London 2012: Are green and pleasant Games a real reflection of the UK? - BBC News
Meadows, fields, rivers, farmers tilling the soil and people playing cricket on the village green. It's the British countryside the Olympics opening ceremony will beam around the world. But is this rural idyll a realistic representation of the UK?
On 27 July the Olympic Stadium is to be transformed into country scenes as part of artistic director Danny Boyle's vision of a "Green and Pleasant" land.
He says the show was inspired by Shakespeare's play The Tempest and is about a land recovering from its industrial legacy. It will be a "reflection of part of our heritage" as well as a look to the future.
It is also meant to evoke William Blake's poem Jerusalem, which is seen as an emblem of Englishness.
But at a time when large-scale infrastructure projects such as HS2 and Heathrow's third runway are high on the political landscape, along with nuclear power stations and wind farms, and a rising population, is this rural idyll really recognisable?
For the Times' leader, the image of British life that instantly springs to mind is a somewhat different one.
"No! Not queues at Heathrow passport control and opportunistic entrepreneurs hawking 50p umbrellas for a fiver outside rainy Underground stations.
"It will be a portrait that brushes aside the workaday dust of daily life to reveal a country as recognisable to Caliban [from The Tempest] as his isle 'full of noises, sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not' as it is to John Major as his 'country of long shadows on cricket grounds, warm beer, invincible green suburbs, dog lovers and pools-fillers'," it says.
But it goes on to say Boyle has "rightly, interpreted his task as a celebration of what gives this country tang, a celebration that he aims to be idyllic, but not naive" - noting clouds, that can produce real rain, will hang over the stadium to bring the UK's signature summer weather to the proceedings.
The Daily Mail's Paul Harris is not so generous. He thinks people "could be forgiven for thinking it looked more like the land time forgot".
"Or for wondering, perhaps, if someone had unwittingly recreated Tinky Winky's Teletubbyland instead of Blake's Jerusalem," he goes on.
The Teletubby theme continues in the Daily Express, which thinks "the opening extravaganza is all a bit Laa-laa". "All it seems to need are Tinky Winky, Dipsy and Laa-Laa from the TV series," it says.
The Independent's Grace Dent is even less impressed. "Ducks force-fed shortbread, teens drunk on cider, petrol vigilantes... that's the real countryside, Danny Boyle," she says.
Dent also has a cautionary word about the nation's glee levels potentially dropping to "mild elation".
"You know that bit when the lights go out at the O2 and Kanye West emerges on a 50ft pink neon sugarcube? We want that. You know when Coldplay give out 40,000 LED Xylobands that pulsate right through Hurts Like Heaven when you're two drinks in? That, give us THAT," she says.
So is this vision of a green and pleasant land really the best way to show off the UK?
Rupert Uloth, the deputy editor of Country Life magazine, says it is "wonderful" that the UK is being celebrated through its countryside as it is "one of the most precious and valuable assets we have as a country".
"Lots of visitors come here to see it. For people who live in cities in Britain, it might be a bit of a dream or ideal, but people love getting out to the countryside, which is why we have national parks and a wonderful network of walkways and bridle paths.
"It is great that Danny Boyle is using it as a totem because everyone is aware of it," he says.
For Uloth, using the British countryside as a national emblem is "clever" because it is so unique.
"Because of its hedges, green grass, dairy cows and native trees, it couldn't be any other country in the world. And although cricket is played in other places, the context of a village green is very English," he says.
Uloth agrees projects such as HS2 and Heathrow's potential third runway are topical issues, but he says the fact they are so controversial only accentuates how special the countryside is, and "how worried people are about losing it".
Ellis Cashmore, professor of culture, media and sport at Staffordshire University, thinks Boyle is "a bit of a romantic" and takes an aspirational stance.
"I suppose we have to understand that this is not meant to be a graphic representation, but a satisfying vision of a perfect Britain - the place we'd all like to inhabit, not the actual place where we live out our daily lives," he says.
But he also makes the point that a more urban, or troubled, theme, might not be very picturesque.
