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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Lord Coe Trending on Twitter

Lord Coe has made rather a fool of himself and exposed the Olympics to even more ridicule and contempt (if that were possible), by stating on Radio 4 this morning that spectators would not be allowed to wear clothing with logos of non sponsoring organisations (eg a Pepsi T-shirts are banned).

Suffice to say his comments went down like a lead balloon, and "Lord Coe" is currently trending on Twitter as he and the Games are being subjected to derisive abuse and ridicule.

The furore has prompted Locog (an organisation that has not covered itself in glory) to issue a hasty retraction, saying that people can wear what they like and claiming Coe was confusing "spectators" with those who work at the Games.

All very well, except that Locog have also publicly stated (on their list of banned items) the following:

"Any objects or clothing bearing political statements or overt commercial identification intended for ‘ambush marketing’"

The phrase "clusterfuck" springs to mind!

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Danny Boyle's #Savethesurprise Olympics Crusade

Danny Boyle, the artistic director of the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, has been forced to apologise to the 10,000 volunteers who will appear in the opening ceremony on 27 July over "spoilers" that have been appearing in the press.

The email apology asks that the volunteers "stay virtuous", the BBC quotes him:

"Many of you have been dismayed by the media scrutiny on the show.

I am sorry that, despite our best efforts, we appear to be unable to stop these stories appearing in the press."

I am more than a little "bemused" at Boyle's apparent surprise/disappointment over the press interest and stories about the opening ceremony:

1 He is an experienced film director and producer, he knows full well how the media operates.

2 He himself held a media briefing last month, where he revealed that the ceremony would feature a recreation of the "British countryside" featuring country scenes and farmyard animals.

3 The London Olympics are being heavily promoted by the government, sports bodies and businesses; of course the media are interested in what will happen in the opening ceremony.

4 With 10,000 volunteers, even if they have all signed a non disclosure agreement, there will be leaks.

I cannot understand how Boyle could have been so naive about this?

Notwithstanding the apology, in an action that is guaranteed to create even more media interest in the opening ceremony, Boyle has asked that everyone involved to start Tweeting pleas to the media and others to #savethesurprise.

Even Seb Coe has joined the Tweet crusade:
"Seb Coe ‏@sebcoe

Share the frustration of volunteer performers and the public at Opening Ceremony being unofficially trailed. Let’s #savethesurprise"

Is Boyle trying to increase the media frenzy over the opening ceremony, or is this a genuine (if misguided) attempt to damp down leaks and speculation?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Olympics Ticket Touting Bonanza

In June 2010 I wrote the following:

"In a rather amusing development, the IOC has all but accused four (albeit unnamed) countries of touting tickets for the recent Vancouver Winter games.

National Olympic Committees (NOCs) receive a quota of tickets that they can sell to the public in their home country. However, some NOCs have been in the habit of passing the tickets on to touts for profit.

Gilbert Felli, an IOC director, has stated that four countries would be punished (they will receive a reduced ticket allocation for the London games) for the way in which the sales of their Vancouver allocation were handled."

Here we are some two year later in June 2012, and it appears that the International Olympics Committee (IOC) have yet to get their house in order; and that the illegal touting of tickets by Olympics nations, officials and authorised ticket distributors has become more widespread (or at least is now more prominently visible in the public domain).

The Telegraph reports that Olympic officials were selling tickets on the black market for up to 10 times their face value.

It is alleged Greek national Olympic committee President Spyros Caprolos claimed he successfully lobbied Locog chairman Lord Coe to give Greece a fresh batch of premium tickets to the Games on the pretext that demand in the country had outstripped expectations. Locog deny this allegation, which if true would be rather "ironic" given that in July 2011 Lord Coe made an appeal for Olympics grandees to return unwanted tickets so that UK residents could buy them.

Other allegations (that cover 54 countries) include:

- Serbia's official ticket reseller was prepared to sell 1,300 prime tickets for £80,000 to a Middle East buyer, and attempted to circumvent scrutiny from the IOC or Locog by falsifying information from 1,400 Serbian passports;

- China's official ticket reseller, Caissa, had purchased top-level seats to the Opening and Closing ceremonies, diving, gymnastics and athletics from the official UK hospitality reseller Thomas Cook, which it was prepared to sell on at inflated prices of more than £6,000 each;

- Cyprus and Israel’s ticket reseller was offering 525 seats at the best events for £66,000;

- The Lithuanian ticket reseller was willing to sell all of the country’s remaining tickets to a Middle East buyer; and

- An executive from one major ticket reseller in multiple countries, Cartan Tours, advised a prospective buyer to set up a company in one of the 40 territories in which he has the right to sell tickets.

The Telegraph now reports that in the wake of this expose, the IOC is trying to buy time and will approach a major audit/law firm to conduct a review of the failings.

