http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/inside-lines-protests-at-2012-if-saudis-say-no-girls-allowed-2017852.html

Pressure is growing on the International Olympic Committee to kick out Saudi Arabia, who are likely to be the only major nation not to include women in their Olympic team for 2012.

Qatar have announced that their squad will feature a "small contingent" of women for the first time in London, a decision perhaps accelerated by the international spotlight on their World Cup bid. Only three countries – Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei, who rarely send any athletes to the Olympics – among the IOC's 205 member nations have never been represented by female competitors since women made their debut in Paris 110 years ago. Now Anita DeFrantz, the former US Olympic rowing medallist who chairs the IOC's influential Women and Sports Commission, says patience is wearing thin and it is time the Saudis changed their policy or face being barred from the Games. Should Saudi Arabia, where women are not allowed to play or watch sport in public, send a male-only team to London, we understand they will face protests from equal rights and women's groups which threaten to disrupt the Games. "We keep asking them why not," says the 58-year-old lawyer DeFrantz. "But I am hopeful that by 2012 every National Olympic Committee will have competitive opportunities for women." Knowing the Saudi authorities, she would be unwise to bet on it.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gdmtSVOpoSh9rzxpSxqen15AqJnw

LONDON — Plans to construct London's first cable car to carry visitors over the River Thames in time for the 2012 Olympic Games were unveiled by city officials on Sunday.

The 25-million-pound scheme, which would be privately funded, would connect the Greenwich Peninsula with the Royal Docks in the Docklands area of east London.

If it goes ahead, the cable car would cut the journey time between the 02 arena -- previously known as the Millennium Dome -- and the ExCel exhibition centre, both Olympic venues, from over half an hour to about five minutes.

The cars would be able to carry around 2,500 passengers per hour in each direction and would travel around 50 metres above the river.

City transport officials said they were in talks with private companies which are interested in the project.

Mayor Boris Johnson said of the plan: "A cable car spanning the majestic Thames would not only provide a unique and pioneering addition to London's skyline, but also offer a serene and joyful journey across the river.

"Passengers would be able to drink in the truly spectacular views of the Olympic Park and iconic London landmarks whilst shaving valuable minutes from their travelling time.

"It would also provide a much-needed enhancement of cross-river options to the east of the city."

http://usacbi.wordpress.com/2010/07/04/ban-israel-from-the-london-2012-olympics/

To: International Olympics Committee

Dear International Olympics Committee (IOC)

We, the undersigned citizens of the world, call on the international Olympics Committee to rescind Israel’s participation in the London 2012 Olympics.

Israel’s attack on a humanitarian aid fleet on Monday 31 May 2010, its murder of 9 human rights activists in international waters, and wounding many more, demonstrate that Israel rejects the structural tenets of our shared humanity, manifested in a global moral consensus and international law.

Israel was established on the ruins of another country, Palestine. In 1948 more than half the population of Palestine were uprooted from their cities and villages, 400 of which were completely destroyed. The state of Israel has never allowed Palestinian refugees to return and today their number has reached 7 million, many of whom are still stateless, living in refugee camps in Palestine and other Arab countries

Since its establishment the state of Israel has consistently violated international law. To date, it has defied 246 UN Security Council Resolutions. As a direct consequence, seven million Palestinians are excluded from the right to live on land internationally acknowledged to be theirs; and increasingly, they are being excluded from their right to any future at all as a nation. The 4 million Palestinians in the occupied territories have endured over 40 years of brutal occupation and denied even the most basic Human rights. The 1.4 million who remain in Israel are second class citizens.

The daily brutality of the Israeli army in Gaza and the West Bank continues; Palestinian land continues to be stolen, houses demolished and crops destroyed. For years now the state of Israel has been carrying out a slow genocide in the Gaza Strip, maintaining a tight blockade over its inhabitants and repeated bombing raids all of which are contrary to International Laws which prohibit collective punishment.

The Israeli military used white phosphorus munitions in the 2008-2009 Gaza war. The IDF acknowledged it’s use after the war ended.