"In fairness to Boyle, he wouldn't be expected to design a landscape where there are feral youths rioting in inner cities, or football fans spitting out racist abuse.
"His concession to youth is the moshpits. Are these still current? I thought they were very nineties," he says.
But what of Blake's "dark Satanic mills"?
"Well, it isn't quite William Blake, but it embodies many of the Chariots of Fire ideals," says Cashmore.
London Olympics 'to come in £476m under budget' - BBC News
The London Olympics is set to come in under its £9.3bn budget with £476m of the contingency funding left, according to new government figures.
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said it was "fantastic news" that the games would be on time and under budget.
Ministers expect to be able to return the remaining money to the Treasury.
The £9.3bn budget, which included a £2bn contingency, was set in 2007 and was almost four times the estimated cost at the time London bid in 2005.
The budget was revised upwards after taking into account previously overlooked costs such as VAT, increased security costs, and an expanded brief for the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to regenerate the lower Lea Valley area.
Addressing the original bid budget of £2.4bn, Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said there was a "recognition right from the word go that figure would have to change dramatically on the basis of delivering the Games".
Mr Hunt said: "Britain has proved that not only can we put on a great show for the world to watch like we did with the Jubilee but that we can also deliver big construction projects on time and on budget."
Mr Robertson said the latest figure for the Games, which begin next month, was "a great advert for the British construction industry, for sport and for UK Plc".
Following the success of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the ongoing Olympic torch relay, additional funding of £19m has been earmarked to bolster crowd control and public information for the games.
The money, which will be allocated from within the £9.3bn budget, will pay for additional stewards and crowd flow measures in central London as well as the "last mile" - what organisers describe as the distance between transport hubs and Games venues.
Mr Robertson said: "We know exactly how many tickets have been sold and roughly how many people should be in London. Absolutely nobody knows how many people are going to turn up.
"London this summer is going to be the place to have a party. It is a great national event. It is very difficult for us to know exactly how many people are going to come across on the train, in the car or on the ferry only for a party."
The government confirmed the work of the ODA, which is responsible for developing and building the venues and infrastructure for the games, is 98% complete.
It will not be fully completed until after the Games when the ODA will convert apartments in the Olympic village into thousands of new homes.
Aaron Cook: What more could I have done to gain selection for London 2012 Olympics? asks snubbed taekwondo star - Daily Telegraph
All of these performances were in the -80kg Olympic weight category, not -87kg. Based on the listed performance criteria of British Taekwondo’s, I have been overlooked based on a subjective analysis of criteria not listed in the selection policy and due to British Taekwondo casting doubt on the world rankings and the change in wording (not the actual rules) of head shots.
According to my coach, Patrice Remarck, GB Taekwondo also questioned my ability to perform under pressure and how I might perform in front of a home crowd. I find this a strange point as I have a proven track record of success under pressure at home as well as abroad, including seven British Open wins, an Olympic test event win and the European Championship. I also competed in a world Olympic qualification quarter-final at just 16 years of age.
I am incredibly proud to be world No 1. Contrary to the belief that I am a ‘points chaser‘, I have entered only two extra ranking tournaments to that of the GB academy, a grade one and grade two – the latter US Open was originally part of British Taekwondo’s selection events.
I find performance director Gary Hall’s views in the media on the world rankings last week highly disrespectful to the sport of taekwondo. They imply that it is easy to turn up to low level events and win points, thus undermining my status as the world No 1. This is what they specifically did in front of my coach at the third selection meeting.
Although I accept no ranking system is without its flaws, the world rankings are the world rankings. It was interesting to hear Hall on Sunday on BBC Radio refer to them as “great” having previously said that they were “flawed”.
- Key rule change
Sport Taekwondo UK, the governing body’s high-performance division, has argued that international rule changes on how head shots are scored make Lutalo Muhammad a better medal prospect than Aaron Cook, despite their differing rankings, writes Jessica Winch.
