LOCOG has “prepared a raft of television advertisements ready to stimulate last minute demand for its public ticketing campaign, which is expected to fall” about US$163M “short of its total when it closes later this month,” according to Jacquelin Magnay of the London TELEGRAPH. The campaign, including “booked television and outdoor advertising space, can be adjusted by the organisers [depending] on where they feel ticket applications are falling short of expectations.” LOCOG has “yet to announce how the demand is tracking midway through the 46-day process, apart from stressing it was strong.” LOCOG CEO Paul Deighton said that he “expected to have 80 per cent of ticket revenue -- or [US$652.6M] -- sold by the end of this public ballot process.” Magnay notes that “would leave LOCOG trying to sell tens of thousands of low demand tickets in big venues, mainly preliminary" soccer tickets (TELEGRAPH.co.uk, 4/6).
STAYING COOL IN THE SHADE: The TELEGRAPH’s Magnay noted int'l sports federations have "complained” to the IOC “about the lack of roof protection on many London 2012 Olympic Games venues.” A “lack of shade on the temporary stands at rowing, equestrian, canoe slalom and sprint, triathlon, hockey and beach volleyball will expose” the fans, officials and working media “to potential extremes of weather of rain, glare and heat.” IOC Coordination Commission Chair Denis Oswald told IOC President Jacques Rogge in a joint meeting in London that "one of the few concerns about the London organisation was the lack of ‘covered grandstands at many of the venues.’” A LOCOG spokesperson said that they were “considering protecting some areas for the working media especially at venues which continued hosting competitions regardless of inclement weather but there were no plans for wider protection for the public” (TELEGRAPH.co.uk, 4/5).
ON THE SHORT LIST: In London, Ashling O’Connor reported medical charity Wellcome Trust on Wednesday was “named among three shortlisted bidders to run the private housing element of the Athletes’ Village after the 2012 Games.” The other two bidders were Hutchison Whampoa and Delancey & Qatari Diar, a “consortium involving the property arm of the Qatar Investment Authority.” The three entities have been “invited to submit a final offer for the purchase and management of nearly half of the 2,818 homes that will be converted from athletes’ living quarters” (LONDON TIMES, 4/7).
