Monday, July 30, 2012

More Olympic tickets put on sale

30 July 2012 Last updated at 13:48 GMT More Olympic tickets will go on sale after the row over empty seats, organisers Locog have said.

It said an initial 3,000 tickets - including 600 gymnastics tickets - were "put back into the pot" and sold on the London 2012 website on Sunday night.

More tickets returned by sports federations would be released the night before events, Locog added.

Transport chiefs say London's morning rush hour went well on the first full working-day of the Games.

Prime Minister David Cameron, meanwhile, said the empty seats were "disappointing" but not "a unique episode" with other previous Games facing similar problems.

At some venues, seats in the accredited "Olympic family" areas - reserved for groups including officials, sports federations, athletes, journalists and sponsors - have remained empty.

Locog communications director Jackie Brock-Doyle said organisers were doing everything they could to fix the problem.

Diver Tom Daley Diver Tom Daley is hoping to win his first Olympic medal later

"We're doing this session by session, talking to the accredited groups - including obviously broadcast media and everybody else - and asking whether we can release, for the different sessions, tickets back into the public pot," she said.

And she said accredited seating for London 2012 was down 15% on previous Games.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "Often these are very nice seats in very high-profile positions - and so what we're saying to the IOC and the International Sports Federations is if you're not going to use them, could we have as many as possible back, because, of course, we've got lots of members of the public who would dearly love to go."

He said contractually the seats belonged to the sporting bodies, so it was a process of negotiation to get them released.

He said organisers were looking at whether it was feasible to impose a 30-minute rule whereby empty seats were re-allocated if ticketholders had not sat down within 30 minutes of an event starting.

In other Olympic developments:

Olympic organisers say their drug-testing programme targets athletes who show "enhancements in performance"PM David Cameron, who chaired the daily Olympics security meeting on Monday morning, said he travelled on the Tube "to see what the traffic situation was like". The Bakerloo line was "doing all right", he saidTeam GB's Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins clocked an Olympic record time of 6mins 44.33secs in the women's double sculls rowing as they powered into the finalWeightlifter Zoe Smith, 18 years old and at her first Olympics, set a new British clean and jerk record and new personal best totalThe Olympic cauldron was extinguished overnight - although the Olympic flame was kept alight in a miner's lantern - while it was moved from the field of play to the south end of the Olympic StadiumTen people have been charged with ticket touting offences since the start of the Games, and a further 19 have been arrested, Scotland Yard said Medal hopes

Transport for London's Games transport director Mark Evers said the network had worked well on Monday morning.

London Bridge station is expected to be particularly busy later with thousands of spectators heading to the Olympic Park and equestrian events in Greenwich.

Continue reading the main story

It has not been such a manic Monday so far.

London workers seem to have heeded warnings that extra restrictions and Games Lanes, combined with spectator congestion might result in nightmare commutes, and have changed their patterns.

Roads seem no more jammed than normal, train and tube lines are running well.

Even at London Bridge, where passengers have their own Olympic time trial today - diverted away from the usual routes in case of overcrowding - there were no complaints.

But this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Six platforms at London Bridge will be exit only this evening as 50,000 equestrian spectators all head home from Greenwich Park during the evening peak.

And the crunch transport test comes on Friday - the first full day of athletics in Stratford's 80,000-seat Olympic stadium.

But Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association - representing London cabbies - complained of "chaos" on London's roads as a result of 30 miles of Games Lanes for the use of the Olympic family.

He told BBC News "tens of thousands of Londoners are stuck in gridlock traffic" while Games Lanes were "completely empty".

However, London Mayor Boris Johnson said some of the Games lanes had been "turned off", allowing the public to use them, because so many Olympic officials were opting for public transport.

He said IOC president Jacques Rogge had travelled by Docklands Light Rail instead of car.

Olympic organisers expect 1 million extra visitors to London to make some 3 million journeys on public transport - on top of the usual 12m daily public transport journeys.

In competition, Team GB divers Tom Daley and Pete Waterfield are aiming for medals in the men's synchronised 10m platform final, which begins at 14:55 BST.

And Britain's men, who have made history after qualifying in third place for the gymnastics team final - ahead of Olympic and world champions China - will compete at 16:25 BST.

Mexican wave

Meanwhile, Locog says it has checked all seating at temporary Olympics venues after BBC News website readers said flooring below seating at two sites had collapsed.

Michael Page, from Kent, was at the Riverbank Arena watching hockey on Sunday.

He said: "The crowd did a Mexican wave, one row jumped up and the empty seats behind moved forward which meant the flooring collapsed."

Officials drilled the flooring back together before the area was taped off, he added.

