The ’12 London Olympic torch relay, which “starts at Land’s End in Cornwall on May 19 and ends 70 days later in the Olympic Stadium, will take in 1,018 villages, towns and cities,” according to Ashling O’Connor of the LONDON TIMES. LOCOG organizers said that the “flame will visit every county and local authority and pass within ten miles of more than 95 per cent of the population at some point” during its 8,000-mile journey across Britain. Unlike the torch relay for the ‘08 Beijing Games, which “was hijacked by human rights protesters as it circumnavigated the world, the London Games’ organisers have chosen to keep their event low-key, with an emphasis on local communities.” Although the flame “must be lit at Olympia in Greece and transported to Britain, probably by air, there is no formal international leg of the relay.” The Olympic flame will be “carried by 115 torchbearers a day who will travel on average 320m (350 yards) each, and it will stay overnight in designated towns and cities that will host live music events and other entertainment.” LOCOG officials said that they “want to reward ordinary people who have shown interest in the Games by taking the torch to more run-of-the-mill places including schools and community centres.” A “30-strong team of officers from the Metropolitan Police will act as bodyguards for the flame and its bearers” and a “12-vehicle convoy will escort the torch wherever it goes” (LONDON TIMES, 11/7). In London, Jacquelin Magnay reports elected officials “have been banned from running with the London 2012 Olympic torch relay.” Prime Minister David Cameron and the London Mayor Boris Johnson “will not be allowed to take any of the 8,000 relay spots on offer.” Strict rules from the IOC “forbid the officials from taking part, a rule designed to prevent the torch relay from descending into political grandstanding.” Still, LOCOG officials “have reserved a small portion of relay spots for high profile sportspeople and celebrities, names of which are still to be determined and allocated if they have satisfied the underlying theme of personal achievement or personal best” (London TELEGRAPH, 11/7).
EXPENSE REPORT: The London TELEGRAPH reports the U.K. government has spent nearly US$1.2M on “an Olympic ticket allocation.” Public records show that U.K. Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media & Sport Jeremy Hunt's department “applied for and has been allocated some 8,846 tickets to the London 2012 Olympics.” The allocation, which “was until now withheld from the public, included 213 tickets to the opening ceremony for a total price” of US$312,250. The government's allocation “includes 41 of the most expensive opening ceremony tickets, priced at [US$3,300], while they were also allocated 143 tickets to the closing ceremony for a cost” of US$114,748. Hunt's department reportedly spent US53,102 on 257 athletics tickets and US$42,694 on 411 beach volleyball tickets (TELEGRAPH.co.uk, 11/7).
THE ART OF SPORT: The AP’s Cassandra Vinograd noted LOCOG officials on Friday “unveiled the posters for the London 2012 games, which highlight 12 different takes on how to celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic games.” The posters were designed by “leading British artists” (AP, 11/4).
