London 2012 unveils Olympic medal bearers' costumes and bouquets - The Guardian
The final piece of the London Olympics design jigsaw has been unveiled, with the first appearance of the Games podiums, the costumes worn by medal bearers and the bouquets presented at medal ceremonies.
In a distinct break with previous events, all but the floral arrangements have been created by students, a decision organisers say highlights the intention to provide a legacy to the city's young people.
Similarly unprecedented is the fact that the majority of the designers are not British nationals. Of the five co-creators of the "royal purple" podiums, which feature a zigzag edge to mimic the jagged lines of the official 2012 logo, two are South Korean, one from China, one is French and the other is a US national. All were Royal College of Art (RCA) students when Olympic officials launched a design contest.
The designer of the two outfits for female medal bearers and athlete escorts, fitted one-piece creations in the same colour, is another overseas RCA student, Trine Hav Christensen, from Denmark, whose final MA show at the college opened this week. The accompanying hat was created by a Briton, Zara Gorman, who left RCA in 2010.
For the first time at an Olympics, some of the medal bearers – all of whom are volunteers – will be male. Their sharply cut purple suit was designed by another recent RCA graduate, Tom Crisp from Kent.
London 2012 bouquets by Jane Packer The only established designers were used for the flowers, created by the studio of celebrated London-based florist Jane Packer, who died part-way through the process late last year.
Niccy Hallifax, who is organising victory ceremonies at London 2012, said the decision to use students was based on London's promise at the bidding process for the event to use the Games to help the city's young.
"The designs are very contemporary, very British, but also take on board our brand and/or stories," she said. "It was really important for us that, certainly with the podium and the costumes, we're launching the next generation of designers."
Once the decision was taken to use RCA students, Hallifax said, it was inevitable that those involved would come from the range of backgrounds. "We are a multicultural country and the RCA in particular draws people from all over the world. The creative industry is very strong in the UK, and the art colleges in particular.
"It was very important to us that we were truly inclusive. It's about bringing the world to London. The designers reflect that."
The bulk of the attention is likely to be focused on the volunteers' outfits, which Hallifax described as having "a very fresh look, which doesn't overpower the athletes".
Medal-bearer outfits have had a chequered history at previous Olympics, with designers generally opting for a variant, or pastiche, of the national outfits, such as the close-fitted cheongsam-type dresses used in Beijing in 2008, or the traditional, rural-style outfits seen in Athens four years before.
This can have its perils for nations where the national outfit is less clear – for example the awkward-looking bushranger coats and hats seen in Sydney in 2000.
The 2012 outfits have opted for a modern look, albeit one that, at first glance, veers closely towards the sort of clothes usually seen on airline cabin crew.
The designers said they had attempted to incorporate British elements: Christensen said the zips dotted around her women's outfits referenced punk; Crisp said he was inspired by Savile Row. Gorman said her sleekly cut hats were influenced by the lines of Olympic buildings such as the velodrome.
London launches world's largest 'low-emission zone' - EurActiv.com
The scheme, which begins on 4 February 2008 and will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, will initially apply only to large diesel trucks weighing over 12 tonnes.
Cameras around the zone will check their number plates against a database of vehicles registered as meeting the EU's 'Euro' limits on emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) – two pollutants found in exhaust fumes that are blamed for serious health and environmental problems.
Those exceeding the limits will be fined a daily fee of £200 and risk a further £1,000 fine if they fail to pay up. Truck-drivers from abroad also risk paying the fine unless they register their vehicle in advance and it meets the required standards.
The scheme will be extended to cover buses and coaches in July and to large vans and minibuses in October 2010.
Transport for London (TfL), which is implementing the £49 million project, says it will improve quality of life for Londoners and reduce the number of people suffering from asthma, cardio-vascular disease and other health conditions, cutting healthcare bills by £250 million.
"Levels of particulate matter in many parts of London are way over EU standards […] Air quality is the worst in Britain and among the worst in Europe […] The Mayor has a legal obligation to take steps towards meeting national and European Union air quality objectives which are designed to protect human health," explained the body.
But hauliers say the new rules will be very expensive despite having achieving only a "minimal benefit".
"This scheme achieves very little that would not have been achieved anyway as the result of enhanced EU engine standards. Londoners, and lorry operators, are having to pay an enormous price […] for a trivial improvement in air quality. The biggest pollution from traffic in London comes from cars and the scheme does not apply to them," said Gordon Telling, head of policy for the UK's Freight Transport Association.
70 towns and cities in eight European countries including Norway, the Netherlands and Germany already have or are planning low emission zones. But London's scheme, covering a 1,577-square kilometre zone inhabited by 7.5 million people, will be "the largest in the world by a significant margin", according to TfL.
The implementation will be closely followed at EU level as the Commission is preparing a package of measures aimed at greening transport in Europe's cities (EurActiv 26/09/07). One measure under consideration is the introduction of harmonised rules on urban green zones that would enable local authorities across Europe to implement similar schemes to the one in London, while preventing a fragmented patchwork of different zones and standards.
London 2012: Olympic organisers reveal the official scent of victory - The Sport Review
London 2012′s official scent of victory has been revealed – a potent combination of mint, rosemary, English lavender and wheat.
Organisers have unveiled the look of all victory celebrations by revealing how the podiums, ceremonial costumes and medallists’ flowers bouquets will appear this summer.
And it appears their favourite novel must by Alice Walker’s The Colour Purple.
Over 805 carefully choreographed victory ceremonies will be staged over 30 venues and for the first time in Olympic history the medal bearers will also be male.
The costumes and podium have been designed by a team of students from the Royal College of Art while UK florist Jane Packer has crafted a victory bouquet that combines a rose, the most iconic of English flowers, with traditional herbs.
“The victory ceremonies mark the moment athletes can celebrate and share their achievements with fans in the stadiums and a worldwide TV audience,” said London 2012 chairman Seb Coe.
“I’m delighted that we have worked with not only with established British designers but also with the next generation of designers to create this special moment for them.”
© Sportsbeat 2012
London Welsh to contest decision soon – Rugby News Update - Bettor.com
London Welsh to contest decision soon – Rugby News Update
London Welsh, a club that plays in the Championship, the second tier of rugby in England have defeated the Cornish Pirates over a two-legged final to be declared champions.
However, they are not being allowed promotion into the Aviva Premiership, the top tier of rugby in England, as they do not fill the minimum requirement criteria. Their application to join the country’s elite was rejected by the Professional Game Board, a decision that was upheld by the Rugby Football Union.
After securing the title, the club is keen to fight their case in order to secure their promotion into the top flight. They have a minimum of three months to know what tier they will be playing in, as the new season will start by then. It provides the club a very small window of opportunity to take the matter to court or settle for an out of court settlement. London Welsh were waiting till the season concluded, and now that they have emerged winners, they are in a strong bargaining position.
Club chairman, Bleddyn Phillips, said, "We shall be lodging an appeal in the very near future and in parallel we are pursuing all other available opportunities to make sure we can take our rightful and deserved place in the Aviva Premiership."
John Taylor, the managing director of the club has said that the refusal of the RFU has brought the situation into a tipping point. He referenced the need of the RFU to make the Championship a professional body, and they need to support the lower league teams, in order to create a culture where the teams have an opportunity to advance.
He said, "The feeling is that even if we were to be in a situation at the end of it for whatever reason we didn't win this appeal, and we are going to fight it very, very hard, things will never be the same again. They will not be prepared to go through this again at the end of next season.”
It is going to be a long summer for London Welsh and they have to make important decisions regarding the future of the club.
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