Why didn't the IOC take decisive action to improve its procedures after the Vancouver touting scandal reported in June 2010?

As I have noted many times before, the Olympics are not about sport but about money!
Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Naked Flame Brought On Plane

David Beckham, the former England captain and part time underwear salesman, together with Princess Anne will receive the Olympic flame in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens tomorrow.

The princess, Beckham and a delegation including Sebastian Coe, will return to the UK with the flame on a special BA2012.

How is that ordinary passengers are not allowed to bring lighters onto planes, but these guys can bring a naked flame?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Coe Unveils Olympics Slogan

With 100 days to go until the London Olympics, Lord Coe has unveiled the Olympics slogan:

"Inspire a Generation"

Hmm, not that inspiring is it?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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There Won't Be Chaos At Heathrow!

As citizens of, and regular travellers to, the UK know our airports (especially London airport) are operating at overcapaicity, shambolic and prone to descend into chaos at the merest hint of a snowflake or ash cloud. Therefore it should come as no surprise at all to learn that four major airlines (British Airways, BMI, Virgin Atlantic and Easyjet) have warned about the congestion and chaos likely at our airports (especially Heathrow) during the forthcoming Olympics.

Despite the fact that airlines know something (one would have thought) about the business in which they operate, Sebastian Coe is having none of it and is insisting that the airports will operate well during the games.

He is quoted by the BBC:

"There won't be chaos.

Heathrow Airport operates at full capacity all the time....we have a very good operational plan...", with Heathrow "operating a very effective service".

Hmmm, that's all very well in theory. However, he neglected to point out that Heathrow, because it operates at full capacity, often descends into chaos when the slightest little thing (eg one snowflake) goes wrong.

A temporary terminal (Terminal 6) is being constructed at Heathrow, to ease congestion.

British Airways, BMI, Virgin Atlantic and Easyjet remain unimpressed:


"As the situation currently stands the industry believes that there is a significant risk of severe delay and disruption at all of London's major airports unless urgent action is taken

Time is running out to ensure that any changes to procedures and the appropriate training are in place prior to the Games."

The proof of the pudding will be in the eating!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Locog Not Backing Britain!

Following the furore over recently published evidence that some Olympics merchandise manufactured in China was produced using child labour, Sebastian Coe (Chairman of Locog) is quoted by Procurement Leaders:

“We place a high priority on environmental, social and ethical issues when securing goods and services. As soon as we were made aware of the Playfair 2012 report, we instructed our independent monitor to carry out a comprehensive investigation and review. The outcome of this will be made public as soon as it is concluded.

We have taken a lead in ethical sourcing and supply chain management but there is always more to do and we are committed to making a real difference to workers’ lives and creating a valuable legacy that we can share.”

That's fine, but could not all of this been avoided had Locog not instead sourced their supplies of Olympics tat from UK based companies instead of from China?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Lord Coe Gets His Figures Wrong

 Lord Coe is quoted on Bettor speaking about the Olympics "budget":

"We will maintain a balanced budget to the completion of the project and the infrastructure will be delivered within the budget that has already been agreed by government. 

Occasionally some things are slightly more than you expect. On a lot of occasions they’re slightly less than you expect, but overall those changes have taken place within that £9.3bn envelope.”

Aside from the fact that the original "budget" when the UK tendered for this leviathan was under £3BN, Lord Coe is mistaken about the current "budget" for the games.

When the running costs of over £2BN are included, the actual cost of the games will be £12BN.

I wonder why Locog et al keep "forgetting" to mention these running costs?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Going For A Bong

I am gemused to read the public spat between the upper echelons of the Olympics (past and present) over proposals to relax the punishment for athletes who get caught taking illegal drugs for recreational purposes (as opposed to taking them to improve their performance).

Lord Coe said:

"You want to be part of this project, then don't take drugs."

The trouble is Lord Coe has forgotten (or chooses to ignore) that coffee, fags and booze are also drugs. Whilst they are perfectly legal, they still are drugs (some of which, I am sure, our top class athletes do use on occasions).

The issue is not the drugs per se, by society's hypocritical attitude to "legal" and "illegal" drugs.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Coe Appeals For Tickets

Lord Coe has made an appeal has been made for Olympics grandees to return unwanted tickets so that UK residents can buy them.

Fat chance!

Why give away so many in the first place then?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Sebastian Coe Evades A Ticket Question

Sebastian Coe has evaded a question posed to him by the Telegraph about the shambolic ticketing process.

10. How much interest is Locog earning on the ticket revenue?

A. Any income received from ticket sales forms part of Locog's £2billion budget to stage the Games. We constantly balance our income with our costs.

