http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/9388584/London-2012-retir\
ed-police-called-in-to-guard-Olympic-Games.html




With just over a fortnight until the Games begin, former officers said
they had been asked to boost the numbers at the Olympic Park in east
London over fears of a shortfall.


Security company G4S has a £300 million contract to protect the
Olympics but concerns were reported by the Times over the training and
accreditation of its recruits.

Martin Johnson, a former detective constable with the Metropolitan
Police, said: "They wanted me to go up to the Olympic Park this week and
get a uniform.

"They must have a shortfall [in guards], there was no mention of
vetting.

"They are assuming that ex-police officers are all right, but anything
could have happened in the 18 months since I retired."

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/interview-olympics-ioc-eyes-sponsor-123\
940259.html




BERLIN, July 10 (Reuters) - Chinese companies are in talks to join the
Olympic top sponsor programme as the International Olympic Committee
seeks to extend its reach in Asia, but also keep a limit on the number
of prime sponsors, its marketing chief told Reuters on Tuesday.


The IOC relies heavily on its TOP programme of 11 sponsors who
contribute an estimated $100 million each for every two-Games package of
one winter and one summer Games.

"We have kept a space open hoping a Chinese company will join," the
IOC's marketing chief Gerhard Heiberg told Reuters in an interview. "I
hope very much that we will be able to attract a Chinese company.

"We are in contact with several, we want to get a Chinese company," said
Heiberg who said he was also talking to South Korean and Japanese
companies.

The IOC currently has 11 top sponsors generating almost $1.0 billion
over a four-year-period ending with the London Olympics. It has set a
limit of 12 sponsors.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2171618/London-Olympics-2012-Fur\
y-ticket-returns-secretly-sold-corporate-sponsors.html?ito=feeds-newsxml




Hundreds of thousands of unsold tickets to some of the Olympics' most
popular events are being secretly sold to corporate sponsors, despite
pledges they would be offered to the British public, it has been
reported.


The tickets, for events such as the opening ceremony, the gymnastics and
the swimming finals, consist of returns that foreign Olympic committees
have failed to sell.

The Games' organising committee Locog began offering them to sponsors
and key officials through an internal ticketing system 12 days ago, but
the public have so far been left out.

http://www.mobilepaymentstoday.com/article/197113/Olympics-a-potential-s\
ecurity-headache-for-mobile-payments




The London 2012 Olympic Games begin later this month, providing a
showcase for 10,500 of the world's greatest athletes. The U.K. is
expecting an influx of 11 million visitors for the games in addition to
the billions watching around the world. From petty crime to something
bigger, the Olympics have all the makings for a potential security
nightmare.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/10/olympic-test-run-london-tran\
sport




Thousands of Londoners endured a gruelling commute on Tuesday as a
result of an exercise to test the capital's Olympic rail capacity, which
raised fresh fears about the transport network's ability to cope during
the Games.


With the Olympics just over a fortnight away, Network Rail and
Southeastern trains rehearsed their station management plans to see how
five key stations – London Bridge, Cannon Street, Waterloo East,
Charing Cross and Victoria – will cope with the increased passenger
numbers.

London Bridge was most affected by the exercise, with a queuing system
put in place and entry to the station confined to the forecourt on
Railway Approach/London Bridge Street. Commuters complained of increased
queues, missed connections due to longer walks between Underground and
Network Rail services and of contractors guiding passengers sending them
the wrong way. Many said they were also angry they had not been warned
about the exercise– a claim denied by the rail operators.

Trevor Preston, 50, a civil engineer, said: "It's ridiculous. I've been
sent back and forth. It's going to be chaos during the Olympics. There
are so many people speaking on PA systems, it's complete confusion."
Debbie Thraves, 50, travelling from Orpington to Waterloo East with her
72-year-old disabled mother, Maureen Harris, to visit a friend in
hospital, said: "Nobody seems to know what's going on. It's a lot of
walking for disabled people, it's disgusting."

Weary staff facing the wrath of angry passengers predicted things would
only get worse during the Olympics.

It's billed as the greatest show on earth. But the closer you get to the London
stadium that will be the centre of the Olympic Games in just over a fortnight's
time, the more it's starting to look like a militarised occupation zone. East
London has become lockdown London. The Olympics are the focus of Britain's
largest security mobilisation since the second world war.

