Guardian news: Future of Olympic Stadium must be settled by end of the year

Wrangles over who gets to use the Olympic Stadium after the London 2012 Games must finish by the end of this year, the Olympic legacy chief Baroness Ford said today.

Considering West Ham United's new and high-profile interest in moving in to the east London stadium after the Games amid other suggested would-be tenants, a public consultation process will be used to help make the decision, she told MPs.

Baroness Ford, chair of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), which is in charge of planning, developing and managing the Olympic Park, said: "It seems the time is absolutely right now to go into a public process to get a set of settled uses for the stadium.

"This is a £540 million public asset so it goes without saying that we are not just going to have some conversation off stage left and someone is going to take over the stadium.

"It has to be a publicly managed process to demonstrate value for money and that we are keeping the bid commitments that were there."

It will start with three months of market testing, including publication of an OPLC prospectus in the next few weeks inviting people to make suggestions on what they can do in legacy. A formal procurement process will then take place.

Baroness Ford told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee: "We are really hoping we will get to an agreed position by the end of the year so we can say 'here are the uses for the stadium' and we can put that to one side and get on with other things.

"I am quite confident that we can get to a good decision on the stadium but we must do it this year because it can not be left to just drag on."

Rumours have been rife that rugby and Twenty20 cricket could also be interested in using the stadium but Baroness Ford insisted that the bid pledge of having a grand prix athletics track after the Games "have to be met".

She said: "We know that the amount of times that athletics will be used in the stadium will not be a huge amount of times, maybe a couple of dozen times a year, but for me premier athletics must be part of the mix because that was part of the bid commitment."

West Ham's new co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan took over the cash-strapped club this year and immediately confirmed their interest in relocating to the 80,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London, as they try to improve the club finances.

The stadium is to be shrunk into a 25,000-seater venue after the Games complete with an athletics track. At the moment, there seems no reason why football and athletics could not exist together in the stadium, Baroness Ford pointed out.

She said: "Technically the pitch within the track is absolutely Fifa-compliant, from the point of view of size and sight lines, and evidently the stadium is IAAF-compliant.

"These things could technically co-exist, it is whether people would want to co-exist.

"Ed Warner [the UK Athletics chief executive] I know is quite happy to share with football and it is now for football to tell us, if they want to come in to the stadium, how they would want to keep their part of the bargain in terms of the bid."

Baroness Ford said West Ham are not "the only show in town" in terms of use of the stadium as the OPLC is in "lots of discussions with many other people".

She noted: "We need to get this settled once and for all this year. "The current planning status quo is for the stadium to be taken down and rebuilt into a 25,000- seater, the new Crystal Palace, and if that is what we decide to do, fine. We should not apologise for that. We have Twickenham, we have Wembley, and we would have a new athletics stadium – that is what is currently envisaged.

"If alongside that or complementary to that other things can happen in the stadium that make it more viable, more animated, give loads of access, that involve the community – that would be absolutely fantastic."

Chief of 2012 Olympics visits Morocco

Chief of 2012 Olympics visits Morocco to promote youth sports
Lord Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the 2012 Olympic Games, met with Moroccan officials and athletes Monday (January 7th) to discuss how to promote sports among young people.

"Few countries are able to boast of having such sports stars as Nawal Al Moutawakil, Said Aouita and Hicham El Guerrouj", Lord Coe said at a press conference in Casablanca. "It's a great honour for me to be in Morocco, a country that has contributed so much to sport in general and athletics in particular."

According to Lord Coe, his discussion with National Athletics Federation President Abdessalem Ahizoune was quite relaxed. "We talked about a range of topics directly or indirectly affecting athletics in Morocco, with the sole purpose of bringing sport up to speed just four years ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games in London," he explained, adding that the big challenge today is getting young people to take up athletics rather than other activities. He emphasised that realising this goal is in everyone's best interest.

