London Olympics lights switched on for first time

for the first time at a ceremony in east London,London's 2012 Olympic floodlights have been turned on.

To press the start button British Prime Minister David Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson led a countdown for local schoolchildren.

The Stadium has 14 light towers that are 70m tall and support 532 individual lights,the stadium is due to be finish next year.

As they slowly lit up the snow-covered arena, London Mayor Boris Johnson said it was "a historic evening".

Clijsters eyes 2012 Olympics match-up with rival Henin

Kim Clijsters - three times grand slam winner has decided to end up her successful career by patching up with arch-rival Justine Henin for Belgium at the 2012 London Olympics.

Currently world number three Clijsters and former number one Henin,both have 10 grand slam titles between them have only teamed up once before in the Fed Cup.

They have not always got on but before a friendly exhibition match on Thursday the pair spoke about the possible match-up.

"It would be nice of course to do it for the Olympic Games, because I tell myself that that year might be my last full season. So it would be nice to end that season in style," said Clijsters, who has won the U.S Open two years running since returning from a two-year break from the game to start a family.

"But again, as Justine mentioned already, we have to get together to discuss this, see what the possibilities are and assess how far we want to go in this," added the 27-year-old.

Henin, a seven-times grand slam champion who made a spectacular return to the tour in January by reaching the Australian Open final after an 18-month break, was ruling nothing out.

"There is a real willingness to be there," the 28-year-old said.

Clijsters ran out a 6-1 3-6 10-5 winner in the friendly between the compatriots, but Henin said she has put her injury woes of this year out of her head having not played since hurting her right elbow at Wimbledon in June.

"I have stopped telling myself the last weeks that I am getting old, I prefer to think that I am getting more mature," she said.

"I think that if on the health level everything goes as planned, there is still a lot of potential for me. I have regained some freshness in the last two weeks," Henin added.

London 2012 Olympics: Allegation Of Corruption On Main Sponsors surrounding Commonwealth Games

An investigation has been done by Indian Central Bureau of Investigation from Omega,which is one of the International Olympic Committee's global sponsors, through its company Swiss Timing, has been asked for details of the contract it entered into to provide timing, scoring and results for the Games, held last month.

Secretary general Lalit Bhanot and director general V.K.Verma,the most senior officials of games have been charged with criminal conspiracy and cheating under the Prevention of Corruption Act in relation to the awarding of the contract - worth several million dollars and awarded to Swiss Timing.

Investigation from other 22 official related to the games also underway and including Indian agents of Swiss Timing were also under investigation,said CBI.

Olympics cash review is welcomed

New steps to resolve spending disputes with Westminster over matters such as the London Olympics has been welcomed by Scottish Government.

Ministers believe that spending on regenerating London for the 2012 games should be mirrored in Scotland.

Around £165m should be awarded to Scotland under the Barnett formula, which allocates money to the devolved administrations.

Ministers from the UK, the Scottish and Welsh Assembly governments and the Northern Ireland Executive are thinking to hire some third independent party to resolve the issues.

Scottish External Affairs Minister Fiona Hyslop said: "I hope today's agreement will help us find new ways to resolve the few really difficult issues, through advice and a recommendation from an independent third party.

"I hope this will allow us to move quickly to find an agreement on the Olympics issue, which has been under discussion for some time now, and where the three devolved administrations are united on the point that Barnett consequentials should be applied."

An earlier joint declaration estimated £1.7bn would be spent on transport and regeneration costs for the London Olympics.

It said at least £165m in 'consequentials' would be due to Scotland, more than £100m to Wales and about £65m to Northern Ireland.

Spurs And Hammers On 2012 Stadium Shortlist

It has been revealed that after the game the race to take over the Olympic stadium will be between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United

Under the supervision of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) the two Premier League football clubs will fight it out after being shortlisted for final negotiations.

Spurs have formed a consortium with entertainment group AEG for their bid, while West Ham have joined up with the London Borough of Newham.

According to the chairman of OPLC, Margaret Ford, the final decision will be made by the next April

"We are very pleased with the extensive and serious interest shown in the stadium," she said.

"We started this process to ensure the very best legacy for the stadium, and we are now at a point where we have selected the two strongest bids.

"The stadium is a vital and vibrant component of the Olympic Park - securing the most appropriate and viable solution is crucial for our long-term aspirations for the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park area."

