The Olympics

The Isles of Wonder

2012-01-27T14:21:00.001Z

It has been announced that the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics, on 27th July, will be called "Isles of Wonder".

The ceremony's artistic director, Danny Boyle, said it would be about a land that has been poisoned by industrial legacy and the recovery of that land.

I find the theme to be somewhat limited:

- Did these islands not have a history before industrialisation?

- Not all of the British Isles were "poisoned" by industrialisation.

Apparently the largest ringing bell in Europe, which will hang at one end of the stadium, will sound at the opening of the Games.

It will be inscribed with a quote by Caliban from Shakespeare's The Tempest:

"Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises".

Caliban is forced into servitude on an island ruled by Prospero, because Caliban attempted to rape Propsero's daughter.

The pre opening ceremony will start at 20:12 BST, and last until 21:00 when the bell tolls.

Approximately 20,000 performers will be used for the opening and closing ceremonies of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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"

Lord Coe Gets His Figures Wrong

2012-01-27T11:46:00.002Z

Lord Coe is quoted on Bettor speaking about the Olympics "budget":

"We will maintain a balanced budget to the completion of the project and the infrastructure will be delivered within the budget that has already been agreed by government.

Occasionally some things are slightly more than you expect. On a lot of occasions they’re slightly less than you expect, but overall those changes have taken place within that £9.3bn envelope.”

Aside from the fact that the original "budget" when the UK tendered for this leviathan was under £3BN, Lord Coe is mistaken about the current "budget" for the games.

When the running costs of over £2BN are included, the actual cost of the games will be £12BN.

I wonder why Locog et al keep "forgetting" to mention these running costs?

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"

Mascot Problems

2012-01-23T11:59:00.001Z

Locog are investigating allegations that soft toy versions of the London 2012 mascots (Wenlock and Mandeville) are being made by poorly paid workers in a Chinese factory.

Golden Bear, based in Telford, has a licence to produce them. However, an inquiry has been launched after media reports about the pay and conditions of the workers making the toys at a factory in China.

AFP reports that Golden Bear and the London organisers, LOCOG, said they were taking "seriously" the allegations that workers making the mascots were working for more than 11 hours a day for as little as 26 pence an hour.

Locog are quoted:

"We have asked our independent monitor to carry out a comprehensive investigation and review of these allegations.

The outcome of this investigation will be made public as soon as it is concluded.

We have contacted all of our licensees to reiterate to them the importance we place on the sustainable sourcing code they have each signed up to."

Golden Bear said it was also conducting an immediate investigation, but confirmed that the factory in question had passed inspections by the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI).

Golden Bear are quoted:

"Golden Bear is extremely concerned about recent reports that a factory involved in a small amount of the production of the company's Olympic product could be in breach of workers' rights.

We are a family-run business that takes these issues very seriously indeed and has in place certificates of compliance at all factories used to produce our products.

We are therefore in the process of conducting an immediate investigation and will be able to comment on these findings as soon as they are known to us."

In March 2010 I wrote the following:

"Olympic chiefs are keen to emphasise the legacy of the London Olympics 2012.

What they haven't specified until now is exactly which country's legacy they mean.

This question has now been answered, it is China's economic legacy that is being underpinned by the London Olympics.

That at least is the conclusion to be drawn from the announcement that a Chinese company has been picked to make special lapel pins for the 2012 games, British companies claim that they were denied the chance to even bid."

It is a pity that Locog did not heed this warning, had it done so it might have saved itself some embarrassment.

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"

The Olympics Home Guard

2012-01-20T11:26:00.000Z

Burger van workers and other licensed mobile traders are being offered free counter-terrorism training to help them spot suspects who might be reconnoitring potential targets in the months leading up the London 2012 Olympics.

The courses are being offered by the Metropolitan police and Westminster council.

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"

Jubilee To Outshine The Olympics

2012-01-19T11:35:00.001Z

I am amused to see that the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this year is set to outshine the London 2012 Olympics, in terms of popularity and spectacle.

On Sunday, June 3, the Jubilee weekend will climax with a seven-mile flotilla of 1,000 boats making up the biggest gathering on the Thames in 350 years.

People are far more supportive and enthusiastic about the Jubilee, than they are about the Olympics.

This is hardly surprising given that the Jubilee will cost a lot less than the £12BN being wasted on the Olympics, and will cause far less disruption.

