As the finale of the four-year Cultural Olympiad, next summer’s London 2012 Festival is the culmination of a programme that has infused music, theatre, dance, literature and the visual arts.

Opening on Midsummer’s Day, June 21, the event begins with a series of concerts throughout the country. In Londonderry, a pop concert inspired by the Olympic Truce will be fronted by Peace One Day founder Jeremy Gilley and its ambassador Jude Law. In Scotland, the Venezuelan Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and conductor Gustavo Dudamel are joined by young people from the Raploch Estate for an open-air concert set against Stirling Castle. In Birmingham, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the CBSO Chorus, Youth Chorus and Children’s Chorus will all gather at the city’s Symphony Hall for the UK premiere of Weltethos by Jonathan Harvey.

If good weather holds, one of the most spectacular opening events should take place at Windermere, where On the Night Shift is being held. Created especially for the festival, the outdoor performance fuses music and fireworks in a display by French street arts company Les Commandos Percu. The event draws to a close on Sept 9, and in the interim the festival will provide 10 million opportunities to see events for free.

In London, tens of thousands are expected at the BBC Radio 1 Hackney Weekend 2012. Some 80 international and UK musicians and DJs are scheduled to perform, with confirmed acts so far including Leona Lewis and Plan B. Also in London, the BT River of Music festival is a weekend-long musical extravaganza, with a plethora of performances representing the 200 nations participating in the Games. Landmarks along the Thames will act as anchors for the six continents, with Trafalgar Square and Somerset House acting as the Europe stages and the Tower of London being the Americas stage.

Elsewhere, the World Shakespeare Festival is the most ambitious celebration of the Bard’s work to ever be staged. A collaborative effort between the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare’s Globe and the National Theatre, it combines the work of thousands of different artists and features contributions from more than 50 separate arts organisations. Large-scale, big budget productions of classic Shakespeare works will be staged, with theatre troupes from as far afield as Iraq, Moscow and China presenting works and confirming the enduring the international influence the writer continues to have centuries after his death. In tandem with the festival, the British Museum will stage the exhibition Shakespeare: Staging the World and an extensive number of amateur productions of Shakespeare classics are scheduled to take place in communities across the country.

Other highlights include:
In theatre, the inaugural Happy Days – Enniskillen International Beckett Festival, the world’s first festival dedicated to Samuel Beckett, is held at Enniskillen, while Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett returns to the London stage for the first time in 13 years, where she will perform in Botho Strauss’s Gross Und Klein.

In performance and dance, the Dr Dee opera, written by Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz, has its London premiere at the London Coliseum following its critically acclaimed run at the Manchester International Festival. In Wales, singers, musicians and performers drawn from throughout the South Wales Vallesy join artists from South African townships to perform a tribute to freedom and democracy at Cardiff’s Millennium Centre; the forests of north Wales are the setting for performances from Argentinean choreographer and director Constanza Macras.

Some five million people are expected to participate in Big Dance, which will take place throughout the country. A focal point on July 14 will be Trafalgar Square, where Wayne McGregor will lead 2,000 dancers in a choreographed performance. The British Council will be encouraging school children throughout the world to join a record-breaking attempt to create the largest multi-location dance routine ever performed. One of the most notable events scheduled for Northern Ireland is Land of Giants. Combining acrobatics, aerial dance, carnival and circus, the fast-paced spectacle will be performed to an audience of 20,000 people in Belfast.

In music, the 2012 Proms season will see Daniel Barenboim lead the West Eastern Divan Orchestra in a complete Beethoven Symphony cycle – a performance of Beethoven 9 will take place to mark the opening of the Olympics on July 27. In Glasgow, Zaha Hadid’s new Museum of Transport will reverberate to the sounds of its occupants as an interactive installation allows them to make music using the building itself.
Every British vale and sleepy village is invited to ring in the Olympics and contribute to the latest work by a Turner Prize-winning artist during Martin Creed’s Work No. 1197: All the bells in a country rung as quickly and as loudly as possible for three minutes. At 8am on July 27, people throughout the UK are encouraged to ring bells of every tone and timbre to open the games and welcome visitors to Britain. For Martin Creed, the inspiration behind the initiative is straightforward: “It’s by people and for people. On the morning of the opening of the Games it’s a massive signal that something is happening.”

Read the rest of this entry »

What is it about a flouncey short skirt that male sports administrators find so appealing? Here we are in the 21st century, where women have forged their equal rights in most areas of life, including, to the dismay of some men, the boxing ring.

For the first time at London 2012 women’s boxing will be on the Olympic Games program. Initially there were some commentators objecting to women being involved in a brutal and bloodied sport. Their shoddy assumptions usually centred on the supposed frailty of women.