She said the company's aim was to bring in a bidder who would "enhance and build" on the existing plans for the 25,000 seat mixed-use arena.

The OPLC is keen to ensure a legacy for athletics following the 2012 London Olympics.
And while the stadium's running track does not feature in Tottenham's plans, keeping it is central to West Ham's.

The news means a third bidder for the stadium in east London, specialist venue operator International Stadia Group, has either withdrawn from the race or been ruled out by OPLC.

Samsung Galaxy Tabs Helpls Promoting Olympics 2012

Samsung Galaxy Tabs, the fresh released has been set prior over the iPad to promote the London Olympics 2012.

An app produced by VisitBritain not only helps to promote London Olympics 2012 event but also the UK’s best tourist attractions, and things to do and see related to the upcoming Games.

The app will include images, video, and suggestions for trips and accommodation. It will also be available for download on Samsung smartphones such as the popular Galaxy S.

Expect to see the VisitBritain app appearing on Samsung Galaxy Tabs next month. The slate has only just gone on sale this week, and you can pick it up sim-free for around £530, or as cheap as £399 if you’re willing to sign up to a two year contract. Cheap being a relative term, of course…

London Olympics : Who'll Take Over London Olympic Stadium?

The race to take over the stadium that will be the centrepiece of the London Olympics in 2012 is about to hot up.

So far only three parties are known to have expressed an interest but a "handful" of others are expected in the next fortnight.

They have until September 30 to submit their bids to theOlympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC).

The OPLC is the body which is tasked with finding a tenant for the 80,000-seater venue in Stratford, east London.

"I wouldn't say we've been inundated with bids so far but we weren't expecting to be," said an OPLC spokesman.

"We've been told to expect a handful of bids in the final week and we're sure that'll be the case."

Among the known runners are Premier League football club West Ham, who have massive debts and desperately need a bigger ground.

AEG, the firm which runs the O2 Arena nearby, has also declared an interest, along with the London-based financial company Intermarket.

There were fears it would be difficult to find anyone to take over the Olympic Stadium owing to restrictions imposed by the London Games organisers.

They originally insisted the athletics track must be kept and the number of seats reduced to 25,000.

They have since been persuaded to allow up to 60,000 seats, to make the stadium a more viable commercial proposition.

After September 30, the OPLC board will take a month to draw up a list of preferred bidders.

These will then be asked to submit a more detailed application before a final decision is made next spring.

2012 London Olympic Debbie Flood targeting Games

Rower Debbie Flood 30 years old who lives in Henley and she won a silver medal in the woman's quadruple scull. Now she is targeting the 2012 London Olympics after taking a year off from the sport to qualify as a prison officer.

She told BBC Berkshire: "A year out was fantastic and entirely what I required.

"But I want to prove I am capable of the standard needed to make the team so I'm hopeful I can be in the quad."

Flood added: "In my year off, I did perhaps one session every other day rather than the usual three a day.

"This made a big difference. I came back into rowing and thought I was fit and strong but I realised it is all relative to what you need to be for Olympic standards."

Flood, a world champion in 2006 and 2007, has entered various events since returning to full time rowing to improve her performance and fitness.

Flood said, "There was a really big gap between me and the other rowers. In the 2010 I started off World Cup series and came ninth which was a starting place for me. Then I increased my speed throughout the season and trained more and ended up in Lucerne where I made the 'A' final after coming fifth, which was a really nice result for me."

2012 Olympics: West Ham's stadium plans progress as Londoners express high hopes

West Ham United have revealed details of their plans for the Olympic Stadium if they take it over after the 2012 Games and have pledged to retain an athletics track in a newly reconfigured 60,000-capacity arena. The Premier League club are the favourites to win the race to take over the Stadium and their chances will be massively boosted by the news that they are prepared to accommodate a track, which was one of the key promises Sebastian Coe made when he presented London's bid to host the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

The story emanates from West Ham's Olympic Project Director, and he should know. The bid has been made in partnership with Newham Council and proposes an institute for sports science and medicine and a sports museum on the same site. On the face of it, this is the answer the Olympic Park Legacy Company's prayers.

There was good news for the various Olympics organisers yesterday in the form of an YouGov opinion poll conducted in June for London Councils, which says:

Nearly two thirds of Londoners are still pleased that the capital is hosting the 2012 Games despite national economic concerns, according to the results of a YouGov survey released today by London Councils. The survey found that 63 per cent of Londoners are pleased that the Games are taking place in London - although this figure rises to 67 per cent among residents of east London where the majority of events are taking place.

