London Olympics 2012: BOA Panicking After Beckham Gaffe - ibtimes.co.uk
"From our perspective we would be delighted and honoured to have David involved with Team GB in some way," Hunt said.
"I totally and utterly respect Stuart's professional judgement and decision on the 18 players he has selected, but more broadly in respect to David having some involvement in Team GB that would be fantastic. I've actually made contact with his representative over the weekend and we'll wait to see how that moves forward.
"We're not upset about it and we're completely happy that the decision on selecting the team was absolutely down to Stuart," he added.
"As we've said before we massively respect the contribution that David has brought for not only winning the Games for London but also along this entire journey and I hope that he will have some association with the Games and potentially the broader team."
The selection of the Olympic football team stood alone in the process of ratifying Team GB's squad for the Games. Previously, main governing bodies had submitted nominations to the BOA for ratification before official confirmation of each of the places.
The two tired system, allowing NGB's only part control over the athletes they could enter, led to a skirmish over the inclusion of Taekwondo European Champion Lutalo Muhammad, which worked to undermine the authority of Great Britain Taekwondo.
Pearce was handed free reign over selecting his squad, in the knowledge BOA bigwigs could not overturn his decision. With a one-man selection panel, justifying a mirrored system of the 25 Olympic sports would have been a tough task for the BOA without inadvertently undermining the manager. Of course, had the system which saw Muhammad's inclusion refuted been employed for football as well, Beckham could well have been handed a reprieve.
"What I think we should remember is that there are at least 500 other athletes like David Beckham that have not been selected that passionately wanted to represent Team GB at the Games," Hunt said.
"Will I be pleased when we get to the road? Yes, it's been a long old journey but it's so important to get it right and the whole way through as Stuart said, you have to look yourself in the mirror, you know you've applied the highest integrity with every decision and I feel the same in terms of ratifying every decision that has gone on and it has been an extraordinary task for our games but I'm happy with where we're at.
"In an ideal world I would love to have known earlier and we've had various discussions with the FA on that point but like all good partnerships sometimes these things don't quite go to plan, we'll be working together to make sure the men's and women's team have the best possible chance of success at the Games. It was not an ideal way to find out that a player had not been selected. In some relationships you don't get the administration quite right."
Given the obvious disappointment from the BOA over Beckham's exclusion, Pearce, under pressure, should be praised for sticking to his guns. The England Under-21 boss was likely to be castigated, whether he included Beckham or not with his managerial integrity or footballing assessment likely to take a hit.
In rejecting the clamour for Beckham's inclusion, Pearce has added integrity to the tournament, in not allowing sentimentality into his selection policy, and portrayed a feeling of seriousness towards winning a medal at the Games; something that amid the sport's current standing within the Olympic ideals, is relatively a novel approach.
"I realise that whatever three over-age players I picked, would cause - I wouldn't say controversy - but everyone would be polarised on certain opinions," Pearce said. "It would be why is he is, why isn't he in?
"The one thing that I can say is I sit here in front of you and I have to give an honest answer, I have to make sure that in my mind I have chosen the best possible squad from what I've seen.
"I've shown due diligence in watching the players as much as I can and our scouting network have been out since the day that I was announced to be the Team GB manager."
Unfortunately, controversy is the only thing that Pearce has stirred. The absence of Beckham, and the injury to Gareth Bale means interest in what is a second-rate squad has been reflected by low ticket sales.
How will LOCOG bridge the gap and sell tickets following Beckham's non-selection? That's a situation all in itself.
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London 2012 Olympics: 24 days to go - live blog - The Guardian
Hello and welcome to today’s Olympics live blog.
Coming up today:
• The Team GB athletics squad will be announced – we’ll have live coverage from about 1pm. Dwain Chambers is expected to make a return to the Olympic arena after an absence of 12 years, joining teenager Adam Gemili in the 100m. It will be interesting to see whether head coach Charles van Commenee picks for the 800m team Jenny Meadows, who won a bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin but has had an achilles injury for the last six months. Meanwhile Lynsey Sharp has been in great form lately but has not run the necessary qualifying time, although she has beaten all her three British rivals. A quirk in the rules means that Van Commenee and his fellow selectors could select Sharp, but only if they left out everyone else and decided to send her alone in the 800m. The alternative would be that Sharp is left out, but three of the runners she has beaten go instead.
• Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, has given some Olympic tips to the capital's about-to-be long-suffering commuters. More details as I get them.
In Olympic news so far this morning:
• Gary Lineker carried the Olympic torch in his home city of Leicester, where he played from 1976 to 1985, this morning. I'll put a picture up as soon as I get one. The torch is travelling from Leicester to Peterborough today. If you are out taking a look send me a photo at paul.owen@guardian.co.uk.
• Sun Yang, the 1,500m freestyle swimming world-record holder, has given a modest and downbeat speech to China’s national swimming team. He told his team-mates:
I feel like a tough warrior, with shield in hand. I am about to go all out. I am ready, London. We are coming. Chinese men are coming!