Now we have dinosaur officials, again men, in charge of the international boxing authority the AIBA, who have recommended that the women compete in the Olympics in skirts. I wouldn't be surprised if tucked away in those ridiculous and anachronistic recommendations are also a maximum skirt length, similar to the skimpy skirt requirement for beach volleyball players. Thankfully female boxers have brains to match their brawn.

Ireland's Katie Taylor said: "It's a disgrace that they're forcing some of the women to wear those mini-skirts. We should be able to wear shorts, just like the men. I won't be wearing a mini-skirt. I don't even wear mini-skirts on a night out, so I definitely won't be wearing mini-skirts in the ring."The AIBA says outrageously, that having women wear skirts would distinguish them from men. Hmm, here are some clues, guys: hips and breasts.

Not only is the idea flawed that skirts can somehow make female boxing appear more feminine, it is somewhat sleazy to have ringside boxing officials – nearly always male – looking upwards, ostensibly to watch the action. That's what I call perving.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Olympic Park Legacy Company has confirmed that new tender documents for the Olympic stadium, which they had intended to sign off this week, will not now be ready until at least the third week of November, and could be delayed until next month. Significantly, the new timetable means that tender documents will be finalised after the IAAF vote on whether London will host the 2017 World Athletics Championship, a week on Friday.

If London defeats Doha, a capacity of 60,000 seats will have to be retained in some form, but defeat could open the option of a smaller capacity, which would attract Leyton Orient and potentially other bidders.
The original tender process was subject to significant delay, with the timetable shifting by almost three months. The latest hold-up could jeopardise the prospect of the stadium reopening in 2014, though OPLC sources insist they are still working towards that deadline. Major decisions are yet to be made, including what specification and facilities will be in the stadium and who will pay for them.

The uncertainty makes it increasingly likely that the stadium's future could be unresolved when the Games begin in July 2012, an outcome that would be acutely embarrassing for everyone involved. To hit the 2014 opening date, the OPLC will have to lodge a planning application by next March, meaning a decision over whether football will be accommodated has to be reached by February at the latest.
It is understood that the OPLC is examining a range of options for the stadium's capacity and use, but as things stand the retention of the running track is non-negotiable.

That is likely to reduce interest from football clubs but the OPLC believes it will still create a competitive process by potentially attracting event organisers, concert promoters and other sports. One option being actively considered is for the OPLC to retain the management of the arena and host multiple sports and other events without an anchor football tenant. With tender documents possibly not emerging until December, that timetable looks challenging. Sources have suggested that the OPLC may immediately call for bids once the tender is agreed rather than call for expressions of interest first.

The original tender documents took six months to prepare and seven months to sort the bidders, with West Ham's selection as preferred tenant coming six weeks after the original deadline. Final negotiations were then pushed back three months as the March 31 deadline to sign a final lease was missed, all before Tottenham and Leyton Orient began their legal challenges in April. The process finally collapsed when West Ham and Newham Council told the OPLC they could not guarantee to open the stadium at the start of the 2014-15 season. In response, the OPLC said it would retain ownership and seek a tenant.

There are doubts, however, over how appealing the new terms will be for West Ham, who say they are committed to bid. The deal would require them to give up ownership of Upton Park in exchange for a lease on a ground that will have a running track in perpetuity, and could impact on the resale value of the club, which is already £80 million in debt. West Ham are considering placing temporary seats on the track, but as a long-term solution that may be far from ideal.

Read the rest of this entry »

Vince Alm is among those claiming a Great Britain team at the Games would undermine home nations' identities. Welshman Bale has said he would like to represent Great Britain, with Fifa seeking to reassure individual nations.

But the Football Association of Wales (FAW) opposes its players featuring for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics. Great Britain will enter a men's football team for the first time since 1960 and will be coached by England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce at the 2012 event.

However, Football Supporters Federation Cymru chairman Alm said there is widespread concern among fans. "I really think he [Bale] has been ill-advised," Alm said of the Tottenham midfielder's support for the GB team.

"The majority of Welsh supporters are against it. You can get away with the England and Wales Cricket Board, you can get away with it with rugby, but football is totally different. "This could be the end of the home unions and I think that would be sad. "I can understand why Gareth has done it. We are Welsh and we are British. The main issue we have is with losing our international identity.

"The players need to be made aware of it if they've got aspirations of Team GB. They need to be told what the consequences are if there is a Team GB."Wales face Norway in a friendly at the Cardiff City Stadium on 12 November and Bale is expected to be included in Gary Speed's squad.

Despite the controversy, Alm urged fans to support Bale, who has 32 caps for Wales. "Let's not alienate ourselves from Gareth Bale," added Alm. "The way to deal with it [the controversy over the GB team] is through the FAW.

"Anyone who pulls on a Welsh shirt and goes out there and is playing football for his country deserves all the backing. "He's a quality player and we need him at his best if we're going to continue to climb the rankings and have a chance of qualifying [for major tournaments]."