Legendary Moroccan athlete Hicham El Guerrouj said, "When I learned that Lord Coe had come to Morocco, I left Nice in France straight away to come and meet him, because he was always a role model for me." It is a great honour, the former Olympic and world champion said, to work with Coe on youth athletics in Morocco and elsewhere.

Nawal El Moutawakil, named Minister for Youth and Sports by King Mohammed VI last month, also appeared with Lord Coe at the press conference. She said Morocco needs the know-how of a great champion like Sebastian Coe to move forward in athletics. "I met Lord Coe at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, and for me he was a model to emulate, especially in his determination to succeed," said the minister.

In 1984, El Moutawakil became the first Muslim woman to win an Olympic gold medal. She is now a member of the International Olympic Committee and, as president of the IOC Evaluation Commission, helped choose the host nation for the 2012 Games. London won the rights to organise the Olympic Games, beating out Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid.

The new minister is also vice-chair of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which uses sports programmes as a "universal language" to battle crime and drugs, "break down the barriers of war-torn nations and regenerate forgotten communities".

Sebastian Coe broke the world records for the 800 m, 1500 m and mile in the 1980's. He has been Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the 2012 Olympic Games since 2005. He is also Vice-President of the International Athletics Federation.


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Anti-doping body for 2012

First Trojan for iPhone App

Poll says more than three-quarters back 2012 Olympics in London

A new nationwide survey suggests 76 per cent of people are pleased London is staging the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012 - with even higher backing among younger people and in London, southern England and Northern Ireland.

The poll, with more than 2,000 people questioned by the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB), also shows widespread optimism that the Games will have a positive effect on London and the whole country and high levels of confidence that the UK will stage successful Games in 2012.

Strongest support for the Games came from 25 to 34 year olds, with 90 per cent saying they were pleased London is staging the Games, in Northern Ireland (88 per cent), in London (82 per cent), among 35 to 44 year olds (82 per cent), among 15 to 24 year olds (81 per cent) and in southern England, where backing was 80 per cent.

Even where support was lowest, more than six out of ten were pleased about London hosting the Games. Among those aged 65 and older backing was put at 66 per cent, with 67 per cent of 55 to 64 year olds pleased, 69 per cent in Scotland and 70 per cent in the Midlands.

Among other findings, the polling suggests:
* 81 per cent think 2012 will have a positive effect on London and 70 per cent on the country as a whole.
* 76 per cent are confident the UK will host successful Games.
* 63 per cent think the legacy from 2012 should be wider than just sport.

But only 39 per cent know "a lot" or "a little" about plans for the 2012 Games, with 41 per cent knowing "not very much" and the remaining one fifth nothing. However in London the figure rises to 64 per cent.

Olympic Minister Tessa Jowell welcomed the poll's findings:
"More than two years after we won the Games, over three-quarters of those questioned remain enthusiastic about the world's top event coming to London - a real sign of a positive attitude which will inspire us all to deliver the maximum benefits for the whole country, as well as staging a terrific festival of sport."

But she added:
"We must not get complacent. We don't have a day to waste and it is up to all of us - not just Government - to act to maximise the benefits. The polling shows that many people still have to switch on to 2012. When they do, I am confident support will reach even higher levels."

The survey was carried out to aid work developing the Government's 'Our Promise for 2012' before the publication of its Legacy Action Plan in the next few months.

More than two-thirds of those surveyed rated inspiring young people to take part in local volunteering, cultural and physical activity as the most important of the five promises. The second most popular, backed by just over 50 per cent, was demonstrating that the UK is a creative, inclusive and welcoming place to live in, visit or do business in.

Tessa Jowell said:
"We wanted to know what the people's priorities were for 2012 to make sure that the Games and our ambitions for an enduring legacy were in accord - and they are. There is wide awareness - and even greater support - for our drive to create jobs, increase participation in sport, provide new facilities and promote the UK as a great place to visit - with a special focus on young people.

"We will now use this research to make sure we focus our energies and attention on the things that people think matter most, and the activities that we know they will respond to and get involved with from now to 2012 and beyond."