• The Olympics will deliver a £16.5bn boost to the UK economy by 2017 and help create the equivalent of 62,200 jobs, a new report has claimed. The estimated benefits are from 2005, when the Games were awarded, to the five years after the Games finish, and will come mainly as a result of building Olympic sites and the boost to tourism, according to the study by Lloyds Banking Group. Lloyds, whose Lloyds TSB is a London 2012 sponsor, said nearly a third of the gains - worth £5bn - will come over the five years following the event, when Olympic sites are converted to other uses and tourism continues to see a boost.
• Michael Phelps is dropping out of the 200m freestyle at the London Olympics, leaving the American swimmer with seven events for his Games swansong.
• Gold is my target, says our Olympic diarist Nicola Adams.
• I thought my Olympic dream was over, Beth Tweddle tells Donald McRae.
• And here’s Owen Gibson’s full story on Stuart Pearce’s decision not to choose David Beckham for his Team GB football squad.
Stay tuned for all this and more throughout the day.
Allyson Felix secures London 2012 100m spot after US rival withdraws - Metro.co.uk
The women finished in joint third place at the US trials on June 23 and, with no protocol in place, USA Track and Field eventually decided to hold a tiebreak between the two women.
But, without giving a reason, Tarmoh pulled out of the race.
‘I understand that with this decision I am no longer running the 100m dash in the Olympic Games and will be an alternate for the event,’ she said in a statement.
‘As an alternate I understand that I will be asked to run if another 100m runner decides not to for personal reasons, and/or on the 4x100m relay.’
Tarmoh was convinced she had won the initial contest – which both athletes finished in 11.068 seconds - and only reluctantly agreed to the run-off.
The decision is a blow for Felix, who was keen on the rematch.
She said: ‘I wanted to earn my spot on this team and not have it conceded to me so I share in everyone's disappointment that this run-off will not happen.
‘All I can do now is turn my focus to London.’
Felix won the 200m silver medal at the last two Olympics and was part of the gold medal winning 4x400m relay team in Beijing.
She will now compete in the 100m in London, joined by qualifying winner Carmelita Jeter and second-placed Tianna Madison, and the 200m.
Tarmoh did not qualify for the 200m, but is eligible to run in the Olympic 400m relay.
London 2012: Michael Phelps targets only seven gold medals - BBC News
Michael Phelps has opted out of the 200m freestyle at the Olympic Games and will instead chase seven gold medals.
The American is expected to concentrate on two butterfly and two individual medley events as well as three relays.
Phelps, the most successful Olympian ever with 14 golds, swam and won eight events in Beijing in 2008.
Phelps' epic eight Olympic medals
He had been expected to target eight golds in London, but coach Bob Bowman said: "No-one should be expected to do that twice. Once was enough."
Phelps won the 200m freestyle in Beijing four years ago but has since been beaten over that distance in the last two World Championships.
His 200m freestyle spot in the US team will go to Ricky Berens, who finished third in the 200m freestyle at the trials behind Phelps and Ryan Lochte.
Ryan Lochte“In the past four years, I've gone a lot faster and I know what my body can handle ”
"It was a fun week but there are still a lot of things that need to be perfected," said Phelps after the trials.
Phelps, 27, has won a total of 38 world and Olympic gold medals in his career but admitted he struggled for motivation after Beijing 2008.
He has also faced increasing competition from Lochte, who will now be favourite for the 200m freestyle after Phelps's withdrawal.
The Phelps and Lochte rivalry is expected to be one of highlights of the Games, which begin later this month.
"Neither one of us wants to lose," said Phelps.
"When we get in the water we race as hard as we can, whether we're playing cat and mouse by the end, we're going all out.
"They're fun, exciting races and Ryan has proved he's been the best over the past couple of years."
Lochte sounded a warning to Phelps after the trials. "I'm used to racing against him, I've been doing it for eight years now," he said.
"In the past four years, I've gone a lot faster and I know what my body can handle. This meet was just stepping stones for what I really want to do in London."
Phelps finished first in the 200m individual medley final and the 200m freestyle final at the trials, while Lochte beat him in the 400m individual medley final and also won the 200m backstroke final.
Missy Franklin, 17, is set to become the first US woman to swim in seven events at the Games after she won the 200m backstroke in 2:06.12.
"I felt really strong. It really hurts so bad at the end but if it doesn't then you're not doing it right," she said. "I can't believe I have seven events. It's so overwhelming but so exciting at the same time."
Design competition is new vehicle from Vauxhall - Biggleswade Chronicle
CAR designers and marketing gurus of the future took part in a business competition.
Students at Samuel Whitbread Academy in Clifton were asked to come up with ideas for new cars when a delegation from Vauxhall visited on Monday (July 2).
Undergraduates who are doing work placements at Vauxhall organised the ‘Griffin’s Den’ contest.
Students were split up into groups and each was asked to draw up plans for a different kind of vehicle.
They were also tasked with budgets and marketing campaigns.
Rachael Hayman from Vauxhall, who helped to organise the event said: “There were various categories so some of the students were working on a possible family car while others would be thinking about a particularly environmentally-friendly vehicle.
“The eventual winners produced a design and plans for a new sports car.”
The undergraduates travelled from Vauxhall’s Griffin House headquarters in Luton and the firm’s parts warehouse in Toddington.
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