London 2012: How Zara Phillips reached the Olympics - again - BBC News
In the latest part of our weekly #olympicthursday series on leading British hopes, BBC Olympic sports reporter Ollie Williams profiles eventer Zara Phillips.
"It's not even a conversation that will take place. Zara's on the team, the team are staying in the village, end of story."
Zara Phillips is in line for her Olympic debut at long last, representing Great Britain from a room in the Olympic village - not representing the Royal Family from exclusive lodgings.
"Zara is absolutely a team player," continues Will Connell, performance director for British equestrian sport.
"She doesn't seek the limelight - it's never Zara stirring up the media frenzy, she lets her results do the talking. There's no denying who her mother and grandmother are but she is, first and foremost, an elite equestrian athlete."
Phillips, now 31, has spent a decade proving her talent. A former world champion, she has twice been in contention for the Olympic Games and twice missed out through injury to her horse, Toytown.
This week, she earned nomination to the British Olympic Association as one of five riders in the eventing team for London 2012.
Her third Olympic nomination in succession caps a resurgent 12 months. For a time, it had looked as though carrying the Olympic torch at Cheltenham racecourse was as close to the Games as she might get.
Phillips spent her twenties enjoying remarkable success with Toytown, winning eventing's world title in 2006 and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award later that year.
But after missing Beijing 2008, Toytown's age began to show. A horse can only go on at the top level for so long and Phillips, tears in her eyes, gave Toytown a public retirement at Gatcombe last year.
"In our sport you're very lucky to find a horse of a lifetime and I found mine relatively early," she told the Daily Telegraph in 2010. "[Toytown] has done everything for me and I owe him the world. Even talking about that horse makes me well up."
With Toytown out of the picture, Phillips had to prove she was no one-horse wonder by finding another challenger and getting them to the top level in time for Olympic selection.
She managed it, in the nick of time, with a horse named High Kingdom - taking him from the most basic of introductory events in Wiltshire five years ago to third place at last week's Bramham horse trials, her last chance to prove the pair had what it takes for the Olympic Games.
"She's been with High Kingdom a long time," says Connell. "She's always been diligent in working hard when it isn't necessarily going right with a horse - she perseveres. She plugged away with him and has done a fantastic job to bring him all the way up through the grades.
"Together, they finished 10th at Burghley last autumn and perhaps that's when he really burst onto the scene. Burghley was probably the result that, to the wider audience, said Zara has a horse that could go to London.
"This is an up-and-coming horse, a horse whose star is in the ascendancy, and [in terms of Olympic selection] that's probably what tipped it over the edge."
After Bramham, Phillips told BBC Sport: "Last year was a big year. He improved massively and came up with the goods [at Burghley]. He's still improving this year and he's a great, fun horse."
Phillips still faces the formality of having the British Olympic Association rubber-stamp her selection to Team GB but, once that happens, she can expect unique challenges as an Olympic team member.
Alongside all the usual pressures athletes place on themselves, the phenomenon of a British Royal competing at a London Olympic Games will inevitably draw intense scrutiny from the media at home and abroad.
"Zara attracts a massive amount of media attention and the challenge will come around that," says Connell.
"The media could impact on Zara's medal-winning chances. It really wouldn't be fair if every time Zara trained, there were a hundred cameramen, and when [German eventing star] Michael Jung's training, there aren't. But that's something Zara's had to cope with throughout her career.
"Part of what makes her successful is her ability to ignore all that. When she won the individual world title, she had to go into an arena with over 50,000 spectators and jump after the Germans had clinched team gold. The pressure and noise were incredible, but she's very cool under pressure. She has a proven championship record."
Asked if her Royal status was a help or hindrance, Phillips once told ITV: "It's a hindrance. People think it was all given to me on a plate and it definitely wasn't.
"But everyone in the sport is good to me. Everyone gets on with it."
Phillips' parents, both Olympic eventers themselves, must know how their daughter feels. The Princess Royal competed at Montreal 1976 and Captain Mark Phillips won team gold at Munich 1972 before returning to win team silver 16 years later in Seoul.