Under the new guidelines, a player has only to touch his opponent’s head to score rather than kick it forcefully, something the selection panel believed weighed in Muhammad’s favour, given his height and flexibility. The new head shot rule was in place at the European Championships last month, where Cook secured gold and Muhammad won the -87kg title.
Unfortunately I will never believe or be convinced that my non-selection for my home Olympics was not politically motivated. When my non-selection was announced, I had the right to challenge its process via a quasi legal body called Sports Resolution. Their findings were very conclusive but we are not allowed to discuss them or release them. Given that selection has now been ratified and British Taekwondo is keen on showing their integrity and transparency, perhaps we can all agree to release this to the media and public for their consideration?
Why have I not been selected? Simple. Because I left the British Taekwondo system last year.
Recently I was asked if I would do the same thing knowing what I know now. I replied, absolutely.
Thanks to the help of my team, including my brother Luke and my coach, I am in the form of my life. I have won seven open titles and the Olympic test event; I have successfully defended my European crown against one of my biggest rivals, Ramin Azizov, a player I was never able to defeat while in the academy; I am world No 1.
My form was not good enough while in the academy: I lost three matches in a row, including at the 2011 World Championships. A mere seven weeks prior to the tournament, the GB academy pulled my coach, Professor Moon. I had previously been given assurances that he would be my coach till London 2012, but instead I was forced to work with a coach, Steven Jennings, with whom I had no relationship and who already had responsibility for three other athletes, including his wife, who would fight on the same day as me. It was crazy.
I am disappointed in UK Sport and its stance. I would like to ask Liz Nicholl, their chief executive, what more I could have done to be selected in terms of performance? Also why did UK Sport sign off on a selection policy with so much subjectivity? Why did the BOA also do this? Should its changes to the structure of GB Taekwondo in 2010 have included changes to the performance structure of the sport?
I also find it puzzling how my results from major championships which I personally funded can go towards my national governing body’s right to seek higher investment in the sport, yet entitle me to nothing. GB Taekwondo claims it has won six golds at the last three major championships, but two of these are mine.
Since I left the academy I worked hard to maintain a professional relationship with those at British Taekwondo. As an athlete I would be the first to congratulate the other players on their success. But I have not been treated fairly or respectfully in this whole process.
I am worried for the future: not just my own, but the future of the sport in Great Britain. I made many sacrifices for the sport in pursuit of my dream. I have no education as I left school at 15 to concentrate on my preparations and qualification for Beijing. My family moved 300 miles from Dorset to Manchester to support me. We have all invested heavily to make this dream happen. We were also supported by some great sponsors and a great sports marketing agency.
However, the message to future Olympians is: “It is not about performance. It is about the system protecting itself.”
I have received so many messages of support from the taekwondo family worldwide and from sports fans in the UK. I thank you all. It saddens me that this whole debacle has happened. It brings our great sport into the headlines for the wrong reasons. It worries me that this may not help the sport of taekwondo as it bids to continue as an Olympic Sport with the IOC review in 2013. This may actually be my last Olympic chance. I hope not.
If I am not competing in the London Games, it will not be the ultimate competition. Citius, Altius, Fortius is the Olympic motto. The competitions are meant to represent the best of the best. The world’s top 15 will be there. But not the world No 1 as things stand.
What more could I have done?
- Taekwondo in turmoil: How the story unfolded
- June 18, 2011
Aaron Cook resigns from the Great Britain world-class performance programme to pursue his own training schedule outside the guidance of GB Taekwondo. - May 6, 2012
Cook wins the European Championship in Manchester, reclaiming the title he won in 2010. Lutalo Muhammad had won the European title in the -87kg category, which is not in the Olympics, the day before. - May 23
GB Taekwondo omits Cook from the London 2012 squad in favour of Muhammad. The formal announcement is delayed after Cook appeals against the decision. - May 25
Cook wins an appeal against GB Taekwondo’s initial decision due to anomalies in statistics and with voting. UK arbitrator Sporting Resolutions ask GB Taekwondo to reconsider. The selectors again favour Muhammad. - May 28
Amid growing disbelief over the decision, Cook appeals to the British Olympic Association over his exclusion from the London 2012 squad. - May 31
The British Olympic Association rejects GB Taekwondo’s nomination in the -80kg weight category and orders a third selection panel. GB Taekwondo defends its decision and says it may appeal the ruling. - June 6
GB Taekwondo agrees to reconvene its selection panel and the five-member team meet in Manchester. Once again they omit Cook in favour of Muhammad. - June 7
The World Taekwondo Federation accuses GB Taekwondo of a “lack of transparency” and bringing the sport into disrepute. The WTF decides to investigate the circumstances of the world No 1’s omission from the team. - June 8
The BOA ratifies the nomination of Muhammad in the -80kg category at London 2012. Cook says he will seek legal advice.