Locog's Ms Brock-Doyle said the welding had broken "on one seat at Eton Dorney and on a couple of other seats at the hockey so Games organisers have checked all the seats provided by the contractor to temporary venues".

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How to watch London 2012 on BBC TV

The BBC's Olympics titles transform the landscape of the United Kingdom into a giant sporting arena

BBC TV will provide the most comprehensive coverage of an Olympic games in broadcasting history, with up to 2,500 hours of live coverage.

And BBC Sport can announce that it has added five-time Olympic swimming champion Ian Thorpe and boxing silver medallist Amir Khan to its team to provide expert insight during the games.

Flagship Olympic channels, BBC One, BBC Two (when BBC One switches to the news), BBC Three, BBC HD and BBC One HD will be dedicated to the event over the 17 days of competition.

In addition, the BBC's Red Button service on Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat will offer audiences access to up to 24 live streams covering every session of every sport, everyday. The 2,500 hours broadcast will represent 1,000 hours more than was aired of Beijing 2008.

There will be an additional 24-hour channel of extra BBC Olympics content available via the Red Button for audiences with Freeview and BT Vision.

The BBC Sport app for connected TVs will give audiences access to the BBC's interactive coverage offering all 24 streams, while Virgin Media TiVo users will be able to access this content via the BBC Red Button.

The Opening Ceremony, Closing Ceremony, Men's 100m final and a highlights package at the end of each day will be broadcast in 3D on the BBCHD channel for those with 3D TVs.

Gary Lineker Olympics 2012: BBC Sport unveils new-look internet video for Games

In addition to Thorpe and Khan, other expert analysts include Sir Steve Redgrave, Michael Johnson, Denise Lewis and Tim Henman.

BBC One coverage starts with Breakfast from 06:00 BST with Bill Turnbull, Hazel Irvine, Sian Williams and Chris Hollins.

From 09:00 BST until 11:30 BST, Mishal Husain brings the first of the day's live action with the focus on athletics, rowing and swimming heats. Matt Baker, Clare Balding, Jonathan Edwards, Jake Humphrey and John Inverdale will present from the venues.

Matt Baker, Clare Balding or Hazel Irvine host from 11:30 BST until 13:45 BST, with the attention remaining on athletics, rowing and swimming. Coverage switches to BBC Two from 13:00 BST until 13:45 BST.

From 13:45 BST until 16:00 BST, Clare Balding, Jake Humphrey or Hazel Irvine will be focusing on the conclusion of events such as the cycling road races, tennis finals, equestrian and diving.

Sue Barker is the host from 16:00 BST until 19:00 BST, bringing action from track cycling, gymnastics, tennis and equestrian events. Coverage switches to BBC Two between 18:00 BST and 19:00 BST.

Gary Lineker is in the chair from 19:00 BST until 22:35 BST, taking you through the evening's action such as athletics and swimming finals. Coverage switches to BBC Two between 22:00 BST and 22:35 BST.

“The aim overall: that you need never miss a moment, and that we'll help you find anything you want to view live and then again at the time of your choice”

Roger Mosey BBC's director of London 2012 From 22:40 BST until midnight, Gabby Logan hosts Olympics Tonight with star guests from the world of sport and beyond, focusing on the stories and personalities that have dominated the day and looking at any sports still in progress.

Coverage ends on BBC One with Olympic Sportsday from 00:15 BST and 01:00 BST, with Dan Walker rounding up the day's action.

On BBC Three between 09:00 BST and 19:00 BST, hosts Manish Bhasin, Rishi Persad or Sonali Shah will complement BBC One with some of the best other action on offer. From 19:00 BST until 23:00 BST, Jake Humphrey presents the best of the live action from the football, hockey, boxing and basketball.

In addition, BBC News will be around the UK to bring all the news and stories surrounding the Games, while other BBC channels, such as BBC World News, will keep viewers around the globe up to date with the latest goings-on.


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Godiva puppet leaves for London

30 July 2012 Last updated at 12:37 GMT A team of textile and glass artists from across the West Midlands created an embroidered coat for the puppet

A 6m-high puppet of Lady Godiva has started its journey from Coventry to London to celebrate the Olympics.

The puppet, powered by a team of 100 cyclists, went to Ryton, Warwickshire, on Sunday night and travelled to Rugby on Monday.

Hundreds turned out to see Godiva "awake" in Coventry on Sunday.

Unlike the original Godiva - who rode naked - the puppet is dressed in an embroidered coat created by a team of artists from across the West Midlands.

According to legend, Godiva rode naked on horseback through Coventry in protest against high taxes.

