2012 Olympic Games in London


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Might be confused but Paul is closing the opening ceremony not the closing ceremony :)
 
Lumutqueen said:
Might be confused but Paul is closing the opening ceremony not the closing ceremony :)
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aHa! Gotcha. Read your first statement about Paul all wrong. :confused: Haven't quite had my daily quota of coffee yet today.

I am really starting to get excited about the Games. Looking forward to watching Michael Phelps swim again. From what I read, this will be his last time competing in the Olympics. He plans to retire from competition and focus more on his Michael Phelps foundation which focuses on kids.
 
The Olympic Torch is currently working its way through my village, and will be around Yorkshire for the next two days. The strange thing is, myself and quite a few of my neighbours and friends aren't that bothered by the relay and are more concerned about the disruption to normal everyday life. We've got roads shut, police escorts a massive bus following the torch around and slowing down traffic. I myself have done two late nights as work and decided to have a lie in then get up to see the torch. My mother and sister left to try and get a view of the torch, I was sceptical that they would get a good look but apparently in our local biggest town there's hardly anyone out.
 
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President Obama Announces Presidential Delegation to the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London | The White House

In anticipation of “Olympic Day,” a global commemoration on June 23rdofthe birth of the modern Olympic Games,President Obama today announced the Presidential Delegation to the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. First Lady Michelle Obama will lead the delegation this summer, accompanied by Olympic and Paralympic greats toattend the Opening Ceremony, meet with U.S. athletes, and encourage Americanchildrento be active in their daily lives.
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London turns more and more Olympic now.

Fantastic pics by Dutch top photographer Robin Utrecht:

ANP Foto

courtesy Robin Utrecht
 
The Chinese Olympic team arrived in Leeds today, it's getting serious.
 
David Beckham will be given 'two clear roles' during the London 2012 Olympics, according to the Games chief Lord Coe, although it remains unclear exactly what they will involve.
‘He will be in London with us and he will have two very clear roles within the Games,’ Lord Coe told Sky Sports News. ‘He will be more than an ambassador given what he has done, the commitment he has given and the amount of time he has spent with us in London on this project. He was not only alongside us when we won [the right to host the Olympics], he was alongside us when we threw our hats in the ring.
David Beckham will have two roles at Games, says London 2012's Seb Coe | Metro.co.uk
 
LadyFinn said:
‘He will be in London with us and he will have two very clear roles within the Games,’ Lord Coe told Sky Sports News. ‘He will be more than an ambassador given what he has done, the commitment he has given and the amount of time he has spent with us in London on this project. He was not only alongside us when we won [the right to host the Olympics], he was alongside us when we threw our hats in the ring.
David Beckham will have two roles at Games, says London 2012's Seb Coe | Metro.co.uk
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Given that he has done so much work to make the 2012 Olympics a reality and he is such an iconic British athlete himself, maybe just maybe they have selected him to light the cauldron at the opening ceremonies. It would make sense to me as he was also there along with the Princess Royal bringing the flame from Greece to the UK. Somehow it sounds fitting.
 
Without sounding like a killjoy, the Games aren't exactly good news for those non-sport fans who live and work in London. The latest brainwave is to close off a road lane to make "Game Lanes". Only athletes and IOC pass holders can use these lanes, yet our other lane is strictly for the use of buses. The underground system has already failed tests and won't cope with the number of people (we couldn't cope at the Jubilee!) and so for someone like me who has to get into London almost daily, it's going to be a nightmare. It seems a little unfair that not only did just we Londoners pay for the thing but now we're going to be the ones subjected to total gridlock and inconvenience. At the moment, it's like we're expecting a very old Aunty who's checking that we keep the place tidy.
 
Totally agree, we're just not prepared.
 
It seems to have rushed us. I mean, London isn't exactly a small city but we're already way over capacity. Our transport system can't manage what we have let alone filling the city with an extra million or so. I don't know, I can't help but think that Londoners should have been given some kind of priority to access the things we need to get to work and pay for the games...
 
Well, tourism money may mitigate some inconveniences.
 
That's true but unfortunately, we'll make little profit from the Games thanks to the vast overspending we've experienced. It went ridiculously over budget so we've got to clear the outlay before we can count the cost of tourism. And with the economy as it is, can people afford to jet over to London to see the events? I don't know, I hope I'm proved wrong but it's difficult for me to get excited about something that will make life more complicated than it needs to be. To be honest, I'll buy a few commemorative tea strainers and a plush Princess Anne if it means I can go about my normal daily life.
 
Wow. I never thought of just how inconvenient the games would be for the people who live and work in London and how much the added people and traffic would affect them but thinking of it, I can imagine how disgruntled I would be should some major event affect the town I need to get into during the day. I'd not be singing "Don't worry... be happy" but practicing swearing like a drunken sailor. :whistling:

The first thing after reading your post BeatrixFan was that the least they could do was keep all available routes open during the rush hour traffic in and out of London for those that commute daily for work.

I do have a question though. Are all the events for the Olympics actually in London? I have no idea how they've set it up.
 