London 2012 Olympic Games stadium design unveiled
olympic 2012 opening ceremony

Blaze breaks out in London near 2012 Olympic venue

The London Fire Brigade has reported a huge blaze has broken out in east London near the site where the main stadium for the 2012 Olympics will be constructed.

Arounf 40 firefighters were called to the blaze at around midday at Waterden Road, Stratford.

There are no reports of any casualties and the Metropolitan police has said it is continuing its investigations into the incident.

"We have nothing to suggest that this anything other than a fire at the moment," said a police spokesman said to reporters.

Games demolition milestone marked
Smit hungry for European success

Spectators for the London Olympics in 2012 will be banned from travelling by car

Spectators for the London Olympics in 2012 will be banned from travelling by car and forced to use public transport, cycle or walk, it has emerged.

According to the Times, only a small number of disabled people will be permitted to park in close proximity to car exclusion zones at event venues in London, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Cardiff, Weymouth and Portland (Dorset).

The transport plan for the 2012 Olympics sees around 800,000 people amassing at venues on the busiest days, with personalised itineraries sent to attendees detailing how to arrive.

Plans for two giant park-and-ride sites on the M25 and M11 motorways are to be cancelled, the newspaper reports, and one lane in several key London routes will be reserved for some 80,000 members of the 'Olympic family' for around two months.

Dubbed 'Zil lanes' - after the lanes reserved for Politburo convoys in Moscow - these routes will be specifically for athletes, officials and media.

Talking to the Times, Hugh Sumner, the Olympic Delivery Authority transport director, said: "We have a very aggressive programme to make it the greenest games in modern times. We want to leave both a hard legacy in terms of infrastructure and a living legacy in the way people think about transport and about how they travel to sports and cultural events."

Mr Sumner added: "We want to accelerate the shift to public transport and cycling that we have seen in London in recent years.

"There will need to be traffic controls around competition venues. We will make it very plain to people that there isn't going to be parking."

2012 stadium cost rises by £216m

The Olympic stadium for the 2012 Games will cost £216m more to build than originally predicted, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has said.

While bidding for the Games the projected cost was £280m but since then the figure has risen by more than 77%, the new ODA chairman John Armitt said.

He said "inflation, VAT, legacy conversions and earthworks" had resulted in the escalation in expenses.

The budget for the Games was increased to £9.3bn by the government in March.

Costs 'in line'

Addressing London Assembly members on Wednesday, Mr Armitt said: "To suggest that the costs have doubled from the bid book represents a grossly misleading figure for the public.

"This figure represents a 2012 outturn cost which includes inflation, VAT, legacy conversion and earthworks.

"The bid figure was a 2004 figure which all the bidding cities were asked to give. Insofar as a comparison can be made with the bid book the figures are broadly in line," he said.

The designs for the 80,000-seat stadium will be unveiled later this month, he said.

After the Games the stadium will be scaled down to accommodate 25,000 people.

He went on to add that the final cost of building the 20,000-seat aquatic centre, which will include a wave-shaped roof, is still not clear.

"I'm not sure where we are going to finish up... the important thing is that it does the job that is required."

The bidding document said the aquatic centre would cost £75m to construct.

Heneghan Peng Architects to design Olympic Park Footbridge for 2012

Heneghan Peng Architects, with Adams Kara Taylor Engineers, have won the competition to design one of the key footbridges in the centre of the Olympic Park. The design competition, launched in May, was for multi-disciplined teams to design the footbridge located on the central pedestrian concourse in the Olympic Park. The footbridge spans 26m over the River Lea at a focal point between the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre and Basketball Arena.

The planning and design of the bridge will integrate both Games and legacy use. During the Games the bridge will have a total width of 55 metres to accommodate increased spectator numbers. After the Games temporary sections of bridge will be removed leaving two narrower bridges that span either side of Carpenters Lock, a unique 1930's historic structure on the River Lea Waterway.