In the event anyone within Locog actually knows the answer to this, and has the guts to answer it, please let me know.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Ongoing Olympic Ticket Farce - Midnight Deadline

Locog have promised to have charged 60% of the successful Olympic ticket applicants by today (Wednesday) midnight.

According to the Guardian, Locog still claim that their "fluid" deadline stands; despite the fact there is little evidence that many people have seen money moved from their accounts.

Lord Coe admits that the ticketing system is not perfect, no kidding!?

However, he claims that Locog were right not to publicise the fact that British citizens could have bought tickets for the games (on a first come, first served basis) from foreign websites.

For why?

Locog were protecting the applicants from scammers.

Hmmm...how very noble of them!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Ticket Deadline

People have until 2359 BST today to apply for 6.6 million London Olympics tickets on the London 2012 website.

Prices range from £20 to £2,012.

However, London 2012 chairman Lord Coe has warned that only 50% of tickets for the major events could be available to the public after sponsors are allocated their share.

Applications will be processed in May and June, and those who have been successful will be notified by 24 June.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Knobheads

Lord Coe has waded into the dispute between the knobheads running the British Olympic Association (BOA) and Locog.

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.

Lord Coe is thoroughly fed up with the increasingly absurd and greedy position taken by the BOA, he is quoted in the Telegraph as saying that it is a "spurious case":

"This is not about a sum of money or a contractual misunderstanding, this is very clear, and the best demolition of that case is the IOC's judgment and they are the only appropriate organisation to adjudicate on that.

The Government have made it very clear there is no public money in settlement of that case, the IOC have made their position clear and as the organising committee we are running hard to maintain a balanced budget."

Sadly for Lord Coe the BOA are not listening, and are simply not interested in facing reality.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The White Elephant

Lord Coe, Chairman of the 2012 London Olympics, has come out against Tottenham's plans to take over the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Olympic Games.

Lord Coe does not like the idea that Tottenham, if successful in their bid, would knock the stadium down and replace it with one more suitable for football. The problem being that when the UK made the bid for the Olympics, the bid team promised that the stadium would be used for athletics after the event (ie that there would be a sporting legacy).

The other bidder, seemingly preferred by Lord Coe et al, is West Ham (who claim that they will allow athletics events to be hosted there).

The question is, aside from the PR headlines that the battle between these two clubs is generating, are the clubs really sure that they want to own a stadium based in East Stratford (ie move their team and fans there)?

Could it be that these two bids may actually fizzle out when people actually realise the consequences of buying this white elephant?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Oilympics

Lord Coe, Chairman of the London Olympics, has defended BP's sponsorship of the games and stated to the BBC that the oil spill in the Gulf "does not make a difference to us at all".

BP is a top tier sponsor of the 2012 Games.

London and Florida will both have their own legacies to look forward to.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Mascot To Be Unveiled

Hold onto your hats, at 7PM (BST) tonight, the London 2012 Olympics mascot will be unveiled.

The "buzz" from the London Olympics bunker is that the mascot will be "adventurous", and won't be an animal.

Lord Coe has semi spilt the beans, he has been telling the USA media that the mascots are a child friendly creation formed from a drop of steel from the Olympic Stadium.

Seemingly the mascots are based on a story by children's author Michael Morpurgo, and are aimed aimed particularly at children.

Why would that be?

Well, the games are all about money and the mascots will be sold. Child "I want one" power is an effective marketing tool.

I wonder if it will receive the same "warm" welcome that the "Lisa Simpson Gives Head" logo received?

I'll hazard a guess that it's a couple of marbles.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Olympic Tickets Costs Rise

Unsurprisingly statements made in 2004 by Lord Coe, that the minimum cost of tickets to see the London Olympics 2012 would be around £15 are proving to be a tad exaggerated.

Olympics organisers have back peddled on the £15 starting price, and now say that the price quoted by Lord Coe was based on Dollars and therefore the price has now moved upwards.

Needless to say, the organisers still claim that the tickets will be "highly affordable".

We shall see.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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No Cuts?

In spite of the recession, Lord Coe continues to insist that the "fluid" budget for the London 2012 Olympics (currently standing at £12BN, including £2BN running costs) will not be cut.

Given that the government is planning to make cuts in the public sector of up to 30%, quite how he can make such an unrealistic and frankly ridiculous promise is a mystery.

No project or spending commitment is ringfenced. The Olympics is most certainly a target for cuts, as it is a badly managed waste of money that was not professionally costed at the time of inception.

Coe is quoted:

"The budgets are set so stories that the Olympics might suffer from cuts in public spending are inaccurate."

Coe is wrong, a budget is just that - a budget.

Until the money is spent, the budget can be adjusted up or down (until now, that adjustment has been upwards). Coe knows from his time as an MP that no budget is set in stone, to suggest otherwise is highly misleading and demonstrates and ostrich "head in the sand" mentality.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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