Read the rest of this entry »

The twisting red tower, situated next to the Olympic Stadium, was designed by Turner Prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor and structural designer Cecil Balmond and cost £22.7 million to create. It will have two observation floors, a 455-step spiral staircase a lift and even a restaurant, with the objective being that visitors go up to the top in a lift before walking down the spiral staircase to take in both the views and Kapoor's artistic detail.

Those involved in the project hope that the tower, which is 22 metres taller than the Statue of Liberty, will remain a must-see attraction long after the Games have finished. Steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, the chairman of ArcelorMittal, invested £19.6 million, while the remaining £3.1 million is coming from the Greater London Authority. “We conceived this project in partnership to ensure the Olympic legacy will stretch well beyond the Games itself, helping to ensure the ongoing regeneration of this part of London,” said Mittal.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson gave the sculpture his full backing, and hailed the Orbit as an "iconic" addition to the skyline of the capital. "What better calling card for London 2012 than a piece of truly spectacular modern British art to drive visitors to east London in perpetuity," said Johnson.

"It would have boggled the minds of the Romans. It would have dwarfed the aspirations of Gustave Eiffel, and it will certainly be worthy of the best show on earth, in the greatest city on earth. "And as the final giant steel loop is swung into place, lifting the ArcelorMittal Orbit to its full height, we are truly witnessing the most significant iconic addition to London’s skyline for decades.”Estimates suggest that the venue will generate up to £10 million of revenue per year and create up to 50 new jobs once the dust has settled on the Games.

Read the rest of this entry »

Britain’s women’s hockey team trained on the state-of-the-art blue pitch, which is complete with pink surrounds at the Olympic Park. London 2012 will be the first  international competition to use the bright colour combination,  officially named as London Blue and London Pink, and a yellow ball will be used with the aim to make the sport easier to watch both at the stadium and on TV.

And Britain’s captain Kate Walsh, 31, believes the new pitch reflects the nature of the modern game.
‘It updates the sport. Maybe with the [traditional] green, people can think of the old jolly hockey sticks thing and St Trinian’s but this just makes it new and modern. Hockey is a modern and fast-paced sport,’ said the Reading player. ‘On camera, you can see the ball better. It is sharper.’Jason Lee, head coach of the GB men’s hockey team, also hailed the new-look pitch as a breakthrough in the sport.

He added: ‘The ball contrasts  really well against the blue and it takes us away from the history of field hockey, from grass, and into the modern era. ‘It’s quite obvious that you can see the ball much more distinctly against a blue background than you could on a green background and the players don’t actually  notice the difference in terms of playing which was one of the concerns for us. I really like the blue.’The 16,000-seater hockey complex, at the northern end of the park in Stratford, East London,  includes two pitches – one for competition and one for warm-up. It will also host both the five- and seven-a-side 2012 Paralympic football competitions.

Read the rest of this entry »

President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Alhaji Aminu Maigari has said that the Under_23 National Team needs nothing less than victory against Morocco on November 26, to keep the team’s hope of qualifying for the Football event of the 2012 London Olympics alive.

Maigari said this while speaking to sports journalists in Abuja yesterday. He further stated that everything needed by the team been provided to ensure that they qualify for the 2012 London Olympics adding that this was because it was NFF’s last hope of ensuring a Nigerian national team participates in an international competition next year.

He further stated that Ibadan, the Oyo State capital had been approved for camping the team in line with the recommendations of Technical Committee of the NFF stressing that the choice was made in order for the team to be taken away from Abuja to avoid distractions and enable them concentrate more on training for the forth_coming matches.

According to him: “From Ibadan, the team would be flown to Faroe in Portugal. NFF has an agreement with the authorities at Faroe for camping all the national teams”.

He further stated that the recent trip embarked upon by the Coach of the team Augustine Eguavon and the Chairman of NFF Technical Committee Chris Green was not a jamboree as been speculated in some quarters but for the purpose of securing the release of some of the players who are playing professional football in Europe to enable them play in the team’s match scheduled for November 26, 2011.

Read the rest of this entry »

These are the empty flats that will next year be home to the world's top athletes as they compete in the London 2012 Olympics. The apartments in Stratford, east London, overlook the main stadium and aquatics centre on one side and the velodrome and basketball arena on the other. Each of the 11 blocks is set around an open-air courtyard and the athletes will share a vast dining area as they strive to win the biggest prizes of their sporting careers.

The 2,818 flats - of which 2,300 are now complete - are currently just bare shells, but the Olympic Delivery Authority says building work is on schedule. The homes will be handed over to the Games organisers early next year. Locog (the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) will then begin adding soft furnishings to keep the athletes comfortable.