In June a six-strong shortlist of established designers, engineers and emerging young practices were asked to develop concept design proposals for the bridge and the immediate surrounding landscape in Games time and legacy mode. Their designs were assessed by a specialist design jury who selected the Dublin based firm Heneghan Peng Architects as the design competition winners. The shortlisted teams were assessed by a Design Jury comprising: Carl Ainley - British Waterways; Bob Allies - Allies and Morrison; Peter Bishop - Design for London; Sarah Buck - BSW Consulting, President IStructE; Ricky Burdett - ODA Principal Design Advisor; Jorgen Nissen - Bridge Consultant; Kevin Owen - LOCOG; Simon Wright - ODA Director of Infrastructure and Utilities.

A key requirement of the design is that its surface area has to be reduced significantly after the games are over. Heneghan Peng's concept designs were praised by the design jury for making the bridge a spectacle in Games mode by using the landscape for colour and activity followed by the transformation of the structure in legacy to leave two footbridges linked by a central blade-like walkway offering views over the river and Carpenters Lock. Removing the surface after the games will reveal a grass amphitheatre which will allow access between the elevated pathways and the waterway.



The design jury was particularly impressed with the way Heneghan Peng's concept designs brought together a design solution that worked for both Games and legacy. The short span of the footbridge gave Heneghan Peng scope to develop a more creative design than a usual bridge structure by using the surrounding landscape as a way of shaping the bridge structure itself.

The jury also praised the proposals to open up the Carpenters Lock area, creating new meeting spaces, views and links above and below the bridge between the river tow paths, Carpenters Lock and the upper concourse in the Olympic Park.

Directors of Heneghan Peng Architects, Roisin Heneghan and Shih-Fu Peng, said: "We are thrilled to have won this competition particularly after being faced by such incredible opposition. We hope that our design will form an important element within the spectacle of the London 2012 Games and as a striking element of the enhanced connections the Olympic Park will create in legacy." Other shortlisted firms included McDowell+Benedetti, Ron Arad Associates and Future Systems. Heneghan Peng Architects have a good track record in competition having won competitions to design the Grand Egyptian Museum at the Pyramids of Giza in 2003, and the visitor centre at the Giants Causeway in 2005.

ODA Director of Infrastructure and Utilities Simon Wright said: "The winning team impressed the design jury with their understanding of the need to plan Games and legacy together. Their designs will help us lock-in legacy now by designing a bridge that meets Games-time needs but which also leaves behind a striking structure in the heart of the Olympic Park for future generations to enjoy. The jury were impressed with all of the shortlisted teams but Heneghan Peng's designs emerged as a clear favourite and will help us ensure we continue to aim for the highest standards of design excellence across the project."

East London 'gold' for Olympic investors

The average house price in London has broken through the £300,000 barrier, with no signs of property price growth letting up significantly in the near future. But for the savvy investor who wants to buy property in the capital, the question is clear: where in the capital will they see the best return on their investment?

Some have suggested the central London market is still offering significant potential for gains, particularly for buy-to-let investors hoping to cash in on ever-high demand as well as rising rents.

Others believe that no matter where in the capital you buy, you are likely to experience success. However, depending on when an investor is hoping to see maximum returns, the various possibilities in London could yield results that are more successful for some and less so for others.

With the Olympics heading for the capital in 2012, it has been suggested that east London will see a surge in investment potential as the area is developed and regenerated in anticipation of the global sporting event.

However, the buy-to-let investor hoping to see short to medium-term results might be better off steering clear of the Stratford area for the time being, one expert has suggested. According to the director of research at property firm Hometrack, Richard Donnell, investment in east London will experience the best growth in the long-term.

"It's all about what return you want really," he commented, adding that property buyers are likely to benefit from buying east London property if they are "happy to take a long-term view".

He explained that east London property has the potential to outperform house price growth in the rest of the capital. "If house prices rise in line with earning over the next ten years, parts of east London have got a reasonable chance of outperforming the long run average for London property prices," Mr Donnell commented.

