Russia Ridicules Doping Allegations

Kremlin describes #WADA's allegations that #Russian athletes were guilty of using banned performance-enhancing substances as "groundless"

— Sky News Newsdesk (@SkyNewsBreak) November 10, 2015

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The Great Olympic Doping Scandal

Russia says complied with WADA norms, open for cooperation on doping: https://t.co/up6yYydtD9 pic.twitter.com/7wpjA8ZoX3

— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) November 10, 2015

With calls by WADA to ban Russian athletes from the 2016 Olympics, because of widespread doping of their athletes in the 2012 Olympics, Russia has responded that it followed the norms.

Whatever the truth or otherwise of this, it ought to be remembered that the calls for banning Russia come at a time when the USA and Russia are squaring up to each other in the Middle East and in Ukraine. The USA has sought to isolate Russia diplomatically and financially from global affairs, yet has thus far failed.

A cynic might opine that this is but the latest attempt by the USA, albeit by the backdoor, to bring Russia to heel. After all, it's not as though Russia is the only country that has doped athletes and sportsmen!

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The £1.2M Olympic Ticket Giveaway

How "nice" to see that the government spent £1.2M of taxpayers' money on providing ministers and their chums with free tickets to watch the London 2012 Olympics.

Aside from being a colossal waste of money, it highlights the fact that there was clearly a massive shortfall in demand from genuine paying spectators for some events.

Annex A – Summary

Annex B – Ceremonies

Annex C – List of recipients to sporting events

Annex D – Accreditation

Annex E – Parliamentary Ambassadors

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OIympics Boost To GDP?

Allegedly the London Olympics contributed to the1% rise in GDP during Q3, as ticket sales boosted the growth figures.

However, the Olympics also caused a fall in retail sales which may have in fact overridden the one off boost that the games have allegedly given to GDP.

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Olympics Depress Retail Sales

Unsurprisingly, the recent Olympics had a depressing effect on retail sales (as people stayed at home to watch the Games).

The Office for National Statistics reports that retail sales fell by 0.2% in August compared to July.

Despite the fact that people stayed at home, online sales were worst hit (falling by 0.9%). Online retailers are of the view that people were so "enthralled" watching the Games on the TV, that they stayed away from the PCs.

Really?

I am not so sure, many will have watched the Games online.

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Locog and G4S Square Up To Each Other

Locog and G4S are squaring up for a battle over G4S's fees for the security cover they provided (or rather didn't provide) for the London 2012 Olympics.

Paul Deighton, CEO of Locog, told the Home Affairs Select Committee that Locog stopped payments to G4S on July 13, two days after G4S admitted that it would not be able to deliver the 10,400 security guards it had agreed to deploy.

The Telegraph reports that Locog has paid G4S £90M of a total £240M, and that the rest (according to Mr Deighton) is subject to negotiation.

Deighton said:

“We had absolutely clear and consistent reassurances from the senior management that they’d be able to deliver ... up until that fateful day on July 11. We shouldn’t over-complicate this. They just failed to deliver because their own processes broke down.”

Step forward Nick Buckles, CEO of G4S, who also appeared before the committee. Unsurprisingly he has a different view, and is of the opinion that G4S should be paid in full:

“I’m not going to sit here and say we did a great job, but we delivered a significant proportion of the contract. I expect them to pay us in line with the terms of the contract.”

The contract would make fascinating reading. However, I doubt that we will ever be able to read the contract as it is shrouded in secrecy.

As I have stated before:

"This is of course what happens when a major project/event is not run in an open transparent manner, and is not subject to scrutiny by independent professionals acting in the interests of the taxpayer."

The hapless taxpayer will end up footing the bill for the largess and incompetence of Locog and G4S.

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Paralympic Opening Ceremony

Professor Stephen Hawking kicked off last night's Paralympic opening ceremony, which focused on "enlightenment" as its core theme.

Channel 4, which broadcast the ceremony, chose to interrupt it a number of times with adverts.

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Boris Johnson Dances

The closing ceremony of the London Olympics went without a hitch last night.

A smorgasbord of British talent appeared including; the Spice Girls, the Who, George Michael, the Pet Shop Boys, Kate Moss, Eric idle and Madness etc.

I can't say the sound quality for Madness or the Pet Shop Boys was particularly good.

I was also a tad perplexed as to why Sebastian Coe and Jacques Rogge referred to "Your Majesty" in their closing speeches, given that the Queen was not actually in attendance.