2010 London Olympics: Ministers to announce launching of school 'Olympics'

Competitive sport is set to be revived in England's schools with the launch of a national competition based around the Olympics, ministers say.
The initiative is to be announced by the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Education Secretary Michael Gove at the City of London Academy on Monday.
They will say the aim is to ensure the 2012 London Olympics leaves a lasting sporting legacy.
From the National Lottery the schools competition will be funded by cash.
Events will involve a wide range of sports including football, rugby, netball, golf, cricket, tennis, athletics, judo, gymnastics, swimming, table tennis, cycling and volleyball.
'Lessons for life'
From 2011, schools will compete against each other in district leagues, with winning athletes and teams qualifying for up to 60 county finals, with the most talented then selected for national finals.
In the run up to the 2012 Games the first championship will take place, with paralympic style events staged in parallel for young people with disabilities.
Mr Hunt told the Daily Mail: "I want to give a real boost to competitive sport in schools using the power of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games to encourage young people - whatever age or ability - to take part in this new competition.
"Sport - whether you win or lose - teaches young people great lessons for life. It encourages teamwork, dedication and striving to be the best that you can be."
Lottery funding of up to £10m a year, distributed by Sport England, will be used to create a new sports league structure for primary and secondary schools, culminating in the 2012 finals.
Mr Gove said: "We need to revive competitive sport in our schools. Fewer than a third of school pupils take part in regular competitive sport within schools, and fewer than one in five take part in regular competition between schools. The School Olympics give us a opportunity to different that for good."

London Olympics Sports college pupils inspired

The Olympic Stadium group members are the Jodie Major, Connor Hale, Leanne Spurway, Charlotte Ottley, Danny Ellwood, Adam Kirkland, Damien Lybech-Harris and Jade Brathwaite with teachers Max Gayler and Emma Lomax.

POTENTIAL sporting stars of the future from an Oxfordshire school have been getting into the Olympic spirit by visiting the site of the 2012 games in London.
Eight pupils at King Alfred’s Specialist Sports College who have made significant progress on their Btec sport course this year toured the Olympic Park at Stratford, in East London, to look construction of the major venues.
King Alfred’s was among 60 schools invited to visit the Olympic Park as a reward for joining the London 2012 Get Set network. It is for schools across the UK which have demonstrated a commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic ideals and values.
Headteacher Nicholas Young said: “I’m very pleased that King Alfred's was selected for this wonderful chance for our students.
“As one of the first specialist sports colleges in the UK, we’re very excited by the 2012 Olympics and all the opportunities for our young people to be involved.”
Year 10 pupil Jodie Major was among the budding sportsmen and women who toured the site, seeing the construction work in progress on the Olympic Stadium, aquatics centre, velodrome and handball arena.
She said: “I thought the Olympic Park was really good.
“They have made great progress on building it and a lot of the buildings are eco-friendly. I know it will look great when it’s done.
“I’m happy we are hosting the 2012 Olympics as I think we will stand a better chance of winning medals.”
The Olympic Park is expected to cost £9.3bn.
Jodie said: “That’s a lot of money to be spent on something but part of the reason we won the bid was that the park is sustainable after the games.”
She said she particularly liked the wave-shaped Aquatics Centre.
Lord Sebastian Coe, chairman of the organising committee of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, said: “I’m delighted King Alfred’s won this opportunity.
“I hope the pupils were inspired to return to Wantage and continue their work on Olympic and Paralympic projects as part of our education programme.”
As well as seeing some of the world class sporting facilities under construction – and posing for a photograph on the Greenway, a walkway overlooking the site – the pupils learned about the environmental and community programmes running on the Olympic Park.

London 2012 Olympics: athletes may get a budget haircut

The London Olympics have got off lightly in these new austere times. A cut of £27 million from the Olympic Development Authority’s construction of Olympic venues is a barely noticeable trim in the first round of budget cuts. More so when the total ODA budget is over the £7 billion mark, and the reality is the ODA looks like coming under its budget anyway.

The real pain is to be felt at UK Sport – the government’s elite funding body – which has been enormously successful in focusing and demanding excellence from sports in return for their share of public cash.

