Don't mention the Olympics London 2012 (discussion of the organisation and logistics

don't mention the Olympics | Herald Scotland
Apparently mentioning Olympics or 'London' or 2012 is verboten.

So in that spirit I would like to say Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics Oympics 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London London

Oympics?

Ha ha. We shall be holidaying in the Borders during the Olympic fortnight. The capital city can have it's snarl-ups, olympic lanes, crowded tubes and overpriced everything and keep it to itself while we are enjoying being away from it all!

I'm looking forward to the games themselves, but the more I read about the bid process and the money being thrown at VIPs and corporate sponsors the more I'm convinced that the whole shebang is a moneyspinning exercise for the few.

Billions are being spent on venues, many of which are to be torn down after a few weeks even though we were promised legacy. Low cost housing has already been sold to the Quatari royal family, despite assurances it would benefit ordinary Londoners. The public will be prohibited from taking their own food and drink, instead being forced to buy from "partners" - for which read companies like Coca-Cola and McDonalds (official restaurant of the Olympics, even though they're the antithesis of healthy eating). VIP lanes throughout the capital will be turned over to those involved while tourists and residents can go hang; the situation at Heathrow will be the same even though the airport is already a national joke. The expenditure runs into billions and yet people are being asked to volunteer for free in the middle of a recession and mass unemployment. Small businesses have been threatened with legal action for acts so innocent as using "2012" in promotional material, others are facing disruption or closure, despite assurances that this would be great for the economy. The police are being augmented by private security, which never ends well, including armed guards for the precious corporate sponsors. Missiles are being situated in residential areas, apparently ready to shoot down planes which pose a threat - presumably some thought has been given as to where all this debris would fall. The ticketing system is complicated and unfair, and requests for transparency have been stonewalled by the organisers.

I'm sure that for the athletes concerned it will indeed be the pinnacle of their careers, and I genuinely look forward to the sporting action, but everything else about the whole process can go hang.

I've never followed the Olympic Games too closely but there is one thing I'm really looking forward to... can Usain Bolt beat his records again? (though the first quetsion would be.. will he try?)

What Dave said.... :s

Best description so far is surely one carried in the Independent a few weeks ago: 'An £11 billion taxpayer-funded advertisement for some of the worst companies in the world'.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BDunnell

Best description so far is surely one carried in the Independent a few weeks ago: 'An £11 billion taxpayer-funded advertisement for some of the worst companies in the world'.

---

Quote:

---

London Olympics Worldwide Partners:

Coca-Cola
Acer
Omega
Dow
GE
Macdonalds
Panasonic
P&G
Atos Origin
Visa
Samsung

---

Oh those evil watch makers at Omega!

McDonalds market junk food directly to children, Atos are making millions out of flawed and widely criticised medical assessments of sick and disabled people in the UK, Dow have a terrible record of environmental abuse and refuse to pay out to victims of Bhopal.

As far as I know, Omega make decent watches.

I agree with Dave...although I'm not looking forward that much to the sport. Athletics is tedious imo (although I'm interested in seeing what Usain Bolt can do), and it's ridiculous that sports like football and basketball can be involved...even road cycling is a bit questionable. To my mind the Olympics should be the pinnacle of any sport, if it isn't then don't bother. Football has the world cup, basketball has the NBA and cycling has the classic tours and world championships (obviously the velodrome stuff is diffierent), so why hold some sidebar at the Olympics? And as for the money that's been wasted on it... :angryfire And that doesn't even include this ridiculous 'cultural' games or whatever it is, the highly funded arts programme for bull**** stuff to be paraded around.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by anthonyvop

Oh those evil watch makers at Omega!

---

TBF they do charge upwards of £2k for a watch that's unlikely to cost anywhere near that to make.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MrJan

TBF they do charge upwards of £2k for a watch that's unlikely to cost anywhere near that to make.

---

That's the free market though, most name-brand clothing costs peanuts to make and sells for a hefty mark-up. If people exercise free-will to buy an overpriced tacky watch that's their lookout.

I have lost much appreciation for the Olympic games ever since professional athletes have been permitted to compete :s

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MrJan

I agree with Dave...although I'm not looking forward that much to the sport. Athletics is tedious imo (although I'm interested in seeing what Usain Bolt can do), and it's ridiculous that sports like football and basketball can be involved...even road cycling is a bit questionable. To my mind the Olympics should be the pinnacle of any sport, if it isn't then don't bother. Football has the world cup, basketball has the NBA and cycling has the classic tours and world championships (obviously the velodrome stuff is diffierent), so why hold some sidebar at the Olympics? And as for the money that's been wasted on it... :angryfire And that doesn't even include this ridiculous 'cultural' games or whatever it is, the highly funded arts programme for bull**** stuff to be paraded around.