The regeneration of east London will include the development of Stratford, which will see a new retail development and improved transport links as part of regeneration work in the Olympic Village. Some 9,000 new homes are also expected to be built in the area.

"The whole broad area around Stratford and the Olympic village will benefit from economic regeneration," commented Mr Donnell. However, he added that predicting the movement of house prices in the area is "another issue", as the Olympic site is "quite disconnected" from adjacent housing markets. "Investments will have a beneficial impact on the housing market but there is only so high house prices can go," he added.

Halifax Estate Agents reported earlier this year that by February, house prices in the three postal districts closest to the Olympic village had experienced 15 per cent house price growth since the announcement of the capital's winning bid.

And its report predicted more growth for east London, saying that historically, host cities have seen house prices increase at a rate higher than the national average in the five years running up to the event.

The last four host cities – Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Athens – averaged 66 per cent of annual house price growth in the five-year period preceding the Games.

And with five years to go until London 2012, property investors with a long-term outlook could be getting gold by heading east.

Olympic VeloPark to Live on Well After 2012

Olympic VeloPark to Live on Well After 2012

The VeloPark to be based in the north of the Olympic Park, will include a 6,000 seat Velodrome to host the Olympic and Paralympic indoor track cycling events as well as a BMX circuit for Olympic events (below).


Interior of the proposed VeloPark.
After the Games, the BMX circuit will be repositioned next to the Velodrome with a road cycle circuit and mountain bike course added to create a legacy VeloPark that will combine cycling facilities across all disciplines in one cycling ‘hub’, linked into cycle routes across London.

The design competition was judged by leading names from the world of architecture and design as well as Olympic Gold medal-winning cyclist Chris Hoy.

The winning design consortium is made up of:

-Hopkins Architects
-Expedition Engineering
-BDSP
-Grant Associates

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) also released very early concept images to demonstrate the design team’s vision behind the winning bid. More detailed work will now be carried out with the ODA over the coming months.

Jennie Price, Chief Executive of Sport England said:

“The huge crowds watching the Tour de France in London show that there is a real appetite for cycling in this country. At Sport England, we want to build on this enthusiasm by turning spectators into participants so last weeks announcement on the Velodrome is very welcome.

“We are delighted to be working with the appointed design team and the ODA to deliver an Olympic venue we can be proud of. We also need to make sure the Velodrome is used after 2012 to get local communities involved in cycling.”

David Higgins, Chief Executive of the ODA said:

“The winning team impressed the design jury with their understanding of the need to plan Games and legacy together. Their vision supported our desire for a Velodrome that sits within a comprehensive VeloPark with a wide range of cycling facilities for people of all abilities – beginner to elite.

“Between them the design team have a strong track record in designing innovative and creative projects. I am confident that they can help create both a world-class stage for the best athletes in the world and leave a lasting legacy for cyclists of all ages and abilities for many years to come.”

Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee, said:

“I am delighted to be announcing the design team for one of the key venues in the Olympic Park. This is on the back of a fantastic weekend for cycling in this country with the staging of the Tour de France. This showed how London is the world capital of sport and our capacity to stage world sporting events. It also showed the passion of Londoners for world class sport and the enthusiasm for cycling in the capital and throughout the UK.

“The VeloPark will contain brand new, state of the art facilities for road cycling, bmx, and mountain biking, be a great venue for the Games and leave a permanent cycling legacy in the capital.”

Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said:

“I am delighted with the appointment of this experienced team who have an impressive track record. I am sure they will produce not only a world class venue for the Games, but also a lasting legacy for a training and competition centre for cycling and a venue that will be equally inviting to the local community.

“Good design is not an optional extra: it is fundamental to everything we build for the Games and I am determined to ensure that it is embedded in every project from inception to completion.”

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said:

“Cycling has never been so popular in the capital and after last weekend, when millions packed into London's streets to watch the spectacle of the Tour de France, we can be assured that the VeloPark will be a magnet for spectators both during the 2012 Games and long after.