"They very much support me," said Phillips in the same interview. "They've never pushed me but when I started they very much backed me up.
"They're both very knowledgeable, unfortunately. They give me lots of advice - and criticism. But our sport is very different now to when they were competing, which I keep telling them."
There is now an anxious wait to see if Phillips can finally follow in the family footsteps. Will injury strike a third time?
"This is a great challenge we face in equestrian sport," explains Connell. "If a human athlete wakes up one morning and say they're feeling tight in a tendon or whatever, you can tweak the training programme.
"The horse doesn't know the most important competition of its life is coming up, and that introduces a different dynamic. It can't tell you the same things.
"But if they are to win medals in London, the horses have to be very fit and competition-aware. They can't just be put away in a stable now and pulled out at the Games. They will all compete again and that brings the inevitable risk of a slight injury."
As Phillips said ahead of Beijing 2008, before Toytown's second injury nightmare: "To go with all the other sports would be a great dream, but you still have to get there. One step at a time."
London Olympics Outpaced by Economic Woes - Wall Street Journal
By ALICE SPERI
LONDON—With just six weeks to go before the start of the summer Olympics, the Games aren't shaping up as a medal winner for British tourism.
Despite the anticipated arrival of 600,000 to 700,000 Olympics visitors to the country in July and August, U.K. tourism officials say that overall overseas visits to Britain will be about the same in 2012 as the prior year, about 30.7 million. They expect visitor spending to be unchanged at £17.9 billion ($27.7 billion).
One problem is the sour global economy, especially in Europe, which is causing a "real absence of consumer confidence," said David Edwards, head of research and forecasting at VisitBritain, the national tourism agency. "Without the Games, it would be a much more challenging year."
But the Olympics themselves also are a hindrance, as some travelers avoid London because they fear overpriced hotel rooms, crowds or other problems.
The country's tourism officials have already discounted a short-term boost and are now hoping that benefits from the event will accrue in the coming years, propelled by the event's publicity bounty.
Some in the industry say U.K. tourism during the Olympic period—from July 27 to Aug. 12—may actually decline. Half the attractions and hotel operators polled by UKInbound, a tourism trade association, said they expected fewer visitors in July and August than in last year's period, a "significantly less optimistic" outlook than earlier polls. London hotels' occupancy is usually 85% year-round on average.
"The industry is very concerned and the government should be too," said Mary Rance, UKInbound's chief executive.
The association's respondents described the Games as a short-term setback rather than an asset to tourism. Others in the industry say a change in tourism patterns is normal in such circumstances.
"Some displacement of regular visitors was always expected but most observers believe that this loss will be made up by visitors who are coming to London primarily for the Games," a spokesman for the British Hospitality Association said.
Some potential visitors were likely frustrated by high hotel prices, particularly after, in 2005, the London 2012 Organising Committee block-booked 40,000 rooms, mainly for media, visiting officials and sponsors, driving up costs for the remaining available rooms. This year, the committee returned 20% of those rooms to hotels, leaving some scrambling to fill rooms.
"Arguably, the usual traveler has been put off by the higher hotel prices and the hotel-room shortage when the London Olympics committee overestimated the number of rooms they required for officials," said Jason Doll-Steinberg, director of tour operator British Tours Ltd.
Mr. Doll-Steinberg said that his business has recently tapered off after doing well earlier this year. "It's possible these were visitors who came early to avoid the Olympic rush," he said.
Among those benefitting from higher hotel prices and lower-than-expected bookings are short-term home rental services like Onefinestay, which will host the U.S. volleyball team and promised it a refund if its members win the gold medal.
Greg Marsh, the company's chief executive, said Onefinestay is receiving up to 1,000 inquiries a day, far more than normal, for rooms averaging £200 to £220 a night, and believes it will receive even more during a last-minute rush for rooms closer to the Games' start date.
"We've seen some hotels' prices, they are crazy," Mr. Marsh said. "We've been more cautious about pricing."
