Springtime in Paris

The Olympics torch came a cropper in Paris yesterday, despite heavy police and Chinese protection for the torch, the relay was abandoned in the face of some very assertive protests.

Whether the cost in terms of lousy pr and wasted man hours in protecting the torch, on its round the world relay, is worth it is open to question.

The Olympics Torch

The Olympics torch managed to pass through London yesterday without being stolen, as some protesters tried to do.

There were scuffles and protests along the route, and 35 people were arrested; at some stages, the protection around the flame was three deep, making it almost impossible for the crowd to see it.

After a change of route, the Chinese ambassador was able to carry it unmolested through China town.

The cost of protecting the flame yesterday is estimated to be around £1M.

Money well spent?

The Olympic Torch

The Olympic torch for the 2008 Beijing Games arrives in London today, not via Terminal 5 Heathrow.

It is expected to receive an lively welcome.

Apathy

A poll, commissioned by the BBC, reveals that 70% of British people believe the 2012 London Olympics will bring no real benefit to their area.

This is hardly surprising, the government and quasi bureaucracies have a terrible track record when it comes to managing/implementing large scale projects; eg The Dome, Terminal 5 Heathrow, the budget for the 2012 Olympics etc.

There will be no tangible legacy from the Games that benefit the people of Britain.

The Olympic Torch

The Beijing Olympic torch is due to arrive in London in the coming days, as part of its world tour.

The original plan had been for it to arrive and be "welcomed" at London's "prestigious", "well functioning" new Terminal 5 at Heathrow.

However, given the ongoing fiasco at Heathrow, the torch will now arrive elsewhere in the airport.

This bodes ill for the 2012 London Games.

If we cannot even welcome a torch properly, how on earth do we welcome the thousands of Olympic tourists?

Remains Found

Archaeologists working at the construction site for London's 2012 Olympic Park have uncovered prehistoric skeletons on the site of the Aquatics Centre.

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) said that four skeletons were found, together with Iron Age cooking pots, a Roman coin, Roman river walls, World War II gun emplacements and a complete 19th-century boat used for hunting wild fowl on the River Lea.

Unsurprisingly the ODA is confident that no artefacts will be found that are important enough to require preservation on site, and thus hold up construction work!

I wonder what "legacy"/remains, if any, of the 2012 Games will be discovered 1000 years into the future?

An Ill Omen

The ongoing fiasco at Heathrow Terminal 5 is an ill omen for Britain's Olympics in 2012.

An effective and efficient transport (airports, tube, buses, rail etc) infrastructure is essential for the smooth operation and success of the Games.

The chaos at Terminal 5 is symbolic of our ineffective and inefficient transport infrastructure.

Hypocrisy

Those people, such as Sarkozy, who call for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics might have greater credibility if it were not for the fact that a large amount of Western imported consumer goods and clothes are manufactured in China.

Those who call for a boycott, whilst still enjoying the tangible products of China, are hypocrites.