“We look forward to seeing a world class VeloPark which will host major competitions that both inspire our future cycling champions and attract many more people to take up and enjoy the pleasure and benefits of cycling.”

Chris Hoy, Olympic cycling champion and member of the Design Jury, said:

“Having competed in cycling venues around the globe, I understand the importance of world-class design in Olympic venues so I was delighted to be involved in judging the VeloPark design entrants.

“I was hugely impressed by the winning team’s ideas, not only because they recognised and understood the needs of elite athletes but also because of their exciting visions for the venue and the legacy thereafter which will help inspire a new generation of cycling champions.”

Mike Taylor, a Director of Hopkins Architects said:

“We are absolutely thrilled to have been selected to design the VeloPark. The design competition was a great team effort, against formidable opposition.

“We are particularly honored because the scale and prominence of the Velodrome will make it a defining image of the Olympic Park and a place where we hope world records will be broken. Our vision for the project is one where both beginners and elite athletes will be equally at home and where everyone will be encouraged to participate and excel.”

Peter King, Chief Executive, British Cycling said:

"I was impressed by the range, vision and quality of the tenders submitted and particularly impressed with the understanding that the winning team had developed of the challenges to be faced in addressing the issues of legacy. Their concept for the Velodrome is outstanding and looks entirely practical, both in Olympic mode and as the heart of the legacy VeloPark.

“We are ready to start work with the team on the details of the Velodrome and the BMX tracks for the Olympics and on the plans to create other world-class legacy facilities in the Olympic Park for cycling user groups and the local community to use.

“These are exciting times for cycling and we look forward to being an active part of the process to ensure both the very best Olympic facilities for our sport and a full legacy for all aspects of cycling in this unique inner city setting."

Shaun Dawson, Chief Executive for the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority said:

“This team demonstrated the best understanding of the operational needs of the facility as well as inspiring design techniques. This is a winning formula which will create what will be a world class cycling facility that will hopefully help us hit gold in 2012 and in legacy inspire a new generation of cyclists of all ages and abilities.”

There will now be around 10 months for the outline design phase followed by nine months of detailed design development, before construction work starts in the spring of 2009.

The VeloPark will be completed in time for test events to take place in the summer of 2011. Lee Valley Regional Park Authority will own and operate the VeloPark in legacy.

In addition to the facilities that will remain in the VeloPark beyond 2012, the London Development Agency (LDA) are investing £5m in a new permanent road cycle circuit and mountain bike course at Hog Hill, Redbridge and will be funding the facility up to the completion of the legacy VeloPark. Work is underway to identify an operator of Hog Hill beyond 2012.

Direct labour threatens to add £240m to Olympics

Demands for direct employment on the London 2012 site could add £240m to the cost of the Olympics, industry experts have claimed.

One employment expert warned the move would send the wage bill soaring. “You are talking about an extra 20% at least on the wages bill when you take into account the additional cost of employers’ National Insurance contributions and benefits like holiday pay and sick pay.”

On a major job like the Olympics about a third of the total budget is allocated for labour costs, which means about £3bn of the £9.3bn overall cost is affected by the call for direct employment.

CJ understands that on a typical major project about 65% of the workforce is directly employed in the initial stages, falling to around 50% as the job nears completion.

One major contractor said: “A lot of the big boys have taken on their people direct so the number is higher at the start before the smaller firms start coming on to the job.

“If you take six out of ten workers as an average for the level of direct employment on other big sites then the 20% extra cost of taking the rest of the Olympic workforce on the books works out at £240m on a £3bn wage bill.”

The warning comes as negotiations on an industrial relations agreement between the construction unions and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) have reportedly reached a stalemate (CJ 11 July).

The unions are united on their insistence that self-employment should not be allowed on the job.


A UCATT spokesperson said: “It is a myth that so-called flexible working is cheaper. Wembley stadium and Holyrood were built on the backs of so-called self-employed workers. These projects were massively late and horrendously over budget. The direct employment model would have alleviated many of the problems experienced by these projects.