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 Ticket Site Live Again

2012-01-18T11:42:00.001Z

Locog have restrated the Olympics ticket site again, after is crashed last week.

However, it will not work as a live ticket exchange. Locog have offered to pay for any unwanted Olympic tickets until 3 Feb, but will not offer them for immediate resale.

Prospective purchasers will have to wait until April before they can attempt to secure the tickets.

Not at all impressive!

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 Ticketing Shambles Continues

2012-01-13T11:15:00.001Z

Last Friday I wrote the following about the Olympics online ticket system crashing:

"Locog has been forced to suspend part of the Olympics ticket resale process this morning, after the website crashed because of the high volumes of users seeking to sell or buy Games tickets.

Sellers of tickets, that they do not want, have been unable to upload their tickets to the site.

Locog do not know why this problem has arisen.

The system is meant to be back on line, and working properly, this afternoon.

Is it?"

One week on, and in answer to my own question, the site is still not working!

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been forced to apologise for the shambles.

He is quoted by the BBC:

"We're working night and day to sort it out" and "apologise for the frustration that people feel.

We're going to get it right and make sure we get as many people as possible to the Games."

Not very impressive!

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"

Beware The Ticket Touts

2012-01-10T10:20:00.000Z

Selling tickets on the open market without permission from the Olympic authorities is a criminal offence in the UK under the London Olympic and Paralympic Games Act 2006.

However, the BBC reports that unofficial (and therefore illegal) ticket sellers have been appearing in Google sponsored adverts:

"Liz, who declined to give her full name, contacted the 5 live Investigates team.

"Me and my sisters decided to club together to buy our mum and dad some Olympic tickets," said Liz, who is from Solihull. "So we typed into Google 'Olympic tickets' and at the very, very top of the page was a link to a company called LiveOlympicTickets.

"It was a sponsored ad at the top of the page, so we presumed it was a trusted official site, and we spent £750 on two tickets for my mum and dad to see the 1500m, which is what my dad really wanted."

The advert Liz clicked on was one placed by Google's own AdWords advertising service - one of the company's main sources of income.

However, after placing her order, Liz received an email from the company informing her that they could not complete the sale until she faxed over a copy of her signature.

"That's when alarm bells began ringing," said Liz.

LiveOlympicTickets is not an officially recognised 2012 Olympic ticket reseller.

A family member of Liz's wrote to Google, and received this reply: "While Google AdWords provides a platform for companies to advertise their services, we are not responsible for, nor are we able to monitor the actions of each company."

Promoting ticket touts The Metropolitan Police, which is dedicated to stopping crime associated with the 2012 games through Operation Podium, said it is aware of LiveOlympicTickets and that the company is breaking the law.

However, as the company is registered overseas, it may be difficult to prosecute as it is outside the UK's jurisdiction.

The maximum penalty fine for reselling Olympic tickets without authorisation from the Olympic authorities was raised last year from £5,000 to £20,000.

Despite this, Google has placed adverts for unofficial ticket resellers which are breaking the law by selling London 2012 tickets to customers in the UK.

In this case, LiveOlympicTickets was Google's top sponsored link for 2012 tickets - and remained so for more than a week even after the Metropolitan Police had asked the search engine to remove the advertisement.

The company link was finally removed after 5 live Investigates contacted Google."

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 Censorship

2012-01-09T14:56:00.000Z

Locog have banned the 70,000 volunteers for the London Olympics from getting into detailed discussions online about the Games.

Good luck policing that then!

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 Ticket Site Crashes

2012-01-06T15:29:00.000Z

Locog has been forced to suspend part of the Olympics ticket resale process this morning, after the website crashed because of the high volumes of users seeking to sell or buy Games tickets.

Sellers of tickets, that they do not want, have been unable to upload their tickets to the site.

Locog do not know why this problem has arisen.

The system is meant to be back on line, and working properly, this afternoon.

Is it?

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"

Boris Fails To Walk on Water

2012-01-04T11:25:00.001Z

The Olympics has been used as an excuse and target for many politicians and organisations to push for their pet projects to be funded, completed and be publicised.

Sadly for Boris Johnson his plan for a £60M floating "River Park" (which should have been opened in time for the Olympics) has been blocked by the Port of London Authority (PLA).

The public park would have included eight linked pavilions on pontoons, running along the north bank for more than half a mile from the Millennium Bridge to the Tower of London, along with a lido and a new jetty for Thames ferry services.