---

Completely agree with that. The pinnacle of a cyclists career would be winning the Tour de France, not the Olympics. A tennis player wants to win at Wimbledon, not the Olympics. Football they don't even field the proper teams, it's U21.

There's plenty of other sports without duplicating like this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mark

Completely agree with that. The pinnacle of a cyclists career would be winning the Tour de France, not the Olympics. A tennis player wants to win at Wimbledon, not the Olympics....

---

True, but there are many amateur athletes whose career highlight would be winning an Olympic medal.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dave B

That's the free market though, most name-brand clothing costs peanuts to make and sells for a hefty mark-up. If people exercise free-will to buy an overpriced tacky watch that's their lookout.

---

Tacky? TACKY?!! Rolex make tacky watches, Omega make beautiful watches :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by schmenke

True, but there are many amateur athletes whose career highlight would be winning an Olympic medal.

---

But they don't get a chance to because the sports are open to professionals.

Back in the early 80's I was an innocent child and lived in a bubble where I thought all athletes won gold medals because they ate porridge and trained hard. I wanted to be a world's best runner. Boy was I shocked when I heard our national hero got caught of using anabolic steroids. A couple of years later, Ben Johnson, who was supposed to be pure and won Carl Lewis got caught..... suddenly the bubble started to crumble. Novadays I'm only interested of sports where the use of doping is minimal and the success depends on the level of skill for instance..... hmm.... let's say rallying ;) That could in both, summer and winter Olympics.

Anyway, how com they just won't allow the use of doping since everyone is doing them. The winner is usually the one who won't get caught :mark:

When you go an internet business, it's vital to consume the solutions you'll have to spend in order that you obtain positively whatever possible through the social bookmarking groupement. As we can Coach Bags Canada use the keyword phrases "online end user service" tips is able to our group potentially absolutely not tackle social media? Individuals are becoming more and more "into" the entire open elements of the particular web. These are rather a lot a lot interactive for you to they have a lot previously. Teacher store on the web is not really a spot supermarket your wants, throughout likelihood investing in keeping with mark and as well as abilities. you'll be strictly Kunstwerk. Cheap Coach Outlet Wenn strategy hasn't ever metamorphosed during sustainability when cost effective teacher purses, the bags can function Coach Outlet Canada Online store, hot sale Coach Bags up to 88% off .

As if to illustrate my point about the corporate bloat surrounding the event, here's a comment from the Telegraph website:

Quote:

---

My tickets arrived this morning. Sent by Special Delivery at a charge of £6, a rip off in itself.

Each ticket came accompanied by a 9 zone Travelcard for the day, despite the fact that I live in the same zone (4) as the venue and can get one bus all the way there.


Along with the tickets came a glossy advert for Lloyds Bank.


There was also a large leaflet advising:
No water allowed in venue
No food allowed in the venue (its an all day event so we will either have to starve to death and dehydrate or buy wildly over-priced "food" (McDonalds et al) and bottled water). Apparently the public drinking fountains in Greenwich Park will be turned off "for health and safety reasons".
No smoking in the park under any circumstances.


Once inside the park, we are stuck there all day as there is no re-entry to the park once you leave (so none of the established food outlets around the park will make any money).


This is certainly going to be a day to remember - but, I suspect, not for the right reasons.


Greenwich Park itself is a public space but has been basically turned into private land. There was also a leaflet advising us of its environmental sensitivity so we "should be careful where we walk" - despite the fact that the park has more or less been bulldozed to accommodate viewing stands and the cross country course.


And all for the self-aggrandisement of that Slug Coe and his cronies.

---

Source: London 2012 Olympics: third of latest Games tickets remain unsold - Telegraph

Farce doesn't begin to cover it.

or rather... dislike it :dozey:

No re-entry is a complete joke, especially given what the tickets cost.

Can I say just how happy I am Chicago did not get the 2016 Olympics?

To be fair about the unsold tickets they are mostly for football where we have vast stadiums to fill for matches that nobody cares about. Football is probably one of the least prestigious Olympic competitions.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MrJan

No re-entry is a complete joke, especially given what the tickets cost.

---

I'd say not allowing even water is even worse. Water should be free.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by donKey jote

I'd say not allowing even water is even worse. Water should be free.

---

Couldn't they drink water from toilet room? ( from the washbasin, of course :laugh: )

Where I live it's ( still ) drinkable.

Agreed water is completely excessive. That's a safety issue.

Presumably medication will be allowed? Then you'd have to buy a bottle of water in order to take your drugs?

What about a bag of sweets? To most people a snack, to a diabetic, life or death.

Oh and it's £7 a pint apparently.

I agree it is all way too OTT and FUBARed. However, I vote with my feet, and will be enjoying a quiet life in Scotland while all the wallahs who bought tickets pay through the nose for everything and find out just how shyte our public transport really is! ;)

Mind you, I'm buggered for the Paralympics, as we live 10 minutes from Brands Hatch, and the area will no doubt be locked down in a security/HSE complete wet dream of overkill.