Members of the public in Coventry described the puppet as "really beautiful", "lovely" and "absolutely wonderful".

One of the cyclists, Jonathan Mayes, said he was expecting to ride "20 to 30 miles a day... so it goes quite slowly".

Justin Tipple, from Shaw Sheet Metals and who helped create the cycle structure which moves the giant puppet, said he had already had to make repairs.

He said: "They had a couple of problems with a couple of bikes."

Godiva's journey to London, part of the London 2012 Festival, represents the arts from the region at the Games.

Another 11 arts projects are representing Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England's other regions.

The puppet, transported using a bike called the Cyclopedia, will go to Northampton, Milton Keynes, Luton, Hatfield and Waltham Abbey before arriving at Waltham Forest on 5 August.

Former Olympian David Moorcroft, who chairs West Midlands for 2012, said Godiva was "synonymous with Coventry, my home city".

He described the Godiva event as another "in the Olympic programme in Coventry, Warwickshire and the West Midlands that makes us feel proud".

Kathi Leahy of Imagineer Productions, which has been involved in the Godiva Awakes project, said she felt "just so much pride... in Godiva and our city at this moment".


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Hats off to Nelson for Festival

30 July 2012 Last updated at 12:40 GMT Continue reading the main story If you head down to Trafalgar Square, you will see something of a surprise, as Lord Nelson's statue has been given a makeover.

London's iconic statues, including Sir Winston Churchill's, have been adorned with hats created by top designers.

Hatwalk was commissioned as part of the London 2012 Festival by the Mayor of London and features a design by celebrity milliner Philip Treacy OBE.

Lord Nelson's hat was winched 169ft in the air and put on his head by a crane.

The new hat, complete with Olympic torch, was designed by the oldest hatters in London, Lock & Co.

Philip Treacy Designer Philip Treacy spent 18 months working on "Hatwalk"

They were established in 1676 and are famous for making Nelson's original bicorn hat.

Philip Treacy, best known for his catwalk collaborations with Alexander McQueen, has crowned the British General Sir Henry Havelock.

Princess Beatrice wore one of his hats to the Royal Wedding last year and later it was sold for £81,000 at a charity auction.

His creations have been used in all of the Harry Potter films and other fans of his work include singer Lady Gaga and Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker.

Fierce character

Of his challenge working with Sir Henry's statue, Treacy said he was "a rather forbidding and fierce character".

He added: "I really felt he could do with some cheering up, especially since he sits in Trafalgar Square, which in the build up to the Games has been the focus of pre-Olympic excitement.

"I thought he needed a hat that placed him at the heart of the celebrations rather than on the outside, looking on, sternly."

Also in Trafalgar Square, Stephen Jones, famous for collaborating with fashion houses Versace and Jean Paul Gaultier has given King George IV a golden-domed hat, "inspired by the Brighton Pavilion".

"Britain has long been credited as being the centre of the modern millinery world," Jones said.

"And these hats are the work of our most celebrated and inspired creators," he added.

Among the 20 statues, for which hats have been made, are William Shakespeare and Winston Churchill on Bond Street.

Former millinery favourite of the Princess of Wales, John Boyd is responsible for fashioning a new headpiece for Franklin D. Roosevelt on Bond Street.

And William Chambers' a Red Red Rose headpiece was created for Robert Burns on Victoria Embankment.

All the hats will be auctioned off to raise money for the Mayor's Fund.

"You've got to take your hats off to London," Mayor Boris Johnson said.

"The cutting edge style and imagination of London's millinery talent is feted worldwide and is setting the international catwalks alight.

"I can't think of a better way to celebrate the heritage of British millinery and its contribution than by dressing our most noble of statues."

Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, which also took part in the project, said the project sums up British fashion as "innovative, fun and creative".

Hatwalk is part of "Surprises", which sees pop-up performances spring up at locations across London throughout the summer like no other.

Other surprises include Sacrilege - a life-sized inflatable replica of Stonehenge by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller.

Hatwalk will be on display until August 2.


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London Olympics diary: Day Three

30 July 2012 Last updated at 13:30 GMT The Olympic Games is all about very serious sport but there are plenty asides and anecdotes as well.

Here's what we've found so far on day three.

Lizzie Armitstead with sunglasses Should have kept hold of them Lizzie

If you come across a pair of Oakley sunglasses somewhere along the route of the women's cycling road race, could you let Surrey Police know?

They might belong to silver medal winner Lizzie Armitstead, who's lost them and would like them back before Wednesday's time trial at Hampton Court Palace.

News of the missing glasses came in a tweet from @SurreyPolice.