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The Real Legacy of London 2012

As James Pearce has said, Replacing G4S personnel with personnel from the armed forces made London 2012 friendlier and safer.

Thus proving the old adage that every cloud really does have a silver lining!

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Coe Appointed Olympics Legacy Ambassador

Lord Coe has been appointed as the UK's Olympics legacy ambassador.

Quite what that means, and how much he will be paid for this undefined role has yet to be clarified.

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BBC Staff Told Not To Be Patriotic

In a rather perverse ruling, BBC staff have been warned not to focus too heavily on British success in London 2012.

Director General Mark Thompson has advised them to remember that other countries are competing too.

Does not the fact that it is the British Broadcasting Company and that it is the London Olympics entitle the presenters to show some patriotism?

After all, it's not as though we have done so well in the past. Furthermore, I am sure that US, Chinese and Russian networks (to name but a few) focus on their own athletes' successes at the expense of others.

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Reliant Robin To Appear At Closing Ceremony

As the Olympic closing ceremony on Sunday approaches, speculation is mounting as to exactly who and what will be featured.

Thus far, the "informed" speculation states that a Reliant Robin from Only Fools and Horses will appear together with over 4,100 performers, among them 3,500 adult volunteers and 380 schoolchildren from the six east London boroughs where the Games are taking place.

Rumours are that Kate Bush, the Who and George Michael may also appear.

The closing ceremony starts at 21:00 BST Sunday 12 August.

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NBC Shrouds Itself in Olympic Glory

For reasons best known to NBC (they claim it was to protect their $1.2BN Olympic rights) they decided not to show Usain Bolt's 100M victory on 5th August live on TV, instead saving it for precious "primetime".

NBC of course do have a live web stream that, in theory, should have shown the race.

Can you guess what happened children?

Yes, that's right, it didn't work.

Well done NBC, $1.2BN well spent on denying other US networks the chance to broadcast the Olympics professionally and in real time!

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The Simpsons at The London Olympics

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The True Spirit of The British Olympics

Stuff the sponsorship, the zil lanes and the self centered lust for gold!

Rachel Onosanwo embodies the true spirit of what the British Olympics should be about.

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Olympic Buffoonery - Not Saving The Planet

Congratulations to the "brains" behind the decision to use three Hydrogen-fuelled taxis to ferry Olympic VIPs and other assorted hangers on around various Olympics venues.

The cabs can only be refuelled at service stations that offer hydrogen as a fuel.

Can you guess where the nearest service station that offers hydrogen is children?

Yes, that's right, Swindon - which is (cough) 130 miles away!

Seemingly (as per the BBC) the designated hydrogen fuelling station, at Lea Interchange near the Olympic Park, has had to close for security reasons.

Therefore the taxis are loaded on a transporter to take them to Swindon.

Well done lads, a great idea that has definitely contributed to "saving" the planet!


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Olympic Brand Police Go Bonkers

Andrew Goldstone has just tweeted the following:

"Brand name taped over on hand dryers in gents at canoe slalom. Corporate sponsor policing gone mad. BTW everyone, they're made by Elliott. "

Therefore folks you know what to do the next time that you have a "modular space" issue, go out and hire Elliott just to annoy the brand police!

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One Hundred Years From Now

One hundred years from now London will be hosting the Olympics again, and Andy Murray will still be playing tennis.

Don't believe me?

Take a look at the above picture taken by @hfwardhouse

What year is printed on the umpire's chair?

Aha!

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ROFLOL - Olympic Flame Extinguished

In a display of remarkable incompetence, despite planning the layout of the Olympics stadium for many years, the organisers of London 2012 had to extinguish the Olympic cauldron on Sunday evening in order to move the cauldron to another part of the stadium.

Why did they put the cauldron in the the wrong place in the first place?

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Olympics Zil Lanes Deactivated

It seems that, quite rightly, those organising the London Olympics have realised that the Olympics Zil road lanes (designated for use only by Olympics VIPs) may not be so popular with the "working masses".

As such, Boris Johnson has just announced that some of the lanes have been turned off.

As per ITV :

"London's mayor has said that "a lot" of the Olympic Games lanes have been "turned off". He was speaking on his way out of the daily COBRA meeting of security officials. There will be more details shortly.

He added that even the head of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, has refused to use the lanes that are specially designated for Games officials and athletes."

Quite right!

However, as Christie Malry has just pointed out:

"Zil lanes exist solely to get officials to the Games quickly. Seatgate shows they're not going to the Games!"

Quite so!

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