LONDON 2012 - Summer Olympic Games / Games of the XXX Olympiad

[RobH]

Right, back on topic:

London 2012: Last Games contract put out to tender

In a move that confirms preparations for the Games are moving into a new phase, the ODA has launched the search for two contractors to convert the Olympic Park for community use afterwards.

The work, worth more than £100m, is one of the most valuable contracts since the building of the main venues.

So far, more than 1,000 contracts have been offered by the ODA, charged with delivering the Olympic Park venues and infrastructure, worth more than £6bn.

The final major contract requires creating a one-mile road cycle circuit, a mountain bike track, allotments and football pitches at the park in Stratford. The work also includes removing temporary security infrastructure and completing a road network.

The ODA will offer the work in two parts, one for the north and south of the park. However, it expects some work to be sub-contracted.

Alison Nimmo, the ODA director of design and regeneration, said: "We are on track to complete the Olympic Park venues, infrastructure and parklands ready for London 2012 and are putting in place a team to transform them for their legacy use after the Games.

"Legacy was at the heart of the London 2012 bid and 75p of every £1 spent cleaning up what was a former industrial area and creating the Olympic Park is an investment in the regeneration of East London." The venues and infrastructure form the foundation of future long-term development for this part of London

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/l...to-tender.html

[Mo Rush]

Originally Posted by JimB

Axel,

One of the things that I've observed about the French is that, as a general rule, you take yourselves far too seriously for your own good.

You need lighten up; have a laugh at yourselves every now and then. It's something that we do in Britain all the time.........with good reason: there's lots to laugh about!

Boris Johnson was joking. It was a gentle (very gentle) dig. It's what we call "banter". The correct response would be to laugh.......and then to have a gentle dig right back at us - about our food, perhaps. Or maybe ask when our football team last won the World Cup or European Championship?

In other words.....man up and chill.

Its a bit pointless trying to be a voice of reason with Axel.

[Axelferis]

i 'm going to end this point! i wish the very best for london 2012 to londoners but i'll don't follow this competition because this arrogance is just a shame! When a country receives the most prestigious competition of universe, people have to be conscious about what they say.

it's not elegant way to organize this competition! trust me if rain happens at this period, your boris johnson will eat his words deeply to be arrogant like that!

RobH-> you never change What iran has in common with france? i waste my time with you...

[WooWoo]

Originally Posted by Axelferis

i 'm going to end this point! i wish the very best for london 2012 to londoners but i'll don't follow this competition because this arrogance is just a shame! When a country receives the most prestigious competition of universe, people have to be conscious about what they say.

it's not elegant way to organize this competition! trust me if rain happens at this period, your boris johnson will eat his words deeply to be arrogant like that!

RobH-> you never change What iran has in common with france? i waste my time with you...

But didnt the French PM get internationally panned for saying "the only food worse than the British is finnish food" when bidding for the olympics?

And then the French Olympic Association mounted a massive attack on Britain when London won, accusing Tony Blair and making a mockery out of themselves?

So yeah, dont act so high and mighty

[RobH]

Originally Posted by Axelferis

i 'm going to end this point! i wish the very best for london 2012 to londoners but i'll don't follow this competition because this arrogance is just a shame! When a country receives the most prestigious competition of universe, people have to be conscious about what they say.

it's not elegant way to organize this competition! trust me if rain happens at this period, your boris johnson will eat his words deeply to be arrogant like that!

RobH-> you never change What iran has in common with france? i waste my time with you...

I didn't mention France. I was comparing your threat of a personal boycott to Iran's threat of a national boycott. Both pointless sulks over non-issues.

Seriously though, there are thousands upon thousands of articles on the Olympics; thousands of quotes from various sportsmen and women, organisers, politicians. Boris' jokey soundbite is the first time I've heard anyone mention Paris' defeat in ages. To take one quote among thousands and claim there is an attitude of arrogance makes you look sad; particularly in light of your posting history which is anything but positive itself. Don't follow these Games if you don't want to...we certainly won't miss your "contributions" to these threads.