Less than five per cent of monies received by UK Sport is spent on administration. So a cut of three per cent – despite the body’s pledge that sport won’t suffer could be relatively brutal.

Then there is Sport England, which has already intimated that athletes in lesser sports lower down the talent pool might be affected. Ouch. The families of those athletes already dig deep to fuel Olympic dreams.

It could be argued that in one fell swoop the Government has signalled that glossy stadiums and facilities might count for athletic performances, and also more than getting people active.

This is a nonsense of course. Behind the scenes the powerbrokers are fearful of an Olympic security nightmare and they are stockpiling any savings from the construction to boost the £600 million set aside for security. No one wants a Games that is not secure, but it is a shame that it looks like the fringe athletes in the first instan

London officials: Election won't affect Olympics

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Organizers of the London Olympics say preparations for the 2012 Games will continue "seamlessly" even if there is a change in government after next month's general election in Britain.
London officials assured the International Olympic Committee on Thursday that the games will not be affected by the May 6 vote, which could lead to defeat for Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Labour Party.
London organizing committee leader Sebastian Coe says the Olympics "have not tumbled from the lips of a single politician in this campaign." He says the games have not become a "political football."
London officials also unveiled their games mascot to the IOC. Details will remain secret until an official launch in London, probably next month

Mary Dejevsky: Don't believe the killjoys of London 2012

Now here's a riddle for the holiday weekend: what's on time, on budget and in Britain? The answer, improbable, but correct, is the 2012 London Olympics. Yet still the nay-sayers persist, grumbling away about how the site will never be complete in time, how the costs have already spiralled out of control, and how the city – their city – will be a nightmare for the duration.

They were on top form earlier this week when Anish Kapoor's 115m tower was presented as the winner of the Mayor's contest to find an architectural symbol for the Olympic Park. I admit that I'm not immediately entranced by the design. Like much contemporary British art, in any form, it is just that bit too complicated to be elegant. And the lattice girders may, as Kapoor says, be a tribute to the Eiffel Tower, but at the time of writing it seems on the hubristic side to equate the two.

With any luck, though, it will look much better when it is built for real than it looks as a scale model, and we will all take to it, just as we have taken to the London Eye and, after much agonising over its purpose, to the Dome. I'm also gratified that another gigantic commission has not been handed to Antony Gormley. I don't have anything particular against his work except its ubiquity. So good luck to Kapoor, and to Lakshmi Mittal who has pledged the metal. At least the Orbit – not necessarily its final name – is original and moderately entertaining.

The controversy surrounding the tower had one beneficial effect: it deflected attention from the latest group of privileged Londoners trying to keep any Olympic event as far as possible from their backyard. The good folk of St John's Wood (average property price, I would hazard, well into the new 5 per cent stamp-duty bracket) are objecting to plans to hold the week-long archery competition at Lord's.

It's not the prospect of stray arrows flying over their garden walls they fear, nor the subdued pings and thuds that will supplant the familiar sound of leather against willow. No, they are objecting to what they say are the organisers' plans for loud music to accompany the contest. Even in the unlikely event that world-class archers would happily compete against a background of loud music, you have to ask whether it's reasonable for a group of residents to try to have a highly atmospheric and history-laden venue ruled out essentially for their own convenience. This is one week out of one summer; their proximity to Lord's is for a lifetime.

Meanwhile Greenwich Park has finally been approved as a venue for equestrian events, after a stormy five-hour meeting and a long protest campaign by local residents, fearful that trees would be felled and horses' hooves would mash up the ground. Lord Coe said he made no apologies for wanting to use the park – may he continue to have the courage of his convictions. The Olympics give London an opportunity to show off, and to share, its glorious green spaces and architectural ensembles. Let the privilegentsia huff and puff with more or less gentility. They can move out for the summer if they feel that strongly, and leave the rest of us to enjoy the global party.

London 2012 Olympics: GB track cycling analysis and predictions

Telegraph Sport looks at the performance of the British team at the World Track Cycling Championships in Copenhagen and ahead to their prospects for the London 2012 Olympics.