“Even if direct employment costs more, decent people and decent companies may decide that is a price worth paying in order to prevent workers being exploited and an increase in deaths and accidents that are all too often major features of bogus self-employed sites.”

An ODA spokesperson dismissed the CJ figures. “These are ill-informed back of the envelope calculations. The ODA has always maintained we are committed to ensuring high standards of employment and we’re confident of achieving this within our given budget. We have always said that the appropriate National Working Rule agreement will form the basis of employment on site.

“We are also currently discussing the final points of a Memorandum of Agreement with construction unions and it is our intention that it will include an agreement on maximising direct employment.”

from www.contractjournal.com

Olympic planners left IT out of the budget

The government failed to account for the costs of IT when putting together its budget for the 2012 Olympic Games, according to the bean counter watchdogs of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

In its 39th report, the PAC said the Olympic had neglected to include additional costs of £400m, which would cover "IT and site mobilisation and the costs of the CLM Consortium", a project management group appointed by the Olympic Delivery Authority to help it get everything in on time.

This £400m oversight was part of a £900m increase in the total budget for the Olympic Park, announced in 2006. The PAC says the massive underestimate was a result of using the costs of an "urban development corporation" as a benchmark for the running costs of the Olympic And they say private sector isn't leaner than public.

The report also found the authority has "seriously overestimated" the amount of private sector funding it was likely to receive. Planners budgeted for £738m of private sector funding, but it turned out that there was not enough time to negotiate the necessary contracts, so the money is unlikely to materialise.

The games were originally expected to cost around £2bn. That figure has since risen to £9bn. And although they managed a £400m tech-related oversight, at least planners managed to get Olympic in on time and looking just fabulous. ®

Europe VS USA On The Blocks

London's 2012 Olympic aquatics centre is in line to host swimming's answer to the Ryder Cup - Europe V US - in 2011 as a warm-up for the Games a year later.

The details of the Duel-in-the-Pool are likely to be thrashed out at a meeting between the Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN) and USA Swimming this coming autumn, though the event could become a Trio-in-the-Pool if the parties agree to a move for Australia to be included.

Whatever form the event takes, it will represent a monument to American swimming's forward-planning skills: negotiations began as far back as 2003, when Peter Daland, an Octogenarian who during his days on the deck was one of the most successful coaches in swimming history, raised the idea with the Europe's governing federation league in the belief that either Paris or London would host the 2012 Olympic Games.

Laszlo Szakadati, Hungarian director of LEN, the European body working hard to make the event a reality, said: "We should not be blind about this: America wants this event because London has the Games and the US team wants to be here a year in advance to test the waters and their training and preparation for 2012. But Europe thinks this is a great idea, it could be a fantastic spectacle for swimming and we would like to see it become a tradition, more than something we have just twice."

Szakadati added that Europe favoured staging the inaugural Duel in 2009, though it was "not yet certain whether the 2012 pool in London will be ready then". Dublin is a favourite alternative venue for a 2009 event. There is no candidate other than London for 2011 provided Britain is ready to host the competition.

Technical and financial details have yet to be agreed and potential sponsors yet to be approached formally, while Europe has yet to decide how a team from many nations would be selected and who would foot the bill.

Disagreements with the US centre on the competition format: Europe favours two competitors from each team in each race (for a final of six should Australia be present), while the US wants to see three swimmers per team in a final of nine (Olympic pools are ten lanes wide, the outside two lanes left empty at the Games and for world championships).

Szakadati said that Europe favoured staging a two-day competition that would break away from the current Olympic format (eight days, 40 events) and be more TV-friendly. "Swimmers would enjoy that too, I'm sure. It would be a break from the routine," he added.

A meeting between Europe and the US will take place "either in October or November" to finalise details. Asked whether Australia, which already takes part in a Duel-In-The-Pool exclusively with the US, would be at those talks, the director said: "Initially this was all about US v Europe, but now there is some insistence on Australia being there. It is not that we object to that, not at all, but frankly speaking, this is about the US: it was an honour for Europe to be invited to talk about this by the Americans.