Oh, and welcome to my ignore list.

[PortoNuts]

£10,000 a week to rent a London home for the Olympics

Homeowners in south-east London are demanding up to £10,000 a week in rent for their houses during next summer's Olympics. The rents being asked -four times higher than normal - are the first signs of the expected accommodation gold rush near the main Games venues.

The most expensive "Olympics-only" property offered for rent so far is a five-bedroom house in Blackheath billed as "perfect" for corporate hospitality and "a minute away" from the entrance to Greenwich Park, where the equestrian events are taking place. The owners want £10,850 a week, the sort of rate usually associated only with property in Chelsea or Kensington.

At the other end of the scale, the owner of a one-bedroom flat in Greenwich is asking for £1,692 a week, considerably more than it could usually command in a month. Average rents in Greenwich are £1,229 a month.

At estate agent River Habitat, which has about 60 "Olympic landlords" on its books, finance director Julian Jarvis said enquiries from potential tenants have doubled over the past month. "A few travel agents representing particular clients are now looking seriously. One represents the Olympic committee of a certain country. Swiss authorities say they need at least 60 rooms. And the representative of a big media organisation is looking primarily in Limehouse and Wapping."

Most owners are looking for tenants for at least a month, meaning some could earn close to £50,000. Blackheath is proving particularly popular. "If you are coming from somewhere like Austria you are used to open spaces so somewhere like Blackheath is appealing," said Mr Jarvis.

Nigel Lewis, property analyst at the FindaProperty website, said:"We've talked about the Olympics effect for a long time in the property world but we're finally seeing hard evidence.

"Rental prices in Barcelona and Sydney spiked when those cities hosted the Games, and Wimbledon sees rent hikes of around 400 to 500 per cent during the tennis championship." Although most evident in the east of the capital, the Olympics effect is starting to be felt more widely. Finance worker Edith Turay, 32, said she planned to double the rent for a room in her house in Hayes, 15 minutes from Heathrow, to £200 a week.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standa...he-olympics.do

[Its AlL gUUd]

Originally Posted by Axelferis

i 'm going to end this point! i wish the very best for london 2012 to londoners but i'll don't follow this competition because this arrogance is just a shame! When a country receives the most prestigious competition of universe, people have to be conscious about what they say.

it's not elegant way to organize this competition! trust me if rain happens at this period, your boris johnson will eat his words deeply to be arrogant like that!

RobH-> you never change What iran has in common with france? i waste my time with you...

Oh grow up and stop acting like your all high and mighty. The amount of remarks you make about London and the UK makes you a hypocrite. Oh and did you forget what the French where saying about British food during the actual bidding process in 2005 but the Brits didn't thrown their toys out of their pram they just revelled in sweet justice of victory. Just relax and stop taking things so seriously and personally.

[RobH]

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) today announced that lines from the poem ‘Ulysses’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson will be engraved on to a wall in the Athletes' Village to not only inspire athletes competing in 2012, but also future generations of residents and school children.

The last line of Tennyson’s poem Ulysses, 'To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield' were nominated by the public and chosen by a panel which included Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and author Sebastian Faulks.

Tennyson’s words will be seen daily by the athletes and officials living and working in the Village during the summer of 2012. After the Games, the Village will be converted into new housing with a school, healthcare facilities and parklands and the inscribed wall will be a part of the lasting legacy for residents and the wider community.

Sarah Weir, Head of Arts and Cultural Strategy at the ODA, said: 'The panel of judges deliberated the public’s nominations until we whittled it down to the final line from Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson. These are words we felt could be an inspiration for the athletes preparing for their Olympic and Paralympic moments in 2012 and equally for the future residents, generations of pupils at the school and all the thousands of visitors to the Olympic Park after the Games.”

Sebastian Coe, LOCOG Chair, said: 'Competing at an Olympic and Paralympic Games is the pinnacle of an athlete’s career. We are committed to providing an environment that helps them deliver the performance of a lifetime for London 2012. These poems will not only contribute to the inspiring environment we are creating for the athletes, but also for the generations of families who will live in the Park after the Games.'