The PLA believes that this would have created a navigation hazard, and as such the City of London Corporation are now reviewing the scheme.

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"

Not The Austerity Games!

2012-01-03T11:33:00.001Z

Despite the fact that the UK (and indeed the global economy) faces a financially bleak 2012, the government, in the guise of the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, is determined to "keep our spirits up".

What better way to do so, than to spend £12BN of our money on the 2012 Olympics?

Hunt has emphasised that the 2012 London Olympics will not be the "austerity games", and that the economic downturn meant the event's opportunities must be "harnessed".

Hunt is of the view that the voters would not forgive the government if it failed to make the most of the Games.

So there you are then!

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"

Dow Sponsorship Criticised

2011-12-15T12:43:00.002Z

The row over the sponsorship of the London Olympics by Dow Chemicals rumbles on.

India's Olympic body is to demand that the sponsorship deal is axed, because of its ties to the Bhopal disaster in 1984 (Dow purchased Union Carbide 16 years after the disaster).

Reuters quotes the Indian Olympic Association's acting president, Vijay Malhotra, who said:

"We are proposing to write to the IOC London Olympics that this sponsor should be out of it.

Since these games are for friendship it should not be one of the sponsors."

It is not clear what action the body would take if its request was rejected, as India has already ruled out a boycott.

Barry Gardiner MP has backed India's campaign to have Dow dropped as a sponsor. He has called for an inquiry into the tender process, that led to the company being granted the deal to sponsor a temporary wrap to decorate the Olympic stadium.

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"

CRB Checks on Torchbearers

2011-12-13T11:21:00.004Z

The Home Office will be carrying out a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks on all Olympic torchbearers for next year's 2012 London Olympics.

However, according to Locog, previous convictions may not stop them from carrying the torch; Locog will make a "judgement call".

I assume those previously convicted of arson will be disqualified from carrying the torch?

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 Warning

2011-12-06T12:00:00.001Z

I have warned on numerous occasions on this site about the dangers of an overrun of the Olympics "budget", eg in April 2008 I wrote the following:

"The government received a damning blow to its reputation for "financial competence" (I use that phrase with heavy irony) yesterday, when the Public Accounts Committee accused it of "wishful thinking" over the "budget" (an exaggerated term for the back of an envelope calculations) prepared by those "in charge" of the London 2012 Olympics.

The Committee warned that taxpayers may well have to pay more than the current £12BN (including £2BN running costs) estimated for the games."

It seems that others are finally waking up to the dangers of an overspend on the "movable feast" of the Olympics budget.

A report criticising a number of key aspects of the organisation of Olympics (including its budget), compiled by the National Audit Office over the last year, has been published today.

The Washington Post quotes Amyas Morse, the head of the National Audit Office:

"The government is confident that there is money available to meet known risks, but, in my view, the likelihood that the games can still be funded within the existing 9.3 billion-pound public sector funding package is so finely balanced that there is a real risk more money will be needed.”

Unfortunately, the NAO has its figures wrong. It has ignored the £2BN running costs, which put the current "budget" at £12BN.

Not a great start!

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 Broken Again

2011-12-05T14:44:00.001Z

Unsurprisingly the "budget" for the London 2012 Olympics has yet again proven to be unreliable.

Taxpayers are having to contribute a further £41M to the £40M "budget" allocated to opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.

The Olympics Minister, Hugh Robertson, unconvincingly tried to use a Gordon Brown trick of describing it as an "investment".

Why do we have to pay more?

It seems that Locog (which was meant to pay for the ceremonies) can't run its operations within budget, and that "tedious" things such as security expenditure for the games have pushed it into the red.

For reasons best known to those who are regulating and "controlling" the forthcoming games, Locog is not subject to public scrutiny because it is a private company.

Surely someone should have ensured that the company that "organises" the games (whether it was private or public) was subject to public scrutiny, given that it is spending our money?

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"

Iran Olympics Boycott?

2011-11-30T12:25:00.001Z

There are some rumours floating around Twitter that Iran is considering boycotting the London 2012 Olympics, as retribution for the recently announced sanctions and worsening relations.

It is not clear as to whether this particular rumour is true or not. However, the talk about Iran possibly boycotting the games is not new.