Soldiers are already on the streets. Around 13,500 are being deployed, more than
currently in Afghanistan, along with tens of thousands of police and private
security guards. Drones will patrol the skies over the Olympic park, barricaded
behind an 11-mile electrified fence and guarded with sonic weapons and 55 teams
of attack dogs.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/10/london-olympics-lockdown-201\
2-games

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/jul/10/olympics-regulations\
-cyclists?CMP=twt_gu

The Environmental Transport Association (ETA) has looked into the regulations on
the "Games lanes" – the 30 miles of road in central London exclusively reserved
for use during the event by the "Games family" of athletes, officials and
sponsors – and found that 95% will be off-limits to cyclists.


The limit works on the basis that it is safer for cyclists to stay beside the
pavement, making the Games lanes, which will be positioned in the centre of the
road, a no-go area. The situation is made even more troubling by the fact that
bus lanes, which the ETA says offer "a refuge from London's busiest traffic",
will be removed from roads with Games lanes.


"The decision to ban bicycles from almost every Games lane is as baffling as it
dangerous – on a busy London road with slow moving or stationary vehicles a
cyclist riding on the outside of traffic for reasons of safety faces a £130
fine," said Yannick Read, a spokesman for the ETA. "It's unacceptable that the
chauffeured journeys of competitors will be at the expense of London's cyclists
in this way."

<juliancheyne@...> wrote:

>
http://gawker.com/5925251/crazy-clause-in-mcdonalds-olympics-sponsorship-deal-ba\
ns-all-other-vendors-from-selling-french-fries-to-attendees

Chip update:

"The great London 2012 Olympic chip embargo has cracked. No longer
will hungry workers at the games be denied pie and chips, chicken and
chips or even just chips because of a monopoly enforced by McDonald's,
a major sponsor. On Wednesday, the London Organising Committee
responded to plaintive cries of caterers who had grown tired of
receiving "grief" from chip-hungry staff working on the opening and
closing ceremonies and allowed chips to be served outside branches of
the fast food chain McDonald's. [...] But the embargo will hold in
other areas. That means no chips with anything other than fish
anywhere else in the park unless spectators dine at McDonald's."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/11/mcdonalds-olympics-chips

Jeff

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/davehillblog/2012/jul/13/london-olympi\
c-park-press-broadcast-centres#start-of-comments




The legacy corporation is moving towards a decision about the Olympic
Park's proposed future business district, but a lot could still change

Regeneration expert Jackie Sadek:
Just what is going on with the Olympics Media Centre? Reports yesterday
seemed to indicate that iCity was to be proposed as preferred bidder
over and above the rival bid from the UK Fashion Hub at next Tuesday's
London Legacy Development Corporation board meeting. I find this
incredible beyond belief...

To recap, two buildings for the media have been constructed in the
Olympic Park: the smaller main press centre, which looks out on to the
River Lea navigation canal, and the larger international broadcast
centre which stands behind it. The former is already filling up with
sports journalists, who can enjoy a fine view of Gainsborough School,
Wick Village and Leabank Square across the water and now, under their
noses, of a couple of probably very bored squaddies in a tent.

Finding a post-Games use for the two buildings has proven every bit as
tricky as expected. They stand in the section of the park that lies
within Hackney, whose political leaders have invested great legacy hopes
in their eventually housing thriving businesses, providing cutting edge
creative industry jobs. But after lengthy negotiations, the BBC declined
to shift its EastEnders operation there. In Hackney Town Hall, teeth
still gnash at the memory.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/9399518/London-2012-Olymp\
ics-Games-could-need-more-troops-Lord-Coe-suggests.html




Lord Coe, the chairman of the London 2012 Olympic organising committee
(Locog), said on Friday that he could not rule out asking for the
current deployment of 17,000 to be increased.


Asked if more troops will be required when the Games begin in two weeks,
Lord Coe replied: "We are working on it at the moment."

Ministers were this week forced to assign an extra 3,500 soldiers,
sailors, airmen and marines to security duties at Olympic sites after
G4S, the private security firm being paid £284million for guard work,
failed to provide enough staff.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2173335/London-2012-Welcome-Ce\
nsorship-Olympics.html?ito=feeds-newsxml




At the organisers' behest, the Government told the courts they may
wish to take particular account of anyone using two or more words from
what it calls List A: `Games'; `Two Thousand and
Twelve'; `2012'; and `twenty twelve'.


And the judges must also come down hard on anyone, even a charity, who
takes a word from List A and joins it with one or more words from what
is List B: `Gold'; `Silver'; `Bronze';
`London'; `medals'; `sponsors'; and
`summer'. Common nouns are now private property.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games does
not stop there. To cover all eventualities, it warns everyone in Britain
against creating an `unlawful association' with the Games, which
can be done without even mentioning the forbidden words!