The project is part of ‘Winning Words’ – an initiative conceived by William Sieghart, founder of National Poetry Day, to incorporate poetry into the 2012 Games. Other commissions include a new poem called 'Spark Catchers' by Lemn Sissay which will be etched into a wooden structure in the north of the Olympic Park. Inspired by the history of the site, Sissay has written about the history of the Bryant and May match factory which still exists on the edge of the Park in Bow. Further poems are expected to be chosen for other Olympic Park locations over the coming year.

William Sieghart, who conceived Winning Words and founded National Poetry Day, said: 'It has been exciting to see the response to the Winning Words poetry call-to-arms with inspiring nominations including both traditional and contemporary poets. Tennyson is a powerful choice for the Athletes' Village and we look forward to announcing more locations of poetry within the Olympic Park. A huge thank you to the panel for their deliberation and to the ODA and The London Organising Committee (LOCOG) for recognising the power of poetry to motivate and rouse people.'

http://www.london2012.com/press/medi...ture-commu.php

For more information about the ODA’s work to incorporate art into the Park, go to: http://www.london2012.com/documents/...n-the-park.pdf

[PortoNuts]

With video.

Olympics tickets go on sale in a week

The London Olympics opens in 508 days from now and it is only a week until those coveted Olympics tickets go on sale.

To make sure the whole of the UK feels involved and not just London, the chairman of the organising body Lord Coe has been flying the 2012 flag in Glasgow and Belfast.

The BBC's sports editor David Bond travelled with him.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12671311

[PortoNuts]

[PortoNuts]

[kichigai]

Originally Posted by RobH

BBC hoping for Olympic comedy success

Staging the Olympic Games in London is a serious business but a new BBC comedy drama will bring some humour to the subject.

"Twenty Twelve" is a six-part series written and directed by People Like Us writer John Morton.

The cast includes Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Hynes, who played Cheryl in the Royle Family, Olivia Colman and Amelia Bullmore.

A BBC Four spokeswoman described the series as being "about the people paddling hard beneath the water to make the Olympics happen in London 2012".

Challenges faced by the team include:

* How to phase the traffic lights across London to get people from west to east

* What to do when protesters opposed to the siting of the equestrian events leave large quantities of horse dung on the doorstep

* What to do when the much-vaunted wind turbines won't turn because there's no wind.

The series is part of the new autumn/winter schedule unveiled by BBC Four.



Lots more clips here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yw1t9

This is a blatant rip-off of Australian series The Games

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/45014.html

In 2006, shortly after London was awarded the 2012 Olympic Games and following approaches from several overseas producers interested in making their own versions of the show, we spoke with producer Rick McKenna who had experience in overseas markets with Kath and Kim. Rick McKenna travelled to London and met with BBC comedy head Jon Plowman.

At a later date Jon Plowman introduced Rick McKenna to writer John Morton with the prospect that perhaps we might consider John Morton as one of the writers on the project. John Morton was lent DVDs of The Games. At the time he acknowledged he had never previously seen nor heard of the show and was impressed and keenly interested.

After many phone conferences, meetings and almost four years of email exchanges, Mr Morton and Mr Plowman have now apparently made a satirical series for the BBC about the organising committee of the London Olympics (set to air next Monday March 14 on BBC4 in the UK), without our participation or permission.

In other words, it seems that in 2008/9 Morton had already had the idea he'd never heard of and was so excited by, and he was interested in obtaining episodes of The Games only so he could check out how someone had created his original idea in Australia, 12 years previously. We have suggested that once Mr Morton finds out that repressed memory is not an Olympic event, perhaps he could return the DVDs.

The original is well worth a look.

[PortoNuts]

2012 venues access website launched

A website to help sports fans find out about how accessible facilities are at the London 2012 venues and tourist hotspots has been launched. The InclusiveLondon.com website has been built to help people find out about the accessibility features of a range of places including the 2012 Games venues, hotels, restaurants, pubs, shops, museums and tourist attractions.