In February this year the Iranians were making nosies about boycotting the games because of their dislike of the Olympics logo:

"The National Olympic Committee of Iran has sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) complaining about the logo of 2012 London Olympic Games.

For why?

Apparently, the logo says "Zion"???!!"

In other words, the threat of an Iranian boycott is nothing more than "business as usual".

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"

It's Not a Wrap!

2011-11-25T11:39:00.001Z

In August I wrote about Dow Chemicals wrapping the London Olympics stadium in some form of plastic sheet, and displaying its logo on the wrap.

"Dow, the chemical company with an "interesting" history, will be allowed to promote and display its logo on certain sections of the Olympic Stadium after winning the right to produce the £6M "wrap" that will cover the exterior of the stadium."

People have finally woken up to Dow's controversial past.

The Indian Olympic Association has announced that it will be holding a vote next month on whether or not to boycott the London Olympic Games.

The Indian government is still pursuing Dow for £1.1BN of compensation for the victims of the Bhopal disaster (Dow purchased Union Carbide 16 years after the disaster).

Pressure is mounting on Locog to abandon its deal with Dow.

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"

Thomas Cook

2011-11-22T11:59:00.001Z

Given that Thomas Cook is the "Official Provider of Short Breaks to The Olympics", its possible demise (see "The Thomas Cook Affair") will negatively impact the London 2012 games.

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"

Kirpans Allowed

2011-11-21T11:42:00.001Z

Despite major concerns over the security of next year's Olympic Games in London, Sikhs will be allowed to carry ceremonial sheathed kirpans into the games; so as long as they are worn beneath their clothing and if they can prove that they are adhering to four other articles of faith.

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"

Corruption, Football and Sport

2011-11-18T12:08:00.001Z

How "surprising" to read that football, that bastion of ethics and philanthropy, has mired itself in yet another scandal, this time involving the Olympics stadium.

The Telegraph reports that a second man has been arrested in connection with police investigations over the Tottenham Hotspur bid to use the stadium after next year's Olympic games.

The arrest follows allegations that investigators working for Tottenham Hotspur illegally obtained private telephone and banking records during the stadium-bidding process.

Spurs deny this.

The arrest comes on top of reports that accountants PKF, the company hired by Tottenham to carry out investigations during the Olympic Stadium bid, have admitted passing on copies of Karren Brady’s illegally obtained telephone records to The Sunday Times.

Allegations of corruption in football and sport, who would have thought it?

I dare say the white elephant of the stadium can be used as a prison after the games, if anyone is found guilty of these allegations.

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"

The Meter's Ticking Guv!

2011-11-14T11:01:00.001Z

In order that they are not left out of the Olympics' rip off bonanza next year, London cabbies are demanding that they be allowed to raise their fares by 20%.

The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association has suggested that without the increase there may be "mass walkouts" of cabbies during the Games.

Seemingly members are "concerned" about the increase in traffic restrictions etc during the Games.

I dare say that the Tube drivers' recent £1200 Olympics bonus settlement may well have had a bearing on this issue!

The Olympics are not about sport, but are about money.

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"

A Clusterfuck of Ineptitude - Olympics Airbrushes Belfast

2011-11-10T14:42:00.000Z

In a remarkable clusterfuck of ineptitude, in the run up to Remembrance Day, London 2012 airbrushed HMS Belfast from an official London 2012 Olympics poster showing London's skyline and the Thames.

Apparently it was a "mistake".

Really?

How do you accidentally airbrush out a picture of the largest vessel in the national historic fleet?

London 2012 organisers have had to apologise and reprint the posters with HMS Belfast in them this time.

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"

The Spying Game

2011-11-08T14:33:00.001Z

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

Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com

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

Waste!

2011-11-07T10:21:00.002Z

Despite the fact that Britain is facing years of austerity, and the ongoing crisis in the Eurozone that threatens to collapse the global economy, it is "reassuring" to learn that government ministers are "investing" our taxes "wisely".

What could be a better "investment" than tickets to watch the London 2012 Olympics?

Jeremy Hunt's department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has applied for, and has been allocated, 8,846 tickets to the London 2012 Olympics.

Isn't it funny that Hunt and his cronies managed to get their full allocation of tickets, yet many ordinary citizens who applied haven't?

Anyhoo, the cost to the taxpayer of this "investment" is £750K.

I am sure that you will all agree that this is money "well spent"!

SNORT!

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"