Several reports from human right groups during the war indicated that white phosphorus shells were being used by Israel in violation of international law. Human Rights Watch said shells exploded over populated civilian areas, including a crowded refugee camp, a UN compound where food was stored, and a United Nations school where civilians were seeking refuge.

Human Rights Watch said its experts in the region had witnessed the use of white phosphorus. Kenneth Roth, the organisation’s executive director, added: “This is a chemical compound that burns structures and burns people. It should not be used in populated areas.”

Amnesty International said a fact-finding team found “indisputable evidence of the widespread use of white phosphorus” in crowded residential areas of Gaza City and elsewhere in the territory. Donatella Rovera, the head of an Amnesty fact-finding mission to southern Israel and Gaza, said: “Israeli forces used white phosphorus and other weapons supplied by the USA to carry out serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes.”

“Israel’s policy on settlements is not only unlawful, it also impacts severely on the human rights of Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, whose lives and livelihoods have been devastated by the constructions taking place on occupied Palestinian land,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa director.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other prominent South Africans have likened the situation of the Palestinians to apartheid for which South Africa were banned from international sporting events including the Olympic Games.

The challenge of apartheid was fought with the non-violent international response of a campaign of boycott, divestment, and sanctions. Today Palestinian artists, trade unionists, teachers, writers, film-makers and non-governmental organisations have called for a comparable boycott of Israel, as offering another path to a just peace, saying, “ At a time when the international movement to isolate Israel is gaining ground in response to the escalation of Israel’s violently colonial and racist policies, we respectfully urge conscientious organisations, sportsmen, academics, artists and intellectuals from around the world, including those who visit [or host Israeli's from] the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), to refrain from visiting [or hosting] Israel to participate in any event or encounter that is not explicitly dedicated to ending Israel’s illegal occupation and other forms of oppression. Regardless of intentions, such visits only contribute to the prolongation of injustice by normalizing and thereby legitimizing it, and inadvertently support Israel’s efforts to appear as a “normal” participant in the “civilized” world of sport, science, scholarship and art while at the same time practising a pernicious form of apartheid against Palestinians.” This call has been endorsed by some brave Israeli dissidents and many prominent international figures.

Boycott is a tactic which allows people, as distinct from their elected governments, to apply pressure on those wielding power in an unjust way. It is directed not against people but against oppressive and unjust policies and regimes in order to bring about change. I would also remind you that Principle 2 of the Olympic Charter declares the principles of Olympism to “place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity”. Also principle 5 which states “Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion,
politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.” Clearly the acts of genocide against Palestinians and the forcing out by the illegal expansion of the settlements is a violation of this principle. By your own words in Principle 6 “Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Olympic Charter and recognition by the IOC.” As Israel are not compliant how can they then participate under the current conditions that Palestinians are faced with? Particularly considering that “The name of an NOC must reflect the territorial extent and tradition of its country
” However many Israelis are living on disputed land and therefore Israeli athletes cannot be considered to be from the legitimate territorial extent of their country.

Contrary to Olympic Charter bye-laws stating “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas” you will; by allowing Israel to participate and not taking a stand against their racist policies; be implicitly supporting war crimes, ethnic cleansing, dispossession, and continued oppression of the Palestinian people, a people seeking to end the silence of the international community and achieve a just peace. The Israeli politicians and citizens see every visit to and from Israel as an act of support for their policies. Every cancellation is a reminder to them that all is not well and that there will be a price for the ongoing oppression and the indifference for rights of Palestinians.

If you require more information about the situation in Israel and the Occupied Territories, organisations such as Amnesty International, the World Health Organisation and the Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem have published detailed reports.

We feel sure that, in the light of the information available, you would not wish to lend support – however indirect and implicit – to Israel’s policies, by allowing them to attend and participate in such a high profile event that aims to be “a force for good”.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/joepeach/12713/london-2012-olympics-missing-opportunity-truly-sustainable-development

This is an abridged version of a post originally written for The Global Urbanist and published June 22nd. For a more in-depth analysis, read the full version here.

Throughout London there is talk of ‘regeneration’ - a buzz-word spun by building firms and government organisations attempting to persuade local communities that their area will be reborn, bringing new opportunities and the potential for affluence and prosperity all round. Whilst redevelopment schemes are being implemented throughout the capital, East London is experiencing the biggest changes due to the impending arrival of the 2012 Olympics.