Reviews and feedback can be posted on the site which currently has details of 7,700 London locations. The site, which stays online after the 2012 Games, can filter searches by queries such as whether there is wheelchair or pushchair access, if assistance dogs are welcome or whether there are hearing loops.

It has been developed by a special London 2012 team working with Direct Enquiries, founders of the Nationwide Access Register. Chris Holmes, London 2012's director of Paralympic Integration and a nine-times Paralympic swimming champion, said: "InclusiveLondon.com is a fantastic tool that will help us to deliver the most accessible and inclusive Games ever.

"The site is an invaluable resource for anyone with additional access needs, whether you're a sports fan planning a trip to the city or simply someone who wants to soak up the party atmosphere during the Games." Deputy London mayor Richard Barnes said: "This is a first for a host city and I am confident that as users add information to the site it will become a valuable one stop shop to help visitors with specific access needs to get around the capital and make the most of their stay."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukp...81299853645A00

[PortoNuts]

Boris Johnson invites bids for first Olympic Park neighbourhood

Boris Johnson today asked construction firms to bid to build the first Olympic Park neighbourhood. Speaking at an international property fair in Cannes, the Mayor said it was the "first major opportunity for developers to create one of several new neighbourhoods in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park".

From next month, they can bid to build up to 800 homes on a site between the VeloPark and the Olympic Village in the north-east of the park.
The development will be a mixture of flats, mews and town houses with 60 per cent being family homes.

The neighbourhood, which will be developed from 2013, will be at the centre of new facilities including a polyclinic, two nurseries and community centre. The homes will be served by Chobham Academy School, which will open as part of the 2,800 unit development in the neighbouring Olympic Village. It will be the first of five neighbourhoods to be created in the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park over the next 20 years, accommodating up to 8,000 new homes with up to 35 per cent being affordable housing.

Margaret Ford, chairwoman of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, said: "This is the most exciting neighbourhood development opportunity in the UK. We will be looking for an exceptional developer who shares our vision to bring together the best traditions of London's architecture and design to create a real family environment."

Mr Johnson said: "Our spectacular Olympic Park with its world-class venues is already changing the landscape of east London and delivering a legacy. This milestone signals the dawn of creating a district where communities will be created around excellent facilities."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standa...ighbourhood.do

[PortoNuts]

Starting gun fired in race for Olympics tickets

Olympics chiefs said today they will make history by selling out 2012 tickets when they go on sale next week. Britain's biggest sporting ticket sale begins on Tuesday afternoon with almost seven million available for next year's Games.

Millions of people are expected to inundate the official website.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "In just over 500 days London and the UK will become the stage for this wonderful festival of sport and from next week everyone has the chance to be part of it. Sign up for the greatest tickets to the greatest show on the planet." Games chiefs will embark on one of the most complex retail exercises ever as they sell tickets for 640 sessions across 26 sports.

They predict they will make Olympic history by selling all the tickets, which have a combined value of £500 million. Paul Deighton, chief executive of organiser Locog, said all could be gone by July 27, when the Games begin. This would be a record for a one-off sports event. But amid concerns of a website crash customers were urged not to panic because they have six weeks to submit their applications and would gain no advantage from applying on the first day.

There are fears of a repeat of the chaos this year when 20 million Take That fans crashed websites and swamped the BT network as a million tickets were sold for the band's tour in 24 hours. Games chief Sebastian Coe added: "With 42 days to apply for Olympic tickets, there's no need to rush, and it's not first come first served. There is a huge choice of tickets to the greatest show on earth."

Mr Deighton told would-be spectators: "The track cycling is going to be in tight demand. Also the Olympic Park venues will be in high demand because we think people will want to come to the park." By all means apply for these events, he said, but hedge your bets with volleyball, handball and football - and experiment. "Big team sports have a lot of sessions in reasonably-sized venues and you would assume they are likely to have more tickets left over," he added.

A London 2012 milestone will also be marked on the day the sale begins. A seven-metre tall clock in the shape of the Olympic logo will be unveiled in Trafalgar Square to begin the 500-day countdown to the opening ceremony. Prices range from £20 to £2,102 for the ceremony. The premium charge for the best seats is a strategy by Games chiefs to make as many cheaper seats as possible available.