For airlines, the Olympics are expected to boost arrivals in London, with 13% more bookings between July 23 and Aug. 12 than during the year-earlier period, a report by market research company Forward Data shows. U.S. visitors will account for nearly a fifth of those air arrivals, with Russia, France, the Netherlands also sending more people. Fewer visitors are booked to fly in from Australia, Canada and Italy than in prior years.
Arrivals will peak on July 26, a day before the Opening Ceremonies, with more than 14,000 inbound travelers scheduled to reach the capital on that day, the data show.
Many in the industry insist the real benefit will be the Olympics' legacy, and say the tourism industry will reap the benefits long after the Games are over.
VisitBritain hopes publicity generated by the Olympics to particularly attract new visitors from emerging markets. In 2011, the number of Brazilians coming to Britain increased by 50%, and that of Chinese visitors by one-third, albeit from a small base.
But travelers from some of these countries are turned off by long visa application processing times, said Ms. Rance of UKInbound, who called on the government to cut the wait to avoid losing tourism to more welcoming countries.
A marketing campaign, launched by Prime Minister David Cameron last fall and run by VisitBritain, is forecast to bring in 4.6 million extra visitors—and £2.3 billion in increased tourism revenue—over the next four years. "The Games will be a monthlong advert for Britain and London," Mr. Edwards of VisitiBritain said. "This is a huge opportunity."
A version of this article appeared June 15, 2012, on page A9 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: London Olympics Outpaced by Economic Woes.
London torch relay to visit Buckingham Palace - Reuters UK
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London tourist's illegally parked car blown-up by police - BBC News
A London tourist had his car blown up by anti-terrorist officers after it broke down - and he was also given a parking ticket.
Nima Hosseini Razi, 32, said his Ford Mondeo had broken down in early hours of Wednesday close to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.
He said he had left a note on the car to say: "This car is broke. Please do not fine me," before going sightseeing.
But when he returned hours later, "the boot was blown off".
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "We can confirm there was a suspect vehicle at Storey's Gate at 10.20am on Wednesday and a controlled explosion took place... the incident was subsequently deemed as non-suspicious."
Westminster Conservative Councillor Daniel Astaire said: "On this occasion the driver was parked in a very dangerous place, on yellow lines, so police instructed our parking attendant to issue the driver with a ticket."
'Extremely arrogant'Mr Razi, who is studying for an MBA at the University of Wales, said he had left a note on his car explaining: "Dear Sir or Madam, this car is broken. I am just waiting for the AA to arrive. Please do not fine! Thank you, yours sincerely."
He said he had gone off to visit some of London's sights, including Buckingham Palace, but when he returned to the car "the windows were smashed in pieces. I was completely shocked".
"Police wanted to remove the car. They covered the car with some of my stuff left in it.
"On the window, they had fined me."
He added: "The police's actions were extremely arrogant and unprofessional.
"They treated me like a terrorist. They were never interested in listening to my real story."
Scotland Yard has not responded to Mr Razi's comments.
London men stake their place in the fashion spending arena - fashion.telegraph.co.uk
Notable rises in male spending have been reported ahead of London's first men's fashion week, London Collections: Men.
BY Alice Newbold | 14 June 2012
Burberry men's live stream Photo: REX
The reputation of menswear has long been shackled by the image of begrudging males sitting outside female changing rooms on endless, uninspiring weekend quests to department stores. Or the stalwart socks and tie or socks and knitwear combo invariably bought for fathers and grandfathers across the British nation for birthdays and holidays, alike.
Tarnishing the notion that men remain only excited about football, Rihanna and varieties of lager are the American Express Business Insights team. Ahead of London Collections: Men, which launches today, the banking sector conducted a study assessing the aggregated spending behaviour of millions of card members. The trend that emerged was, ironically (and pun-worthy), men's fashion.
READ: London to get its own Men's Fashion Week(end)
The data analytics arm of America Express found that males born after 1982 - "Generation Y" - increased their overall spending on fashion faster than all other generations. Shopping at a heightened rate of 4% year on year, 2011 over 2010, Generation Y whipped out their plastic at twice the rate of the next fastest generation, the "Baby Boomers" (those born between 1945 and 1964).