The Improvement and Development Agency, (IDeA) a government agency supporting innovation in local councils, states that London was able to win the bid to host the Olympic Games based on “a commitment to regeneration and sustainable development”. But even Shaun McCarthy, Chair of Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, acknowledges the vagueness of this statement.

Speaking to IDeA, McCarthy called sustainability “one of those expressions that’s actually unique to every single project,” a description that fails to commit the Olympics developments to a sufficiently broad interpretation of sustainability. Essentially, the opportunity to set a global standard for sustainable development within an event as notoriously unsustainable as the Olympic games is being lost.

The content of the London 2012 website does a better job of defining ‘sustainability’, with numerous articles that focus on carbon footprint, land decontamination, and the recycling of demolition waste. In fact, the content of the site and the frequency of articles that highlight building practices show that sustainable construction methods are clearly the priority.

Comprehensive sustainability takes into consideration economic and social factors. Whilst it is too early to speculate about the economic sustainability of the 2012 Olympics, a recent report entitled Legacy Limited?  by the London Assembly - an elected body that exists to scrutinise the Mayor of London’s decisions and spending - calls for assurances about the community-focus of the regeneration.

The approach taken with the London Olympics is reflective of a bigger problem with London’s planning and development. Affordable housing, environmental sustainability and community facilities are often highlighted within development proposals, yet community involvement within the planning process and building design is rare.

London isn’t famous for having a planning system that prioritises the needs of local communities, but there are examples where this approach has been successful, notably, the Coin Street Community Builders (CSCB) in the central-London borough of Lambeth.

Calling themselves “a social enterprise and development trust which seeks to make London’s South Bank a better place in which to live, to work and to visit,” CSCB have spent the last 26 years turning a formerly derelict 13-acre site in London’s city centre into a vibrant mixed-use community in the form of shops, galleries, restaurants, and artists studios, to list but a few. Densely-built co-operative housing is provided, charging a ‘fair rent’, with a management culture that encourages tenants to take ownership of the buildings they live in.

Current attitudes to urban development consider dense, walkable, mixed-use spaces to be highly sustainable, but this hasn’t always been the case. In fact, the CSCB’s plans were initially met with resistance, mainly due to a now outdated belief that central London is not a desirable place to live. Thankfully, these doubts were overcome.

The CSCB’s attitude to regeneration should be applauded, and acts as an achievable standard for future developments. Sadly, the design and construction of the Olympics developments has progressed so far that community involvement in current constructions is no longer possible, but the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics remains adaptable. Individuals, organisations, and entire communities could feel real benefits from the changes going on in East London, and it’s up to developers, local councils and policymakers to ensure that the London Assembly’s concerns are answered and that the needs of our local communities are met.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jul/05/ioc-legacy-company-olympics-athletics

‱ IOC president says he has assurances over post-Games use
‱ Legacy company privately admits no decision has been made

Jacques Rogge today claimed he has been "assured" that the London Olympic Stadium would retain an athletics track after the 2012 Games. However, the Olympic Park Legacy Company, in whose hands the decision rests, has made no such pledge.

Rogge, the International Olympic Committee president, is in London this week for his organisation's co-ordination commission visit to 2012 venues and is evaluating progress of preparations for the event. "We are keen on having an athletics track to remain and I'm confident that they will find the right solution," he said. "We have been assured it will have an athletics track."

Today one OPLC official confirmed privately there had been "no final decision" over whether to keep an athletics track beyond 2012. Though it hopes to honour all the legacy promises of the 2012 bid book, against which London was awarded the Olympics five years ago, its principal concern is to limit the burden on the public purse.

Last month the OPLC's deadline expired for "expressions of interest" in becoming the anchor tenant for the ÂŁ537m 2012 stadium. Among the submissions was one from West Ham United, who have lobbied hard for the stadium's primary use to be football. That could require the athletics track to be unusable for 10 months a year. West Ham can count on the strong support of Sir Robin Wales, the mayor of the local planning authority, Newham council. Wales, who is also an OPLC board member, has said: "London needs an athletics facility but there is no reason why it has to be at the Olympic Park."