Q&A


What is the process for applying?

Tickets go on sale next Tuesday on the official website for six weeks until April 6. It is not first come first served. There will be 6.6 million tickets on sale to the public. Prices are listed at london2012.com and range for sports from £20 to £725 and ceremonies from £20.12 to £2,012.

How are tickets allocated?

You can apply across all 26 sports but will have to pay if granted everything. Fans applying for an oversubscribed event will enter an automated ballot.

How do I make sure of a ticket?

Apply for the heats of popular events such as athletics, track cycling or swimming as they will be oversubscribed in the latter stages of competition. Football is a good bet as there are one million tickets available.

Is there a limit on what I can apply for?

Yes. The cap is set according to anticipated demand for each session. So you can buy a maximum four per household for a night at the athletics, but up to 30 for a qualifier session (of two matches) in the football.

How do I pay?

Visa card, cheque, cash or postal order. You can also fill out applications at Lloyds TSB branches.

What happens after the end of the ticket sales phase?

For oversubscribed events there will be an automated ballot. But all applicants will be informed by late June about their allocation and payments taken then.

Is there a second chance?

You may be offered slightly cheaper or more expensive tickets if your preferred price is sold out. Unsold tickets will be available last-minute at box offices at the venues but there may only be a tiny number left. Official advice is not to delay until next year.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standa...ics-tickets.do

[PortoNuts]

2012 clock starts counting down as tickets go on sale

A giant clock counting down the days until the start of the London Olympics has been unveiled in Trafalgar Square, hours before tickets go on sale. From Tuesday morning, 6.6 million Olympic tickets become available, 500 days before the Games begin.



People have a six-week window to apply for tickets on the London 2012 website. The 6.5m (21ft) clock started counting down at 1930 GMT in the square, scene of great celebrations in 2005 when London won the bid to host the Games. Champion rowers Pete Reed and Andy Hodge and sailors Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson pulled the covers off the clock, as 2012 chairman Seb Coe, London Mayor Boris Johnson and world champion heptathlete Jessica Ennis looked on.

Clad in brushed stainless steel panelling, it is two-sided with one side counting down to the Olympics and the other to the Paralympics.

Ms Ennis, who is aiming for her first Olympic gold at London 2012, said: "We all know that having a home Olympics is unique but the countdown clock is just bringing it all to light. It is all so exciting." Lord Coe, winner of two Olympic golds, added: "Athletes' careers are based on timing and I hope that this milestone moment excites and inspires them to compete at the highest level in 2012."

People have until Tuesday 26 April to apply for tickets. Oversubscribed events will go to a ballot. Several events will be free, such as the marathon, and 2.5 million tickets will be available for £20 and under. Others start at between £30 and £50. Children under 17 will be able to "pay-your-age" to see some of the early heats, while the over-60s can watch for £16.

In total, there are 8.8 million tickets but some 1.2 million are reserved for various government bodies, the London mayor, sponsors and athletes. Games organisers have faced calls from the London Assembly for a record of all tickets reserved for officials, politicians and VIPs to be published. A further two million tickets for the Paralympic Games go on sale on 9 September.

There has been some criticism of the ticket-buying process as all online tickets can be paid for only with a Visa card. Olympics organisers Locog say this is in recognition of Visa's sponsorship of the Games, but critics say that is unfair. Visa Europe has said people who do not have a Visa debit or credit card and do not wish to get one can obtain a Visa prepaid card to purchase Olympic tickets.

Concerns have also been raised about payments made on Visa debit cards. Locog says payment will be taken between 10 May and 10 June and people will be told by 24 June which events they have tickets for. This could mean money going out of bank accounts before the buyer knows which tickets they are getting. Efforts are being stepped up to curb ticket touting, with the government planning to raise the maximum penalty from £5,000 to £20,000.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12733676

[PortoNuts]

[jerseyboi]

Count down...

Now less than 500 days to go...

[PortoNuts]

[PortoNuts]