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Olympics U Turn

Sportsbeat claim that "an official" has told them that the hapless Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell, is now willing to allow West Ham to discuss moving into the Olympics stadium after the Games.

They quote the unnamed official:

"I was at meetings three or four years ago with the minister and Ken Livingstone, when he was Mayor of London, and they did not want to have a football club in there.

This is a significant U-turn."

Now here's the funny thing, if West Ham do move in they may well rebrand themselves as West Ham Olympic.

What about the "brand fascists" working for Locog et al, who zealously guard the Olympics brand by stomping on any person/small business who dares to mention "Olympics", "2012", "London" etc in their publicity?

Oh well, given that the organisers are desperate for someone to use the stadium afterwards, I am sure the "brand fascists" will be told to remove their jackboots on this occasion.

It's the money, not the sport, that matters!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Speeding Sewage

Lord West (a Home Office Minister) has reassured a House of Lords sub committee that the London Olympics are safe from being hit by sewage travelling at "40 miles an hour".

I am at a loss to understand why sewage would suddenly shoot out onto the site. However, I am reassured to know that it now won't!

Re other, more likely occurrences, Lord West stated that thee games' computer system, which controls ticketing, has already come under cyber attack.

The BBC quote him:

"Almost every single government and industrial and other site is under attack, probably quite regularly. There are always people trying to get into these things.

And so on the Olympic system, for example, we have found there have been some attacks on that and we are aware of those and we are dealing with them, but it's something that we have to constantly monitor."

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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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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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.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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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.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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