London Olympic Games 2012 London

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

London 2012 Olympics: BOA say handshakes okay after all, just make sure you wash your hands

Team GB athletes have been assured that they can shake hands at the Olympic Games, but don't be surprised if they then whip out a small bottle of disinfectant to kill any bugs.

In an attempt to clarify advice given on Tuesday, the British Olympic Association said athletes wouldn't decline the polite and customary greeting of a handshake, but instead would be keenly aware of washing their hands and using hand gels to prevent picking up any infections that could impact on their performance at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Team GB doctor Ian McCurdie had earlier said that bacteria was commonly transmitted by shaking hands and that athletes often had lower immune systems because of the intensity of their training regimes.

He had been advocating regular handwashing and an awareness of regularly cleaning hands and when asked about the hygiene of shaking hands McCurdie noted: "There is a risk of complacency in London."

He said athletes should prepare for a home Games in the same way as approaching developing world conditions such as the recent Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

"I think that is not such a bad thing to advise (to limit shaking hands)," McCurdie said. "The difficulty is when you have got some reception and you have got a line of about 20 people you have never met before who you have got to shake hands with.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

1.2 million London Olympics ticket Seekers come up empty handed

ROB HARRIS

London— The Associated Press

Published Friday, Jun. 17, 2011 12:03PM EDT

Last updated Friday, Jun. 17, 2011 3:49PM EDT

Two-thirds of those who applied for tickets for the 2012 London Olympics missed out in the first round of sales.

Organizers announced Friday that 1.2 million of the 1.9 million people who applied for tickets ended up with nothing. Just 700,000 individuals – mostly Britons – split three million tickets between them after a six-week sales window.

However, those missing out will be given the first opportunity to buy tickets when another 2.3 million go on sale on June 24.

“We certainly understand people’s disappointment,” organizing committee chief executive Paul Deighton said. “But we think we allocated tickets as fairly as we could.”

Tickets were not put on sale on a first-come, first-served basis and events that were oversubscribed were allocated through a lottery system. A third of the tickets have been sold to London residents, while the average successful application for four tickets cost $283.

While tickets remain for sports such as track and field, others like track cycling, rhythmic gymnastics, triathlon, modern pentathlon and the cross-country equestrian competition are sold out.

The opportunity on June 24 will include 1.7 million tickets for Soccermatches across Britain on top of the 500,000 already sold. Hockey and volleyball tickets are among the other 600,000 tickets available starting next Friday.

By next month, organizers expect to have raised $647-million from ticket sales, with another $162-million anticipated by the time the Olympics start on July 27, 2012. In total, 6.6 million tickets will be available to the public.

The expectation of seeing Usain Bolt in the 100 metres final attracted 1.3 million applications, but only 30,000 of the 80,000 seats at the Olympic Stadium will have gone on general sale. So far 21,000 tickets have been sold and the remaining 9,000 will be made available next year.

Tickets that go on sale to the British public can be bought by anyone living in the European Union.

But only 3 per cent of sales through the official site have come from outside Britain. People also can buy tickets in their own country through a designated company or the national Olympic committee.

“If you benchmark that [demand] against other games, it’s a massive domestic interest,” organizing committee chairman Sebastian Coe said. “I would be hard pushed to give you such a demand for any other sporting event in my lifetime.”

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Pakistan hockey eyeing a podium finish in London Olympics

By Omar Khalid

Karachi, Jan 25 (IANS) Buoyed by the Asian Games hockey gold medal, Pakistan are now eyeing a podium finish at the London Olympic Games 2012.

The three-time Olympic champions have failed to win the gold since their memorable triumph in the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Their last medal was the bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Games and they finished fourth in 2000 Sydney after losing 3-6 to Australia in the play-off for the third place.

In London, it would need a great effort from the Greenshirts to finish on the podium as they are way behind powerhouses like Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.

But the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) hopes that the Asian Games gold will boost the team's confidence.

"Pakistan hockey has been struggling for almost twenty years but we believe that it's time for things to change," said Asif Bajwa, PHF secretary.

"We have put ourselves on the road to revival by winning the Asian Games title and are now setting our sights on doing well in the 2012 Olympics and the World Cup to be played in 2014," added Bajwa, an Olympian.