BeatrixFan said:
That's true but unfortunately, we'll make little profit from the Games thanks to the vast overspending we've experienced. It went ridiculously over budget so we've got to clear the outlay before we can count the cost of tourism. And with the economy as it is, can people afford to jet over to London to see the events? I don't know, I hope I'm proved wrong but it's difficult for me to get excited about something that will make life more complicated than it needs to be. To be honest, I'll buy a few commemorative tea strainers and a plush Princess Anne if it means I can go about my normal daily life.
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Ha! I didn't know it til now, but now I realize my life is incomplete without a plush Princess Anne.
 
It's scattered. The majority of Olympic venues etc has been built in Stratford which is in East London. I'm there quite alot because my dressmaker lives there (I was there tonight actually) and what I've noticed over the last year is the sudden panic setting in to tidy the place up. Stratford wasn't a very nice place and the cash injection has been very welcome. However, not all of Stratford has benefited - we've now seen huge printed posters being attached to the side of buildings that aren't photogenic...

Training camps are all over the place and they're using places like Horse Guards Parade etc which is all fantastic, it'll show London off as the great city we live in and love. But, London is a working city. As you say Osipi, commuters haven't really been considered at all. We're down to one lane on the roads and today's test of traffic control on the bridges across the Thames was interesting to say the least. But we're no worse off than other cities that have hosted the games I suppose. It just happens to be our turn. I don't know, I'd love to get behind this but it's difficult. London is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in, people haven't got very much money and Londoners had to pay for the Games. Will we see any of the profits from it? I doubt it very much. Aren't I doing a wonderful job promoting my home city?!

HRHHermione said:
Ha! I didn't know it til now, but now I realize my life is incomplete without a plush Princess Anne.
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I'd actually give all I own to have a plush Princess Anne! :lol:
 
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Its not as if Londoners and businesses in London have not have had plenty of time to adjust to the fact that the Olympics were going to happen in London in the summer of 2012, and to make alternate plans for work and transportation. The venue locations have also been known for years. Many companies have made such plans, including allowing some to work from home or alternate locations. Those that have not thought about the Olympics and its impact on them have simply procrastinated.
 
Yes the Olympics is zooming up at a sprint now and as a Londoner I am a bit scared . My house lies in a triangle of Olympic routes so I will probably have no transport to work and have to walk it . So that means I will have to leave home at 6 30 am and not get back till 8 30 pm. . Oh joy .
 
BeatrixFan said:
Aren't I doing a wonderful job promoting my home city?!
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Actually you are. :flowers:

Having never been to London (or the UK for that matter), informing us of the pitfalls of a mega event and its affects on the people who live there has made me think.

London has been in existence since Roman times and for the most part, grew and added onto without destroying what history came before and that gives London its special charm. Watching various events such as royal weddings and getting a visual of how narrow the streets of London are like and talking about the influx of tourists and Olympic participants reminds me of packing a whale into a sardine can. On the other hand, I'm glad that London didn't go drastic and add four lane cloverleaf expressways to alleviate a short term mega traffic jam. Doing so would in my eyes seriously detract from what London is and probably have a fuming, irate Charles writing up a storm to all and sundry and their grandmothers. :whistling:

What do you think of the chances of David Beckham lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremonies? To be honest, I wouldn't know where to begin to really guess who should get the honor.

Speaking of plush Annes... was talking wedding dresses in another thread and found this picture of her at her engagement. She really was quite beautiful when younger. I'd love a chance to wear such a dress.

http://www.fashion-era.com/images/SocialHistory/annemarkregiment.jpg
 
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NGalitzine said:
Its not as if Londoners and businesses in London have not have had plenty of time to adjust to the fact that the Olympics were going to happen in London in the summer of 2012, and to make alternate plans for work and transportation. The venue locations have also been known for years. Many companies have made such plans, including allowing some to work from home or alternate locations. Those that have not thought about the Olympics and its impact on them have simply procrastinated.
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By the way I am not procrastinating .....I can't move my house and I can't work from home ... As is the case with lots of people and businesses. They can't say ok let's move our warehouse shop cafe or whatever it is for a month. . Not everyone works in an office and can do all work online . That is a very sweeping statement and shows a complete lack of understanding .
 
I am hoping they give the honour of lighting the flame to Sir Steve Redgrave ( a 5 time Olympic gold medalist) if it goes to an athlete or perhaps to a disabled veteran of the Iraq/Afghanistan campaigns if they select a non-Olympian.
I don't think the Beckhams need more publicity, regardless of Davids contributions to getting the Games.
 
Danielle said:
Did anyone just watch the live announcement? London will host the 2012 Olympic Games. It was between Paris and London after all the other rounds of voting had taken place. I really wanted Paris to host it, but I'm sure London will do a good job.

An article:
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - London was awarded the 2012 Olympic Games on Wednesday after the most bitterly fought bid battle in Olympic history.

The London team overhauled long-time favourites Paris as well as Madrid, Moscow and New York to win the race to stage the lucrative sports extravaganza.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge announced the winner at a globally televised ceremony after a day of presentations and deliberations at the IOC session in Singapore's Raffles City complex.

The news was greeted by screams of joy from the London team.

The 2008 Olympics will be held in Beijing.
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I just scrolled back to the beginning of the thread and I remember the announcement for the Olympics coming to London . I remember I was standing in my kitchen in bayswater ( where I lived at the time ) with friends around for dinner and we were thinking." That's Seven years yet who knows if we will even be living in London then ?"
I always remember the date because it was the day before 7/7 . When terrorists blew up tubes and bus in central London . The olympics took a back seat after that .
 
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