An aide to Rogge said the president was not attempting to apply pressure on the OPLC and was referring to commitments he had received from Lord Coe, the chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. Yet The OPLC expects to take its decision over whom to award the stadium by March and, with Rogge keeping faith that the bid book promises will be honoured, it would evidently come as a shock to the IOC if the legacy company were to subordinate athletics in favour of Premier League football.

The commitment to athletics was seen as a crucial factor in London defeating Paris and Madrid to become 2012 host city, because it atoned for the collapse of the 2005 World Athletics Championships which were scheduled to be held at Picketts Lock, a sole-use athletics facility that was never built.

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Anti+poverty+crew+passes+torch+2012+London+coaltion/3247709/story.html

Itchy the Bedbug was there, but Scratchy the Cockroach and Chewy the Rat were otherwise engaged.

With just one of three promised Olympic anti-mascots in tow, Vancouver’s activist Poverty Olympics crew ceremonially passed their faux-flame to a representative of the London Coalition Against Poverty, in preparation for London 2012 Olympic activism.

The setting for the tongue-in-cheek relay was Vancouver’s new Olympic Cauldron in Jack Poole Plaza on Wednesday, as workers polished the giant torch holder and bemused tourists snapped cellphone pictures of the whole spectacle.

It was the latest media event for the anti-Olympic activists, who held a provincewide “2010 Poverty Olympics” tour and the “2010 Poverty Olympics” in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, before the Olympic Games in February.

The idea is to use humour to spur the province to implement a poverty-reduction strategy and highlight problems in B.C., including a nation-leading rate in child poverty and a lack of social housing, said event organizer Rider Cooey.

Vancouver’s Robert Bonner handed the poverty torch to Elizabeth Hogg, 86, of Manchester. In an interview, Hogg said construction of Olympic venues in London has already displaced poor people.

“I shall take this torch to London and pass it to the next generation, who hopefully will make poverty history,” Hogg proclaimed.

Bonner said the media stunts of the Poverty Olympics group have been successful.

“I believe because of some of the actions we’ve done, we’ve got a mayor in Vancouver that has listened and got some [social] housing started.”

According to Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, the number of people without a permanent home has increased six per cent in each of the past two years. Results from a census taken in late March show there are 1,762 homeless in the city, up from 1,576 in 2008. But the number living on the street has been cut in half — from 811 in 2008, to 428 in 2010, largely due to additional shelter spaces established by the city with the help of the provincial government.

At the ceremony on Wednesday, a listless Itchy the Bedbug, wearing bug-eye goggles and a black trench coat, seemed out of his element in the hot sun.

Asked what he thought about the symbolic meaning of the international faux-flame exchange, Itchy, who refused to give his real name, said: “I really haven’t thought about it much.”

Chewy and Scratchy were no shows — likely because not enough volunteer models were available, Itchy said.

http://www.financialpost.com/Olympic+sized+bill+taxpayers/3258185/story.html

VANCOUVER -- British Columbia paid $925-million to help host the Vancouver Olympics, significantly more than provincial officials had pledged in bidding for the event, according to figures released Friday.

Government officials defended the spending, saying the success of the February Games gave the western Canadian province extensive international media exposure that can be used to promote future economic development.

In Vancouver’s bid to the International Olympic Committee to host the 2010 Winter Games, the provincial government’s share was estimated at $600-million — a figure that government officials repeatedly defended.

The $925-million tally included money for venue construction, promotional efforts, and special funding to help the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) deal with the impact of the international economic turmoil in 2009.

The figures released Friday do not include money spent on a major highway upgrade between Vancouver and the resort community of Whistler where many of the skiing events were held. The province argued the highway reconstruction was not a Games-related expense because it needed to be done anyway.

VANOC has said it expects its $1.7-billion operating budget will be balanced when the final figures are tallied later this year.

The federal government paid for half of the $585-million venue construction budget and most of the $900-million security budget, but Ottawa has not yet released a final report on its Olympics costs.

The city of Vancouver said in April it spent $554-million on the Olympics, but that did not include $500 in loans to bail out the private builder of the athletes’ village after it ran into financial troubles.