Bajwa said PHF has lined up 40-50 international matches against top teams in the run up to the Olympics. It includes a tour of Egypt, a hectic sojourn of Europe, the Champions Trophy and a trip to Australia followed by a lengthy tour of England in early 2012.

"We'll start our preparations with the trip to Egypt," said Bajwa. "It will be followed by hectic assignments both at home and abroad which we believe will help us in raising a balanced team for the Olympics," he added.

Bajwa said that Pakistan want to have a pool of 25 world-class players by the end of this year.

"We want to have 25 top players so that we can pick a solid Olympic team from that pool."

But PHF's plans can face a few hurdles.

Michel van den Heuvel, Pakistan's Dutch coach, is doubtful to finish his stint with the national team because of security concerns. He was in charge of Pakistan's successful campaign in Guangzhou Asian Games after which the PHF decided to retain him till the London Olympics.

There have been reports that the Dutchman is concerned about his safety in Pakistan and might not complete his tenure.

Bajwa is confident that Van den Heuvel will carry on as the national coach.

"Our coach has a few concerns but the PHF will address them which is why I'm hopeful that he will supervise our Olympic preparations."

Guangzhou 16th Asian Games 2010, Asian Games 2010 Closing Ceremony Guangzhou.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Maken wants India to perform better at London Olympics

Maken wants India to perform better at London Olympics (Lead)

New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) Sports minister Ajay Maken Thursday said his top priority would be to see India better its performance in the 2012 London Olympics and has asked his officials to make a blueprint for the athletes' preparation.

The government earmarked a whopping Rs.678 crore for the athletes' training for the two major events Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games last year and Maken said the momentum should be maintained in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics.

"We got good results because the government spent a lot of money on training and exposure of the athletes. We got foreign coaches. All of that led to the betterment of sports and that must continue."

Maken said he is keen to see India win more than three medals they bagged in the Beijing Olympics.

"The target will be the 2012 Olympics. We would want maximum athletes to qualify for London. We need to get as many medals as we can and maintain the momentum," he said.

"I have spoken to the secretaries and very soon we will be ready with the full-fledged plan for the Olympics' preparation."

"The challenge will be to improve our sports and move ahead. I would want to correct the wrong steps taken in the past. We can't linger on," he added.

Maken lauded India's improved performance in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games last year but asserted that the country needs to do a lot more to become a top sporting nation.

"India had a good last year in sports. Our performance in the two events was historic. But we cannot be satisfied with this."

On sports infrastructure, Maken said: "We have built the infrastructure and we will soon be ready with the policy on how to maintain it. If weddings and functions take place in the stadiums, the purpose of building these stadiums will be defeated. We will make a policy and try to get it cleared by the cabinet."

London Olympics tops new sports minister's priorities

London Olympics tops new sports minister's priorities

New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) Listing his priorities after taking charge of the sports ministry, Ajay Maken has said he would like India to better their Beijing Olympics performance in the 2012 London Games and has asked his officials to make a blueprint for the athletes' preparation.

The government earmarked a whopping Rs.678 crore for the athletes' training for the two major events last year and Maken said the momentum should be maintained in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics.

"We got good results because the government spent a lot of money on training and exposure of the athletes. We got foreign coaches. All of that led to the betterment of sports and that must continue."

Maken said he is keen to see India win more than three medals they bagged in the Beijing Olympics.

"The target will be the 2012 Olympics. We would want maximum athletes to qualify for London. We need to get as many medals as we can and maintain the momentum," he said.

"I have spoken to the secretaries and very soon we will be ready with the full-fleged plan for the Olympics' preparation."

"The challenge will be to improve our sports and move ahead. I would want to correct the wrong steps taken in the past. We can't linger on," he added.

Maken lauded India's improved performance in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games last year but asserted that the country needs to do a lot more to become a top sporting nation.

"India had a good last year in sports. Our performance in the two events was historic. But we cannot be satisfied with this."

On sports infrastructure, Maken said: "We have built the infrastructure and we will soon be ready with the policy on how to maintain it. If weddings and functions take place in the stadiums, the purpose of building these stadiums will be defeated. We will make a policy and try to get it cleared by the cabinet."

Monday, February 15, 2010

Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games

Artists perform on skis and snowboards hang on ropes during the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, at the BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, Canada.