"Lost: 1 pair lucky Oakley Sunglasses. Owner: @L_ArmiTstead. Pls hand in. She'd like them back for #TimeTrials on Weds."

It was only a matter of time, wasn't it?

As the debate continues about the spaces at Olympic venues, up pops an @OlympicSeat account on Twitter.

Twitter screen grab

Its first pronouncement was simply: *sigh* followed up a short time later by: "I'm so depressed" and "I feel so empty".

Later, the utterances became more profound: "Seven years I've been waiting for this moment, seven long years and for what?"

Will the story have a happy ending with an emotional meeting of bum on seat? Stay tuned folks.

The Reuters news agency is reporting that archery has been made cool again, thanks to the sci-fi movie The Hunger Games.

The film's teenage heroine is an expert with bow and arrow in hand as she competes in a life-and-death battle.

Brady Ellison, whose American team lost a nail-biting Olympic final to Italy, said: ""One of the great things about the Olympics is that it brings a lot of the smaller sports into the limelight every four years.

"It's a lot more popular right now. Let's hope it stays that way."

New Zealand's hopes of qualifying for the final of the women's quadruple sculls at Eton Dorney were dashed when an oar broke with about 400m remaining in the repechage race.

The Kiwis were third at the time - with four boats going through - when Fiona Bourke was left stranded on Dorney Lake. They finished last, 30 seconds behind winner Australia.

Bourke looked distraught as her boat crawled past the finishing line.

Khalil El-Maoui Khalil El-Maoui - now you see him, then you don't

Tunisia may have missed out on its first medal at the London Olympics because of bad arithmetic.

Weightlifter Khalil El-Maoui was in second place of the men's 56kg competition after the snatch but didn't showed up on the platform for the second lift, the clean and jerk.

Afterward, he blamed his coach for submitting an entry weight that was 10 kilograms too high.

"It was a mistake," El-Maoui said. "I should have started lifting at 148 kilograms but my coach entered 158 kilograms by mistake."

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Cauldron put out for stadium move

30 July 2012 Last updated at 08:56 GMT Cauldron in stadium The cauldron is burning in its new position at the south end of the stadium The Olympic cauldron has been extinguished and relit after being moved into the position occupied by the opening ceremony bell in the stadium.

The flame was taken from the cauldron at 21:00 BST on Sunday and placed in a miner's lantern while the structure was relocated from the field of play.

It was relit at 07:50 BST on Monday, after the move to the south end of the stadium was complete.

The cauldron is made up of 204 steel pipes and copper petals.

In Beijing and at other Games, the cauldron has been positioned on the stadium roof to maximise its visibility.

Live footage of the London flame will be projected on the stadium's big rooftop screens during the first week of the Games.

Thomas Heatherwick, who designed the cauldron, said: "There is the precedent of the 1948 Games of the cauldron set within the stadium, to one side with the spectators and with the technology we now have that didn't exist in 1948, it can be shared with everyone in the Olympic Park with screens.

"We felt that sharing it with the screens reinforced the intimacy within it.

"If it had been a huge beacon lifted up in the air it would have had to be bigger and would have somehow not met the brief that we discussed with Danny Boyle of making something that was rooted in where the people are."

The cauldron was re-lit by Austin Playfoot, who carried the London Olympic torch in 1948 and 2012.

He said: "When I ran with the Olympic flame in Guildford I never thought I would get this close to the cauldron, it brought me to tears when it lit up.

"It will be an incredible inspiration to the competing athletes here at the heart of the Olympic Park in the stadium."

The athletics events begin in the stadium on Friday.

At the end of the Games, it will be dismantled and one petal given to each of the competing nations and territories.


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McCartney wishes GB sailors luck

30 July 2012 Last updated at 10:19 GMT Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes. Pic: Getty Morrison and Rhodes welcomed Sir Paul's support, adding it was "a touch surreal" Two Olympic sailors from Devon have been sent a message of support by Beatle Sir Paul McCartney.

Team GB sailors Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes, from Exmouth, received the backing as their boat, Lovely Rita, is also the name of a Beatles track.

Sir Paul wrote: "Wishing you the very best of luck on the Lovely Rita in the Games. Happy sailing to you both."

Morrison said he was delighted with the message and described the musician as "a genuine legend".

Sir Paul added: "From someone who loves to potter about on his little Sunfish [a small sailing dinghy]. All the best, Paul McCartney."

Morrison added that they welcomed the support, even though it was "a touch surreal".

Lovely Rita was named after a track written by Sir Paul on the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

Rhodes said Lovely Rita had been chosen because it was "as British a name as it could be".


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