2012 Olympics Scheduled To Fall On Muslim Holiday Ramadan

LOCOG has been “plunged into controversy by the discovery that the [2012] Games will clash with Ramadan,” according to the London EVENING STANDARD. Ramadan, the holy month of Islam when Muslims fast from sun-up to sundown, will take place July 21-August 20, while the Olympics will take place July 27-August 12. The IOC “insisted the Games take place some time between July 15 to August 31.” London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission Chair Massoud Shadjareh said, “It shows a complete lack of awareness and sensitivity.” LOCOG head of PR & media Joanna Manning-Cooper said, “We have always believed we could find ways to accommodate it. We had lots of things to consider when we submitted our dates, including the fact that transport will be less crowded in the summer holiday. We also need 70,000 volunteers and this is the best time to find them” (London EVENING STANDARD, 10/14). AROUND THE RINGS noted the Muslim Council of Britain “issued a formal statement in support of the bid” in November ’04 after the “proposed dates of the London Olympics had already been set.” All five cities bidding to host the 2012 Games “proposed dates that included some portion of the holy month” (AROUNDTHERINGS.com, 10/15).

STADIUM TEAM: The Team McAlpine Consortium, a group led by UK-based Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd. that includes HOK Sport, was “picked to deliver” the Olympic stadium for the 2012 London Olympics. HOK “will design the main Olympic stadium,” which is projected to cost $550-740M. The consortium also designed the Olympic stadium for the ’00 Sydney Games (AP, 10/13).