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The Olympics has moved to www.olympicsdiary.com which will direct you to my new blog url http://the2012olympicgames.blogspot.com

Thank you for your patience.

The Olympics - The World's Largest Catering Event!

Those of you who thought that the Olympics are about sport are sorely misguided, they are not about sport according to Jon Woods the general manager for Coca-Cola UK & Ireland.

What then are the Olympics about, if not sport?

“The Olympics will be the biggest single catering event in the UK since the Second World War.” 

All clear now?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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New Olympic Threat Emerges - Moths!

Despite turning London into an armed encampment during the Olympics, it seems that the authorities cannot protect the visitors to the games from every threat.

Experts are warning of the threat posed by oak processionary moths, which may well infest the oak tree in East London where the Olympics will be held.

In their caterpillar stage they are covered in 63,000 toxic hairs, which can trigger asthma attacks. Airborne hairs can cause painful skin and throat rashes, running eyes, vomiting and dizziness.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Olympics "Budget" Beyond Belief!

The arguments over the Olympics "Budget" continue, with the Public Accounts Committee laying to Jonathan Stephens the most senior civil servant in soon to be "resigned" Jeremy Hunt's Department for Culture Media and Sport.

The Telegraph reports that the cost of providing security for the games has rocketed skywards, eg elements of the main contract with private security provider G4S (the company that illegally bans photos being taken on public land) have increased by up to seven times.

Liberal Democrat MP Ian Swales said it was “beyond belief” that the Government would have agreed to such a huge increase in the security budget (£86M to £284M) if it had not been forced to do the deal in a hurry having underestimated the original requirement. 

PAC took Stephens to task for this, along with his response to a recent PAC report which described the Olympic budget as “finely balanced”.

Margaret Hodge (Chairman of PAC) quite rightly said that PAC had the right to tell the public the real cost of the Olympics.

For good measure Hodge, again quite rightly,  said it was “dishonest” not to acknowledge that some costs outside the Games budget, such as transport improvements, could be interpreted as Olympic spending.

Stephens claims that he remained “very confident” that the Games would be delivered within the £9.3BN budget.

Which is all very well except that, as has already been pointed out, the "budget" is £12BN!

The whole Olympics "Budget" is in fact beyond belief!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Council Houses Rented Out For £5,000 a Week

Following the lead of others involved in the Olympics, some council house tenants  (according to the Telegraph) are looking to make some money out of the Olympic games and are offering their homes for rent at up to £5,000 per week during the London Olympics.

Given that this is a breach of the terms of the lease, those renting their properties out might care to reflect as to whether the short term financial gain is worth losing their home over.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Red Neck Olympics Threatened

I am sorry to hear that the "Redneck Olympics" in Maine, which features event such as beer-swilling, pie eating and wife-carrying, has been threatened with legal action by the US Olympic Committee.



For why?



The US Olympic Committee believes that it owns the word "Olympics".



However, as Harold Brooks (the organiser of the Red Neck Olympics) quite rightly pointed out to Fox News:



"It’s a word that was used the ancient Greeks.



This is just a bunch of rich people looking out for other rich people.



It’s sickening that if you own a lot of money, you can own everything – even a word."



As noted many times before on this site, the Olympics (not the Red Neck one) are about money not sport.



Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Ker Farking Ching!

My sympathies to Kamel Kichane, owner of Cafe Olympic in Newham, who has fallen foul of the Olympic money making machine.

Mr Kichane took advice from Newham Council, three years ago, about naming his restaurant Cafe Olympic. The council gave verbal permission for the name.

However, trading standards officers from the council are now threatening him with legal action unless he changes the name (as they claim it is an unauthorised use of the Olympic brand) at a cost of £3K.

Will the organisers of the Olympics also be pursuing other larger organisations, who use the word "Olympic" in their names, eg Olympic Airlines?

No, I thought not!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Party Poopers

Chris Allison, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner, has warned that last minute events in 2012 to celebrate the Olympics could be "dangerous".

Mr Allison is heading the Met's 2012 security planning and preparations, and told the London Assembly's Health and Public Services Committee last week:

"People have got to understand that 2012 will be a very different year.

This is why it is important for the Greater London Authority to get people to sign up to say they are not going to do something last-minute because that could be dangerous.

They (event organisers) need to see that there will be a challenge for us in 2012 and to self-regulate."

I can't see this working at all.

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"

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

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

Plans Scuppered For Olympics Super Mosque

Newham Council and Olympics organisers have breathed a collective sigh of relief, as plans to build Britain's biggest mosque in East London have collapsed.

An Islamic missionary group, Tablighi Jamaat, wanted to build the so called "super mosque" (capable of accommodating 12,000 worshippers) near to the Olympic site.

They have been operating an illegal temporary mosque at Abbey Mills, just South of the London 2012 Olympics site in Stratford, and now have a week to leave the site.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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

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

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

Home Office Jeopardises Olympics Security

The Telegraph reports that police are concerned that the failure of the Home Office to deliver a £600M security plan (deadline last September, but postponed to some time in 2010) threatens the security of the 2012 London Olympics.

Given the government's predisposition to harp on about the ongoing terrorist threat, this reluctance to come up with a plan may seem somewhat surprising. However, the Olympics budget (currently £12BN, including £2BN running costs) is out of control and the government is broke.

Quite simply, there is not the money available to cover all aspect of the games. Therefore the government is taking shortcuts within the areas that they hope will not be seen on TV.

The fundamental purpose of the games is to provide the government with a PR "spectacular", all other issues relating to the games will come second.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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

A Shot in The Arm?

Tessa Jowell referred to the Olympics 2012 as being a "shot in the arm", whilst appearing on BBC Two's Daily Politics programme, at a time when Britain is expected to go into recession.

She noted:

"But, as it turns out, facing a recession deeper than any that we have known, almost certainly, the Olympics is, I mean, it's economic gold at a time of economic need."

Given that the out of control "budget" currently stands at £12BN (including £2BN running costs) and is likely to rise further, as private finance deals fall through, why is so much money being wasted on this white elephant which will not produce any meaningful legacy?

This waste of resources is more akin to a shot in the head, rather than a shot in the arm.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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