Even the London skyline, believe it or not, is out of bounds if it is
combined with, for example, an image of a runner carrying a torch.

http://www.lbc.co.uk/olympics-too-big-to-fight-say-small-local-businesse\
s-57179




The group of hauliers, garages and delivery services in Hackney Wick,
that employ 650 people in total, claim road restrictions which started
this week and last right through til September will damage trade and put
jobs at risk.


They were asking for compensation for lack of earnings during the
Olympic and Paralympic Games from the Olympic Delivery Authority.

But Graham Phelps who runs Phelps Transport and led the campaign
admitted to LBC's Olympics correspondent John Cushing they just couldn't
afford to carry on saying "the potential cost that we could be left to
pay in legal fees, not ours but theirs, would have far outweighed what
we can afford."

The haulage owner admits businesses around the Wallis Road industrial
estate, who've been told to prepare for 35,000 spectators every day
walking to the Olympic Park through their narrow streets, will now just
tighten their belts and hope to be in business in the Autumn.

http://inside-left.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/allo-allo-allo-dont-touch-that-torch.h\
tml?spref=tw

Another account by a recipient of police torch relay pre-emptive enquiries -
this time in Portsmouth

With the Olympics just over a fortnight away, Network Rail and Southeastern trains rehearsed their station management plans to see how five key stations – London Bridge, Cannon Street, Waterloo East, Charing Cross and Victoria – will cope with the increased passenger numbers.

Further disruption was caused on Tuesday morning after King's Cross St Pancras and Euston underground stations were closed during rush hour to prevent overcrowding after a Northern Line train broke down.

This is to brief people on what is happening with the alternative torch
relay on 21st. Will have some more info on Wednesday but if anyone is
available on Saturday afternoon we hope they can come along.

There will be a second run on Friday 27th which will go from Clissold
Park through Stoke Newington, Dalston, Mare Street, London Fields,
Victoria Park, Homerton, Chatsworth Road to Leyton Marsh.

The press release which has been circulated is available

http://counterolympicsnetwork.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/press-release-his\
toric-olympic-protest-torch-relay-in-east-london/

Run is planned to start from steps in front of Westfield at 2pm. We will
confirm this. Route is up Leytonstone High Road and then loop back past
missile tower block to Wanstead Flats.

Roads will be closed in various locations for the other torch relay
(which we will be avoiding) so driving will be very difficult and some
buses will not run for some of the time. The best way to get around will
be by tube or bike - buses will be available away from the other torch
route and should get people who don't have bikes to Wanstead Flats.
There are two tube stations on the route, Stratford and Leytonstone on
Central Line

What we need

1. Runners - don't worry we have a team of runners who will do the whole
route together. Just if anyone else wants to have a go please let David
know.

2. Leafleteers and supporters - We need people to hand out demo leaflets
and to cheer on the runners and create a sense of occasion! Best places
to do this are in Stratford and Leytonstone tube areas. They are the
easiest to reach and are the most populated shopping areas. People can
spread out a bit from the tube station areas.

3. Cyclists - having people to accompany the runners will be handy both
in terms of support and also to help with filming or if needed to jump
off and leaflet or cheer along certain sections away from the two tube
stations.

4. Party at the end. If people are able to make it to Wanstead Flats to
join in with Save Wanstead Flats members that would also be good. Bikes
and buses are the easiest way to get there. Buses 308 and 58 go right
next to Wanstead Flats where we will be ending the run. Both buses will
be affected by road closures around Leyton in the afternoon but
hopefully will be running further east.

Julian

CBS Outdoor, the outdoor advertising partner for the Games, revealed today (16 July) that it has sold out all billboards bus advertising, digital installations and posters at sites within 500 meters of Olympic venues in recent weeks, with more than half of the advertisements coming from non-sponsors.

In January, Locog agreed to open the Olympic outdoor auction companies from categories such as charities, film, tourism boards and theatre that are not in direct competition with sponsors.

A spokesman for CBS Outdoor says that there would be a "greater" outdoor presence of brands not associated with the Games at Olympic sites this summer, despite the likes of Coca-Cola, EDF Energy and Lloyds launching major campaigns at l"vicinity" areas such as Hyde Park, Westminster and Stratford tube stations respectively.

Adverts on moving vehicles such as buses and taxis do not come under Locog's branding regulations to protect sponsors, meaning that non-sponsors can effectively appear near Olympic sites.

More at:  Sebastian Joseph , Marketing Week