"In Melbourne (world championships last March), we were not beaten, we were ultra-beaten just a few months after a paper exercise showed how close things were between the US and Europe as a continent. I think this meet could be fantastic for the sport and for European swimming and we're working to make it happen," said Szakadati.

A Europe v USA duel is likely to attract the attention of good sponsorship and widespread TV coverage.

Olympic sailing police need £21m

The cost of policing Olympic events in Dorset in 2012 is likely to be at least £21m, it has been revealed.

The Dorset force has put in a request to the government to foot the bill for the security needed for the sailing events for the 2012 London Olympics.

It is not yet known how much of the estimated final cost will have to be met by the force.

The cost of the operation in Weymouth and Portland has worried local MPs, who fear its knock-on effects.

Funding under scrutiny

The Home Office said £600m had been earmarked for Olympic policing needs.

A spokeswoman said it would "consider any proposals for Olympic funding from police forces".

She added the total sum allocated was under "continuing scrutiny in the light of the developing security assessment".

Annette Brooke, Lib Dem MP for Mid-Dorset and North Poole, said she was worried about the possible impact on frontline police services.

She added: "My greatest concern is to make sure this does come from central funds allocated for the Olympic Games and most of all that Dorset Police has the money up front.

"It's going to be such a huge proportion of their overall budget."

A spokeswoman for Dorset Police said: "We can confirm a bid of £21m has been put forward to the Home Office but this has not yet been approved and we are not expecting approval anytime soon. These things take a considerable period of time."

London 2012 Logo Creators Break Silence

The two men behind the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games logo finally broke their silence in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, saying they were proud of the design and even pleased about some of the criticism of the logo.

Brian Boylan, chairman of Wolff Olins, the consultancy responsible for the 400,000 pound design said, “let’s be clear – we won’t change the design at all. We are proud of it. It will go down in history. We have created something original in a world where it is increasingly difficult to make something different”.

Patrick Cox, leader of the design team that created the logo said, “it wasn’t created to be warm and fuzzy. Its design is intentionally raw which means it doesn’t immediately sit there and ask to be liked very much. It was meant to be something that did provoke a response, like the little thorn in the chair that gets you to breathe in, sit up and take notice”.

Boylan, who was in charge of the project said, “I don’t think brands need only to be lived any more. They need to be useful, in terms of providing participation and a platform for people to do things with them. I think that is what this is going to be remembered for “.

The Telegraph reports that Boylan admitted he had been surprised by the intensity of the criticism, but said that his travels to Switzerland and Denmark in the last two weeks had convinced him that opinion was getting behind the design.

When asked if most Britons would ever love it he said, “we are not confident or unconfident. The public will judge”.

Chris Townsend, the commercial director of London 2012, said he had been enthusiastic when shown the first drafts of the logo just before Christmas. He said, “the senior management team was unanimous. We saw other designs, but this was the one. The more the brand is understood, the more it will be loved”, adding, “we were creating something we hope reflects the spirit of our times, party youthfulness, and also the sense of participation”.

He said the logo is intended to be a “blank canvas”, a set of blocks in which people can place images of their choice. It is hoped that a “non-commercial” version will be available next year for use by bodies such as amateur sports clubs.

Cox said, “when people are saying that a child could have done it, or are coming up with their own designs, that’s what we want. We want everyone to be able to do something with it”.

London 2012 sites

www.london2012.com - The Main London 2012 site
www.londonolympics2012.com - The Independent London Olympics 2012 website
www.olympic.org/uk/games/london/index_uk.asp - Official website of the Olympic Movement
www.blog.london2012.com/ - London 2012 blog
www.the2012londonolympics.com - UNOFFICIAL London 2012 Summer Olympic Games

The Olympic Logos

This is a slideshow of the logos of The Summer Olympic Games (1896-2016) and The Winter Olympics (1924-2014)
N.B. : If the London 2012 Logo got changed, just let me know.
This movie is silent.