London landlords squeeze cash from dead space - Reuters
LONDON |
LONDON (Reuters) - London landlords are renting out everything from vacant stores to empty sports fields, rooftops and even an abandoned quarry to cash in on the tight supply of space in the UK capital during the Olympic Games this summer.
Eleven million fans, sponsors and athletes are expected to arrive in Europe's second-most crowded city from July, stoking huge demand for storage, temporary shops and vantage points for TV cameras, in turn allowing landlords to cash in on otherwise dead space.
"You'll see usable space created that doesn't currently exist," said Mark Hughes-Webb, managing director of Space-2 Consultancy, a specialist real estate firm that finds buildings for events and film shoots.
"It's been a long time since the Games were in such a densely populated city," Hughes-Webb said. "People are having to be more imaginative."
London, the European Union's most densely populated city after Paris according to EU statistics, will host the games between July 27 and August 12. Homeowners have already hiked rents by up to six times in anticipation of the influx and commercial landlords are getting in on the act.
Unlike the last two Olympic cities of Beijing and Athens, where neighborhoods were demolished to create venues, or they were located in more sparsely populated outlying areas, most of the 34 London sites are at the heart of built-up areas.
The Games' epicenter at Stratford in the east of the city has benefited from a 7 billion pound ($11 billion) injection of infrastructure, sporting venues and homes, revitalizing an area better known for its polluted waterways and industrial estates.
Sites for hire include a former limestone quarry near the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent, southeast England, the owner of which is targeting contractors seeking temporary staff accommodation. Its proximity to a high-speed rail link means it is 30 minutes from the Olympic stadium in Stratford.
VACANT UNITS
Elsewhere the owners of a sports field in Chiswick, west London, are in talks with an overseas group of performers to rehearse for the handover ceremony to Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian city that will host the Games in 2016.
Sites like these can cost between 10,000 to 20,000 pounds a week, Hughes-Webb said.
Also in demand are empty shops, particularly those close to busy retail areas like Oxford Street and Covent Garden, which are being snapped up by the likes of high-end U.S. clothing brand Opening Ceremony to house temporary, pop-up stores.
"Enquiries from landlords looking to lease out their vacant units during the Olympics have risen by 50 percent," said Rosie Cann, director at consultancy Pop-up Space.
Rents can be between a few hundred pounds to 20,000 pounds depending on the location and size. Stores generally remain open for between a day and two weeks, agents said.
Vacant shops around train and subway stations or Olympic venues are being rented by smaller sporting and drinks brands in need of makeshift space to store merchandise, Hughes-Webb said.
Not all attempts to find space are successful. Nike Inc's plan to build a temporary two-storey building to host exercise classes in Regents Park was blocked by Westminster council on the grounds it would ruin the park's appearance.
Equally those with empty space near venues may not see a big pay day. The London Olympic organizing committee (LOCOG) bans non-sponsors from advertising within 300 meters of venues, keeping demand in check, property experts say.
Official sponsors Cadbury, BMW and British Airways are among those companies expected to seek temporary space near Olympic venues, which include a man-made beach on the Greenwich peninsula on the Thames built specially for the Games.
PANORAMIC VIEWS
Australian developer Lend Lease owns large chunks of land around the O2 arena, also on the Greenwich peninsula and the venue of the gymnastics and basketball competitions. It will lease out land earmarked for redevelopment to Olympic sponsors to make a short-term return and in an attempt to lure permanent office tenants to the area.
