Archives for March 2010

A group of influential MPs have raised serious concern that the 2012 London Olympics could go over budget.

A report by the Commons public accounts committee said the project was facing a "worryingly tight" financial position due to unforeseen problems.

The MPs claim some of the difficulties have put severe pressure on the contingency fund, with £1.27 billion left from the original £2.75 billion.

Construction for the Games is said to be on track but the committee warned that given the amount of contingency funding already used, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) had been left with only £194 million of "headroom".

Read the complete story

The report, No time to waste, published by the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 an independent body established to assure and monitor the sustainability of the 2012 games, looks into the management of waste before, during and after the games.

While it praises the work done by the Olympic Delivery Authority in recycling construction and demolition waste, the report raises specific concerns about the incineration and destination of waste wood. It also worries about what will happen to waste generated at venues outside of the specific Olympic arenas.

It states: “The Commission’s main area of concern is around non-London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) controlled venues and areas surrounding venues in London and across the UK to ensure the same high standards are achieved.

Read the complete story

Johnson will tell the Olympic Board on Monday about plans for concerts stages, big screens and a pedestrian area, centred around Trafalgar Square. Of the £9.32bn Olympic budget, £32m has been allocated for the "look and feel" of London away from the Olympic Park. "People will hugely enjoy it and for those who don't enjoy it, it'll all be over in a flash," predicted Johnson.

The four main live sites will feature concert stages and big screens and will be situated in Hyde Park with a capacity of 50,000, Victoria Park (40,000), Jubilee Gardens (8,000) and Potter's Gate (4,500).Entry to those sites will be limited and ticketed and planners hope they will be funded entirely by sponsors, without the need for public money.

Read the complete story

The 2012 Olympic Games will not be kicked around as a political football in upcoming elections, the minister in charge said Wednesday -- though she added she hoped she would still be in charge of them after the polls.

"We're going all out to win the election, and if we win the election, I would regard it as a great privilege to take this through to 2012," Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell told reporters in Sao Paulo as she began a three-day visit to Brazil.

Read the complete story

Plans to use Greenwich Park as an equestrian venue for the London 2012 Olympics were approved by local councilors at a planning meeting on Tuesday.

The London Organizing Committee (LOCOG) had met stiff opposition from local residents, pressure groups and wildlife organizations worried about the impact the plans would have on the park, which is a World Heritage Site.

However, at a packed planning meeting of Greenwich Council that stretched toward midnight, LOCOG was given the go-ahead to continue with its preferred choice for the equestrian site close to the main Olympic Park.

Read the complete story

Bradshaw was joined by Locog director of sport Debbie Jevans and Locog director of venues and infrastructure James Bulley at Lord's to announce the official planning application to temporarily transform the home of cricket into an archery venue in 2012.

The London 2012 archery competition will run from July 27 to August 3 while the transformation will begin on July 2, ensuring planning permission is required as the temporary stands will be in existence for more than 28 days.

Bradshaw confirmed that Lord's would still host an England Test match with 2012 tourists South Africa and he also outlined plans to secure another Test at the north London venue in the summer of 2012, most likely against the West Indies.

Read the complete story

The energy supplier npower may end its long-standing sponsorship deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board due to fears that the London Olympics could have an adverse impact on coverage of cricket in 2012. The company has been one of the most visible brands in cricket since becoming the title sponsor of domestic Test matches in 2001.

Last August npower signed a two-year extension of the ECB deal until 2011, with the option of extending the agreement through to the next Ashes series here in 2013. However, its marketing director, Kevin Peake, said "there is a chance" that npower may end its association next year. "One of the big reasons why we extended it for two years, and didn't extend it further, is because we've got some concerns over what is going to happen in 2012," he told Press Association Sport's the sportbriefing.

Read the complete story

The claim comes as the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee was told of a £450 million shortfall for funding to turn Olympic venues into workable spaces. The committee also heard from Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell who said she had refused to meet representatives of West Ham United because it would be a conflict of interest. The Olympic Park Legacy Company will issue a tender in the next few weeks for all interested parties, including West Ham, to lodge submissions for the main stadium’s post-Olympic use.

Sir Robin Wales, the Mayor of Newham, yesterday told the committee that the borough wanted to invest £5 million to transform the two Olympic 50m pools and diving area into one 50m pool with the second becoming a leisure pool with water slides and waves. But the plan was thwarted because the roof was not high enough, prompting the borough to look at new sites in Stratford. “It means we can’t put the slides in and the venue will remain as it is,” Sir Robin said.

A 12-week "once-in-a-lifetime" arts festival will form the heart of cultural celebrations surrounding the Olympics, with commissions from some of the world's finest artists, according to the new regime in charge of the UK's Cultural Olympiad.

The event will be called Festival 2012 and will run from Midsummer Day, 21 June, until the last day of the Paralympic games on 9 September.

The announcement comes seven weeks after a new artistic team took over the running of the Cultural Olympiad – a series of events to showcase the UK's arts and culture to the world – after frequent complaints that it lacked zip, focus and leadership.

Read the complete story

British showjumper Michael Whitaker will be available for selection for the London 2012 Olympics after a successful appeal over a doping offence.

Whitaker received a four-month suspension last year after his horse, Tackeray, tested positive for a prohibited substance at an event in France. In accordance with the British Olympic Association's eligibility bylaw, the 49-year-old was also ineligible for selection at future Olympics. But the BOA has now ruled there were 'significant mitigating circumstances' surrounding the offence.