Men's sprint: Sir Chris Hoy remains Great Britain's best bet but the Sprint cycling world is clearly beginning to gang up on him. He qualified second fastest here in Copenhagen with yet another sub second ten ride in the flying 200m and clearly still has the legs. Got badly caught out tactically, however, by Robert Fostermann in the first round and won't make that mistake again. Matt Crampton can beat anybody in the mood but lacks consistency, a criticism that can perhaps also be levelled at Jason Kenny. 2010 WC: Three quarter-finalists. London 2012 prediction: Hoy silver

Men's team sprint: much work to do but not without hope. A serious back injury to lead-out man Jamie Staff has hampered progress but Kenny made a good fist of the role in Copenhagen. If Staff cannot return the hunt is on to find the rider best able to fill the number two role. That could be Crampton with Hoy at three but David Daniell is an unusal talent GB are trying to bring into play, a kilo rider who is nearly an out and out sprinter. If he could find an extra gear in the next two years he could make a big contribution. 2010 WC: Bronze. London 2012 prediction: Silver

Women's sprint: Victoria Pendleton, with her fifth world title in six years, still reigns supreme and as long as she can stay sharp mentally and free from injury the world is her oyster. The prospect of "doing a Hoy" at London and competing in three events is the juiciest of carrots. Neither Jess Varnish or Becky James are yet in her class but in fairness nobody else in the world is either. 2010 WC: Pendleton gold. London 2012 prediction: Pendleton gold

Women's team sprint: there is a big medal to be won here but GB have got to find somebody to launch Pendleton onto the final lap. Jess Varnish has tried, Vicky James could develop quickly but the return of Shanaze Reade from the BMX circuit would seem the most likely solution. Even that is problematical though because the cycling programme has not yet been formalised and if the BMX comes first - with the ever present risk of crashes and injury - Great Britain might decide that including Reade in the team sprint sprint programme is too much of a risk. WC 2010: Fourth. London 2012 prediction: Bronze

Call for London 2012 Olympics tickets clarity

London 2012 organisers have been urged to be up front about how many tickets will be available for the Olympics and how much they will cost.
The London Assembly's economic development, culture, sport and tourism committee said the public needed to have faith in the ticketing system.
Games organisers said details would be revealed after the Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver had finished.
There will be 9.2 million seats available during the event.
The committee has written to London 2012 chiefs requesting details on how they plan to fill seats at the Games.

'Open and transparent'

Committee Chair Dee Doocey said: "The key issue is simple: How many people will be ahead of the average Londoner in the queue for Olympic tickets?
"Locog - London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games - needs to be open and transparent about how many tickets are going to be available for the public and how many are going to be reserved for the Olympic family.
We will be making an announcement about our ticketing strategy after the Vancouver Paralympic Games has finished
London 2012 spokesman
"These tickets for International Olympic Committee staff, officials, partners and sponsors will significantly reduce the number of seats available for the public."
The committee said it would like to know how many tickets will be available at less than £10, £20 and £30 and how they will be shared out among the events.
Other questions included how any possible stand-by scheme for unused tickets might work and who, if anyone, would count as a priority group for preferential or low-cost tickets.
London 2012 should publish its ticketing strategy in draft form as soon as possible to allow the public to comment on it before it is finalised, the committee advised.
Tickets for the Games will not go on sale until 2011, according to Locog.
A London 2012 spokesman said: "We will be making an announcement about our ticketing strategy after the Vancouver Paralympic Games has finished."
The 2010 Paralympics is scheduled to finish on 21 March.

Planning go ahead for London 2012 temporary venues

The Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich will host the Olympic Shooting events and Shooting and Archery events during the Paralympic Games. North Greenwich Arena will host Artistic Gymnastics, Trampoline Gymnastics and the Basketball finals during the Olympic Games, followed by Wheelchair Basketball during the Paralympic Games.

The plans include temporary shooting ranges and seating stands at the Royal Artillery Barracks and the northern part of Woolwich Common. There will be four temporary indoor ranges and three temporary open air ranges for the qualifying rounds and finals of Olympic events.
During the Paralympic Games the outdoor ranges will be removed and replaced with temporary Archery ranges. Work to install the temporary facilities will begin early next year. After the Games the temporary facilities will be removed and the site will be returned to its former use and condition.

Olympic Delivery Authority Chief Executive David Higgins said: ‘The Royal Artillery Barracks will be a fitting venue for the Shooting events at the London 2012 Games and our temporary works will help us deliver the best possible facilities for athletes. Securing planning permission is an important step forwards and keeps us on track to start installing the temporary measures on site early next year.’