"We are most definitely making money from this," Simon Donaldson, Lend Lease's head of retail operations said, declining to say how much but adding it would be substantially more without the LOCOG rules.
Elsewhere demand from film crews keen to capture panoramic views of the London skyline has pushed up prices for rooftop space. Fees are likely to double from their norm outside of the Games to 300 pounds per hour over the period, Hughes-Webb said.
Developers of the 95-storey Shard skyscraper next to London Bridge train station, about six kilometers from the Olympic park, have been approached by a string of broadcasters about filming from western Europe's tallest tower, a spokesman told Reuters, declining to give further details.
Cash-strapped local councils are also getting in on the act. Newham, home to the Olympic stadium, has rented out the upper floors of two largely empty apartment blocks next to the Olympic Park to broadcasters BBC and Al Jazeera, while Redbridge council in northeast London is leasing out a forest to a temporary hotel company to house 4,200 Olympic security staff for an undisclosed sum.
Yet many landlords are missing out as they are unaware of the strength of demand for storage space, or the value of being close to the Olympic park, Hughes-Webb said.
"People are fixated on what the space is, not what it could be. They're looking at it and saying 'it's just an empty field'," Hughes-Webb added. "Well, it's not to us." ($1 = 0.6469 British pounds)
(Editing by Tom Bill and David Holmes)
London 2012 Olympics: Philip Hindes makes Great Britain sprint squad - The Guardian
Philip Hindes is the surprise inclusion in the Great Britain track cycling team for the London Olympic Games after being named on Wednesday – at the tender age of 19 – as starter in the team sprint squad alongside Sir Chris Hoy.
Less surprising was the inclusion of David Millar in the men's road squad. The 35-year-old Scot was banned for two years in 2004 after admitting use of the banned blood booster EPO. He is now a fervent anti-doping campaigner and was last month officially cleared to compete at the London Games after the British Olympic Association's bylaw banning drug cheats for life was revoked.
According to the GB head coach, Shane Sutton, Hindes, who was born in Germany, could emulate the squad's discovery of 2008, his other team-mate Jason Kenny.
"Philip is the find of the century as far as I'm concerned and he could follow the same course as Jason," said Sutton. Like Kenny, Hindes has risen rapidly at the right time, coming from left field to claim a place in the squad: like the Lancastrian in 2008, he is expected to improve right up to the very last moment.
Hindes, who is still officially part of the academy, put himself into contention after being selected for the world championships in Melbourne in April. He shaved a fifth of a second off his personal best for the opening lap there in spite of a problem with the start gate, posting the fourth fastest time in qualifying, although the team was disqualified for changing outside the designated zone. That was clearly a setback, but his sheer speed appears to have convinced the Great Britain coaches, and Sutton has waxed lyrical about his application since then.
"Philip has really moved on since the worlds. He's very dialled, very focused. He's got leaner, he's been living like a podium athlete for the last few months and when he tapers he will go faster than in Melbourne for sure. It's incredible the way he has applied himself, above and beyond the call of duty.
"He's always been strong over the first half lap, his strength has been what he produces between a quarter and a half. His delivery [the ability to release the man following him in the three-man team sprint line-up] hasn't been great but he's young and he's moving on at a rapid pace."
Hindes was born in Krefeld, Germany, and represented Germany at the junior world championships in 2010, where, en route to the bronze medal, he became the youngest rider ever to go below 18sec for the first lap in the team sprint. He joined the Great Britain sprint academy – he qualifies through his British father – at the end of that year having made initial contact through the British sprint squad's German coach Jan van Eijden.
"He gives us something we were looking for, which we weren't finding with Ross [Edgar – the previous option at man one]," said Sutton. "He gives us that extra kick. Keeping Jason at man two and Sir Chris at man three means Chris in particular can concentrate on keeping his length [the capacity to sustain an effort over more than one lap] for the keirin."
