LOCOG Again Making Plans To Scale Back 2012 Olympic Village
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Deighton Says London Will Have
Smaller Venues Than Beijing Olympics |
LOCOG officials have agreed to reduce the size of the athletes' village for the London Olympics by a "further 500 apartments to stem rising costs," according to Bond & Pocock of the London TELEGRAPH. The village already has been "scaled back by a third from the 4,200 flats originally planned due to problems in raising private finance" (TELEGRAPH.co.uk, 8/7). LOCOG CEO Paul Deighton yesterday in a presentation to IOC members in Beijing said that the "biggest difference between Beijing and London would be the scale of the venues," as London "will have more temporary facilities." Deighton: "The beauty is in the contrast. The Beijing Games could end up being unique. I'm not sure how many other countries would have the control of resources to be able to put them behind an event like this. I think London is much more likely to be the model for Games in the future." Deighton added that LOCOG has "brought more than 100 people to Beijing to gain 'the battle experience' of the Games" (LONDON TIMES, 8/7). REUTERS' Catherine Bremer notes London has a budget of about US$18.15B for the 2012 Games, "less than half what Beijing has spent, and finding private financing for projects such as the athletes' village has grown harder as the global credit crunch bites" (REUTERS, 8/7).
ENJOY THE RIDE: In Chicago, Kathy Bergen reports Chicago Mayor Richard Daley in his first full day in Beijing yesterday rode on the city's "state-of-the-art subway," which "signaled just how badly he wants to polish Chicago's transit system, with federal help, as part" of the city's bid for the 2016 Olympics (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/7).
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