For those in the UK, last weeks Question Time mulled over the Olympics briefly. Griff-Rhyss Jones made a very good point.....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mark

Agreed water is completely excessive. That's a safety issue.

Presumably medication will be allowed? Then you'd have to buy a bottle of water in order to take your drugs?

What about a bag of sweets? To most people a snack, to a diabetic, life or death.

Oh and it's £7 a pint apparently.

---

There would be a REVOLUTION in any civilised country...

The outrageous degree of greed allowed makes me wonder where is your Government? Or has Corporations overrun all levels of Government in England, too?

I read in the paper this morning that you are allowed to take in an empty bottle and fill it from drinking fountains inside the stadium.

That's Ok then, unless they charge you for the fountains too :p

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by A.F.F.

...... Novadays I'm only interested of sports where the use of doping is minimal and the success depends on the level of skill for instance..... hmm.... let's say rallying ;) That could in both, summer and winter Olympics.......

---

What about nitrous oxide? :D

I don't know, the Winter Olympics in Vancouver had it's issues, but we didn't as cynical here as you lot. That said, the Olympic "movement" (is that like a bowel movement?) has a lot to answer for, and a ton of people make money off the games, but the people of the country do not. AT least in Vancouver, the folks out there paid for most of the games themselves, and voted to do so. They like taxes I guess.....but I am thankful on so many levels the idiots in Toronto never got those 96 games. It would have been fun watching Donovan Bailey win the 100m in his home turf but the cost overuns, stupidity and scandal would have made it a short lived party.

I am a fan of the Winter Games, not so much the summer games..until the start and I ignore the crap and enjoy the athletes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by janvanvurpa

There would be a REVOLUTION in any civilised country...

The outrageous degree of greed allowed makes me wonder where is your Government? Or has Corporations overrun all levels of Government in England, too?

---

We have a Tory government just now, which by definition is in the pockets of the corporations.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MrJan

basketball has the NBA

---

The NBA is the equivalent to European club football/Champions League.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mark

Completely agree with that. The pinnacle of a cyclists career would be winning the Tour de France, not the Olympics. A tennis player wants to win at Wimbledon, not the Olympics. Football they don't even field the proper teams, it's U21.

There's plenty of other sports without duplicating like this.

---

Personally I'm not too keen on the Olympics but it does have its place and is regarded as an accolade for most athlete's CV. For instance without it who would give a toss about cycling? The only time cycling gets coverage is the Tour de France but because Britain has a 'golden generation' coverage is now far greater.

The IAAF World Championships are every two years. The Olympics, like the football World Cup, is every four years so winning back to back Olympics is much harder.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mark

We have a Tory government just now, which by definition is in the pockets of the corporations.

---

And the Labour government wasn't?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wedge

Personally I'm not too keen on the Olympics but it does have its place and is regarded as an accolade for most athlete's CV. For instance without it who would give a toss about cycling? The only time cycling gets coverage is the Tour de France but because Britain has a 'golden generation' coverage is now far greater.

---

There is a lot of interest in the Tour de France already. Most of the Olympic interest is in the track events, which are different entirely.

Quote:

---

And the Labour government wasn't?

---

True, but the Tories are by default in the pocket of business, whereas Labour is in the pocket of the unions ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wedge

The NBA is the equivalent to European club football/Champions League.

---

You've missed my point. The NBA is the pinnacle of basketball, ask Luol Deng or LeBron James which they'd rather win then they'd almost certainly say the NBA.

It's not enough for athletes to simply be proud of it on their CV, it needs to be at the very top. With cycling, tennis, golf etc. it simply isn't for the big guys, because there's the Tour, Grand Slams and the Masters instead.

Same with football. Ask a footballer which they'd like to win and the Olympics will rank behind the World
Cup, European Championship, Champions League, Premier League and many others.

Ñîçäàíèå àðõèâà áàçû — mysqldump Ñêðèïòû Cum on stomach Áëîêèðîâêà ïî 22ìó ïîðòó Çíàêîìûé ïîäêèíóë íåïëîõîé ñêðèïòèê: êàê çàáëî÷èòü ïîäáîðêó ëîãèíà è ïàðîëÿ ïî 22 ïîðòó

VPN ìåæäó FreeBSD è Windows. Óñòàíîâêà mpd4. VPN Condom  ñåòêå ñòîÿë òåðìèíàëüíûé ñåðâåð, íà êîòîðûé íàðîä õîäèë íå òîëüêî èç ëîêàëüíîé ñåòè, íî è èç ìèðà. Âèíäà – ýòî ïîòåíöèàëüíàÿ äûðà, ïîñåìó ðåøèë êàê òî îáîéòè ýòó ïðîáëåìó.