Arrest Over "Explosives"

A female security guard (dog handler) was been arrested on Tuesday in Pudding Mill Lane, near the Olympic stadium site, on suspicion of possessing explosives.

Scotland Yard said that the woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of a "very small amount of a substance" that was being forensically examined.

The Met issued a statement that noted that the incident "did not represent a threat to the safety and security of the Olympic site."

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Time To Knock Some Heads Together

The government has woken up to the fact that the absurd row between the British Olympics Association (BOA) and Locog, over the share of post Olympics spoils (if there are any), is severely damaging what is already a rather tainted brand.

The Sports Minister, Hugh Robertson, has weighed in and stated that he is "prepared to do anything" to end the row.

Which is political speak for "I will knock some heads together".

Robertson will meet BOA chairman Lord Moynihan today, and doubtless explain to him that everyone thinks that the BOA are acting like a bunch of knobheads.

The meeting will of course be reported as being a "full and frank" discussion:)

The BOA's and Moynihan's positions have been further undermined (they have been made to look even more foolish) by the the statement issued by London 2012's chief financial officer, Neil Wood, as per the BBC:

"With reference to a claims by the BOA of a meeting last July between Locog and the BOA in which statements allegedly were made by me to the effect that the Olympics would make a profit of about £400m with the Paralympics making a corresponding loss and at a subsequent meeting I allegedly revised this figure down to £300m - I have never made such statements, which are in fact untrue."

As I noted earlier this month, "as regards the BOA, it is clear that not one penny more should be allocated to this inept and incompetent body".

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Knobheads Pissing Money Away!

I noted earlier this month that the British Olympic Association (BOA) seems to be "pissing money away".

Not content with the flow rate of piss, the BOA have now got themselves involved in a costly and time consuming legal spat with Locog.

The Guardian reports that Locog are now so "irked" by the BOA that they have barred the BOA chairman Lord Moynihan and the chief executive Andy Hunt from attending its board meetings.

Aren't these "illustrious" bodies meant to be focused on organising the 2012 Olympics?

The dispute is over how any post Games surplus (there's optimism for you!) should be defined.

The BOA argues that the surplus should be calculated before any loss from the Paralympics is taken into account. Locog and the IOC argue that the Olympics and Paralympics should be treated as an integrated whole.

Given that the BOA is skint, the fact that it resorts to costly litigation over a technicality that is unlikely to become reality hardly "burnishes its brand".

Were there to be gold medals awarded for pissing money away, the BOA would be top of the league tables!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Pig's Breakfast

Martyn Saville writes a pithy analysis of the logistical/financial shambles facing ordinary citizens who wish to buy tickets for the 2012 Olympics.

As he says:

"There must be a better method of selling tickets than this."

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Picnics and Mobiles Banned

Organisers of the London 2012 Olympics, on the pretext of "security", are considering banning spectators from bringing mobile phones and picnics to Olympics events.

Flasks, thermoses and larger quantities of food will all be banned.

Liquids of more than 100ml, camera tripods, phones, flags of countries not involved in the Games along with umbrellas (no rain predicted then?) are also all banned.

"Security" may well be the fig leaf excuse used by organisers for this ban. However, the real reason lies with the money being generated by sponsors from their marketing campaigns and food/drink etc concessions at the Olympic venues.

The Olympics is not about sport, but about money!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Tick Tock - Olympics Clock Stops

To add to the woes of the London 2012 Olympics organisers, who were already looking rather foolish for the glitch that prevents certain Visa card holders from buying tickets for the games, the 500 day countdown clock in Trafalgar Square (that was activated on Monday) stopped working on Tuesday.

The clock is supplied by Swiss based company Omega.

Incidentally, the actual time that the games are due to be officially opened has yet to be decided. Therefore the clock is, by definition, inaccurate.

Well done lads!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Ticket Glitch

As predicted, online sales of tickets for the 2012 Olympics have already hit a technical "glitch".

Owing to an agreement made between the organisers and Visa, only Visa cards will be accepted for payment.

However, for reasons best known to the organisers and Visa, it seems that Visa cards that expire before the end of August are not being accepted.

Apparently a solution to this is now being devised.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Contrarian

To coincide with the activation of the 500 day countdown clock and the opening of the tickets sales shop for the London 2012 Olympics, the Economist is running a contrarian advertising campaign under the headline:

"Hosting the Olympics is a waste of money"

Posters for the campaign will appear in tube stations across the capitol until the end of March.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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24 Hour Tube Service

A working party has been set up to look into the possibilities of running the Tube 24 hours a day during the 2012 London Olympics.

Suffice to say, Bob Crow the RMT spokesman has put his boot into the idea by noting that there is no union agreement over hours, pay etc.

Irrespective of the Olympics and union dinosaurs, why is that London does not have a 24 hour tube service anyway?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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British Olympic Association Pissing Money Away

As I have noted many times on this site, the Olympics "budget" (currently standing at £12BN, including £2BN running costs) is out of control.

It is little wonder that it is out of control as the Telegraph reports that the British Olympic Association (BOA) is again on its knees passing the begging bowl around for more money.

Andy Hunt, the BOA CEO, claims that there is a "financial gap" in its accounts.

Really?

What happened to the £6M in extra funding BOA was given by Locog just before the 2008 games in Beijing?

This £6M is on top of £28M from the Joint Marketing Programme Agreement, and another £6.5M from sponsorship/asset sales in 2009.

BOA seem to have pissed away £40M.

Where has all of this money gone, and why has the BOA failed to properly budget for the 2012 games?

With this level of incompetence it is hardly surprising that the main Olympics budget is out of control.

As regards the BOA, it is clear that not one penny more should be allocated to this inept and incompetent body.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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London Logo Farce - The Farce Continues VII

Unsurprisingly the International Olympic Committee has rejected Iran's complaint that the logo for the 2012 Olympics resembles the word Zion, and is racist.

"The London 2012 logo represents the figure 2012, nothing else."

However, I guarantee that this absurd and pathetic fuss over the logo will not die down.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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