Tagging the male mentality towards fashion as a basic "famine or feast approach", men, it appears, resist high street splurges in favour of luxury goods, spending 24% more per transaction, though less often, than their female counterparts.
Commenting on Burberry's announcement last month that they had experienced a 26% increase in menswear sales, chief executive of the British heritage brand, Angela Ahrendts said: "In this economic environment, men want to look better, they want to look sharper."
READ: Burberry's Angela Ahrendts: men want to look smart
While Burberry's tailoring and enhanced ranges drove a 26% rise in their menswear sales, the overall year-on-year spending on luxury fashion increased by 5.7% in Generation Y men and 1% in all males. British male shoppers subsequently snubbed mainstream lines decreasing their spending by 1.2%, while women lapped up the high street, spending 0.7% less on luxury goods and 5.7% more on high street fashion fixes.
"There is a reason that London is hosting its first men's fashion week: men in the city are clearly staking their place in the fashion spending arena," affirms Sujata Bhatia, vice president of International Business Insights at American Express.
Is that Christian Bale behind the wheel? Bizarre car pictured whizzing around London looks like it has just driven off the set of new Batman film - Daily Mail
- 60k KTM X-Bow - one of only 30 made - with Kuwaiti number plate was spotted in Knightsbridge
- The area has become the racing car playground of rich Middle Eastern motorists
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This bizarre looking sports car wouldn't look amiss on the set of the latest Batman movie.
But while Cate Blanchett and Christian Bale were filming scenes for Knight of Cups in Venice, California, a mystery man was driving this 'batmobile' around London.
Wearing a Black helmet and full leathers, the driver of this black KTM with a Kuwaiti licence plate seemed very keen to keep his identity a secret as he drove through Hyde Park to Knightsbridge in London earlier today.
Day rider: A mystery man dressed in black was pictured taking this odd looking car for a spin around London
Far from home: The KTM sports car, which generally have a price tage of well over 60,000, has a Kuwait licence plate
The KTM car appears to be an X-Bow model - one of only 30 made, which cost more than 60,000 each.
The completely roofless super car is stripped to the bare basics and aimed at driving purists. It can do 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds and can reach a top speed of 137mph.
Onlooker Justin Thomas, 28, from London, happened to be riding his bike home when he spotted the bizarre contraption and quickly took some snaps of the car as it whizzed past.
He said: 'I just spotted this ridiculous looking car and thought I have to get a photo of it otherwise people won't believe I saw it.
'It was like something out of Knight Rider or Batman. The car would have looked more at home on the set of an action movie rather than in the middle of central London.
Jubilee celebrations: This Lamborghini LP640, emblazoned with the Omani flag on the roof and side, had a picture of the Queen on the front in honour of the monarch's 60 years on the throne
Reckless: An Iraqi playboy has been slammed for driving this Ferrari 599 at up to 120mph around central London streets
'After taking the photo I gave the driver a thumbs up before he revved the engine and sped off.
'Despite having no roof, the driver must have been quite hot as he appeared to be dressed head to toe in black leather.'
Super cars are often spotted in Knightsbridge, the London playground for the rich and famous, and many have customised and decorated individually.
In the run-up to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, one driver even emblazoned a picture of the Royal family on their Lamborghini.
Meanwhile, many Knightsbridge residents have complained about super racing around London streets at top speeds.
It comes after an Iraqi millionaire was filmed recklessly driving his 200mph super car around London in footage posted on YouTube.
The millionaire show-off was seen speeding through Knightsbridge in his turquoise Ferrari 599 without any regard for the safety of pedestrians and other motorists.
Residents have forged a campaign group and aired their grievances to Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, claiming that police and council have failed to act over these super car racers.
Strangely familiar:The real Batmobile at the Batman Begins premiere in Leicester Square, London
On set: Cate Blanchett and Christian Bale filming scenes for the new Batman film in California
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