The organisers intend to complete the village with all the shops and services the 17,000 Olympic and 6,000 Paralympic athletes may need. Extendable beds have even been ordered for tall athletes. The 11-storey buildings will contain a transport section, laundry services, a Lloyds bank, a Visa cash machine, a hairdressers and a general store.

ODA chief executive Dennis Hone said: 'This is a massive project, if you think about it, constructing 2,800 apartments and getting in to a position where they are ready for the athletes of the world to come. 'We have now got over 2,000 apartments which Locog could start putting in the beds, chairs and wardrobes that the athletes will need.

'It is a good day for us and it is a good day for the project. 'There are 2,818 homes to complete. We have an obligation to hand over those apartments to Locog by January 27, 2012 and we are on track to make that.
'They are being completed in phases. Some of them have work to do on the facades. We are about 80 per cent there and in the other 20 per cent we are well advanced on the work.'Nigel Garfitt, London 2012's director of villages, said: 'The aim is that it will have all the things and services that the athletes will need, like a hotel.' He said that athletes had been consulted and great effort had been made to create the ideal environment in which they can concentrate on winning medals.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gianni Merlo, the President of the AIPS, has complained that it is unfair to expect the media to pay for internet access at the Games and that it should be free. But now Coe has defended the plan to offer packages costing £90 ($143/€104) per month for bronze, £130 ($207/€150) for silver and £150 ($239/€173) for gold.

"We have made the conscious decision to not provide wifi as the basic modus operandi for media," said Coe, who addressed more 500 international journalists at the start of the third World Press Briefing at the Institute of Education here today.

"All of our experts tell us, and most importantly the media tell us, that it is not reliable enough for the enormous volume of documents and data that are sent at the Olympic Games.

"We have therefore delivered a solution that the media themselves want. "In order to provide a robust infrastructure LOCOG has installed high speed internet cables at every working position in every venue work room and photo work room as well as every table in each tribune. "We have even, for the first time, installed cables that will be able to be used in non tabled seating areas in each venue.

"I am told that in the past only the large international agencies had cabled access – they paid for a dedicated ADSL line at around $500-600 (£313-375/€360-431) per line. "So all media at the London Games will have the ability to have access to cabled internet "As an Olympic first as I understand, the entire Info+ service is available with the Gold package - anywhere you can connect, you can access the system. In media lounges and media conference rooms we have installed wifi, and this is also included within the same packages at no extra cost.

"As explained to me, there is also a 'myprint' solution provided whereby media can print remotely to any printer at the Games, free of charge. "In accordance with the Olympic Charter, the rate card, through which these charges are made, is absolutely non profit making. "Neither LOCOG nor BT are making any profit from these charges.

"Comparisons with single sport championships are not exactly appropriate as the level of complexity, concurrently running competition and volumes of data transfer to support at these events pale into comparison with the Olympic Games.

"Within the Olympic Games context, this is the first time that media are able to have, for one fee, cabled internet connectivity in all venues, the MPC (Main Press Centre) and the Olympic Village rather than ordering dedicated comms at each venue."

Read the rest of this entry »

Kevin and Jonathan are spending a week trekking 80km across the Langjökull ice cap, climbing to 1,300m as temperatures drop to -15°C. The 400m runners are taking part in a team-building exercise with seven other potential 4x400m Belgian team-mates. Check back here for my daily updates on their progress.

Conditions have deteriorated - it is now -15°C - and we are stuck in our tents. Our hopes that the worst of it is over have been dashed and there is nothing we can do today but sit it out.  Question: Journalism and sport, what do they have in common?

Answer: They can both lead you to do some pretty strange things at times. In the pursuit of sporting excellence at London 2012, the Belgian 4x400m team are trekking 80 kilometres across an Icelandic glacier. And where they go, we follow to report. So I find my Friday night skiing up the same said glacier - Langjökull - into howling wind and snow, and fast fading light - one of the most horribly brilliant things I have ever done. And for a first-time skier like me, it is sink or swim time.

Up the hill I follow Kevin Borlée, who has just won Belgian's Trofee voor sportverdienste - their equivalent of the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year award. During a morning spent packing our sledges in a warehouse in Reykjavík, he tells of his surprise at being awarded the prize - recognition for his recent 400m bronze at the World Championships in South Korea. "I'm happy, I did not expect to get it," he says. It is time to push on, and if the three-hour ride to the glacier in a monster ice truck is the pleasure part, then the group of us putting up nine tents in a blizzard, in the dark, is the pain.  "That was an experience," says Jacques Borlée, with a dry wit that I must quickly become used to. "This was your idea," I remind the man who has just been named one of Europe's sports coaches of the year for his work spent training his twin sons and their athlete compatriots. It is already time to thaw out and yet we are barely a mile into this trip. Bedding down for the night, the hope is that we are over the worst of it.

Read the rest of this entry »