Locog is seriously considering charging spectators to watch the road cycling events – an event previously billed as being free – after getting council permission to extend the spectator numbers at Box Hill to 15,000. It is understood Locog is working out the pricing for what they claim is the best vantage point of the race, and where spectators can see the action for nine laps.
But the move will draw criticism from the public, who had been previously assured the race route will be free, except for the grandstand areas at the race finish in The Mall. A Locog spokeswoman said: "'We have never said it would be free, we have always been ticketing that part of the route to limit the numbers of people in that area and we are looking whether we will charge or not."
Sail away with Snoop
The US rap star Snoop Dogg could be one of the spectators at the London Olympic sailing event after receiving a special invite from Team GB 470 sailors Hannah Mills and Saskia Clarke. Snoop Dogg, a Cardiff City fan, has been an admirer of Cardiff-born Mills since learning of her Olympic selection late last year and tweeted to his five million followers “Congrats to Hannah Mills for makn tha Olympics.”
Mills thought it was a wind up but then saw Snoop Dogg promoting his Cardiff tour on YouTube saying “A big shout out to Hannah Mills, a 23-year-old sailor who has just made it to the Olympics. What an achievement.”The sailing duo have since invited him sailing.
No companions
Locog has received far fewer applications from disabled people for companion tickets at the Games. Locog set aside 6,500 tickets for companions who assist and care for the disabled, but have only received 1319 applications across both the Olympics and Paralympics for those companions. Fewer than 1,000 were for the Paralympics, which has surprised organisers.
Pringle chips
Buried in the fine print of the British Olympic Associations' team member agreement was a clause banning chips or other devices which may transmit data to a third party, which has bemused cyclists competing at the World Cup cycling test event this weekend. Cyclists, always at the cutting edge of technology, have long used various chips that record power being exerted through the cranks.
Meanwhile interest in the velodrome is sky high with the first public event when the park reeopens in 2013 – the Mayor of London's Cycling Festival Legacy event – attracting more than a dozen bidders to produce and underwrite it.
Unlike the issues with the main stadium just across the park, all of the country's best and biggest companies want to be involved with The Pringle.