Since 2010 and the retirement of Jamie Staff, whose electric start contributed hugely to the team's gold medal in Beijing, Great Britain have been continually experimenting with the team sprint lineup.
Other riders who have come into the frame and drifted out include Edgar – named as a reserve – the BMX rider Liam Phillips and the 2000 Olympic kilometre champion Jason Queally as a possible man three behind Kenny and Hoy.
Edgar did not go fast enough from man one at the London World Cup and was not selected for the world championships, but remained in contention for a place and will train as part of the squad until London, in essence as back-up in case one of the squad falls ill or is injured. He is a versatile athlete, who was close to being selected at man two in Beijing until Kenny's meteoric rise that spring, and who took silver in the keirin in China behind Hoy.
GB cycling teams for London 2012
Track men's sprint Sir Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny, one from Philip Hindes, Ross Edgar, Matt Crampton
Women's sprint Jess Varnish, Victoria Pendleton
Track men's endurance Peter Kennaugh, Ed Clancy, Andy Tennant, Steven Burke, Geraint Thomas
Women's endurance Wendy Houvenaghel, Laura Trott, Jo Rowsell, Dani King
BMX Liam Phillips, Shanaze Reade
Mountain bike Liam Killeen, Annie Last
Women's road Nicole Cooke, Emma Pooley, Lizzie Armitstead, Sharon Laws, Lucy Martin, Katie Colclough
Men's road Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins, David Millar, Chris Froome, Steve Cummings, Jeremy Hunt, Ian Stannard, Ben Swift
London Olympics 2012: Millar Gets Road Race Nod - ibtimes.co.uk
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On the track, four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy leads the sprint contingent in London, with Jason Kenny and Philip Hindes making up the remainder of the male squad.
Hoy, who in London will compete at his fourth games, is proud to be representing Team GB on home turf.
"It's a huge honour to be selected to represent your country at an Olympic Games," he said. "It's even more special to know I'm definitely part of the team for London 2012. This will be my fourth Olympics but my first home Games, and it's going to be an amazing experience and a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us.
"The standard in the British cycling team is so high and the selection process is always going to be tough, but there's a great atmosphere in the team and we just need to keep putting in the hours in training and make sure we're in the best shape possible for race day.
British Cycling are however yet to decide whether Hoy or Kenny, who edged the Scot in the World Championships in Melbourne earlier in the year, will take the one individual sprint spot for London, an event which the 36 year-old Hoy is currently Olympic champion.
Victoria Pendleton and Jessica Varnish will look to match their gold medal winning performance at February's World Championships, with both making up the female sprint team.
In the endurance events, all attention will be on the male and female sprint quartets hoping to replicate their Melbourne heroics come London, while Laura Trott will hope to build on her omnium world title. Ed Clancy will compete in the men's omnium event.
Shanaze Reade and Liam Phillips will hope to build on their Olympic debuts with medals in the BMX competition, while Liam Killeen and Annie Last make up the Mountain Biking team.
Reade is hoping support from her British support can help to glory come this summer.
"I'm really excited to have been selected for the London 2012 Olympic Games," she said. "If the test event and the recent World Championships in Birmingham are anything to go by, the home support will be a massive boost to me. I feel that I am in good form at the moment and I'm really motivated for this. I just can't wait to race."
Team GB Cycling squad:
Track (Sprint):
Philip Hindes, Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny, Victoria Pendleton, Jessica Varnish
Track (Endurance):
Steven Burke, Edward Clancy, Wendy Houvenaghel, Peter Kennaugh, Danielle King, Joanna Rowsell , Andrew Tennant, Geraint Thomas, Laura Trott
BMX:
Liam Phillips, Shanaze Reade
Cross Country Mountain Biking:
Liam Killeen, Annie Last
Men's Road (five to be selected)
Mark Cavendish, Steve Cummings, Chris Froome, Jeremy Hunt, David Millar, Ian Stannard, Ben Swift, Bradley Wiggins
Women's Road (four to be selected)
Lizzie Armitstead, Nicole Cooke, Katie Colclough, Sharon Laws, Lucy Martin, Emma Pooley
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