Olympic London: Austerity bites in London with two years to go

The 2012 London Olympics opens in two years' time but while the construction of stadiums is on track, the massive project faces a financial squeeze as Britain's austerity measures bite.
The world's finest athletes will do battle from July 27, 2012 in a once depressed area of east London which has been transformed by a vast programme of stadium building and urban regeneration.
The venues may be less spectacular than at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but the arrangers of the Games in London intend to leave a legacy of improved housing and urban infrastructure rarely created by a sports event.
Sebastian Coe, the former Olympic champion credited with helping to win the Games for London and very much their public face, is treating the daunting 24 months ahead in the same way as he approached his medal laden athletics career.
Coe, the chairman of the London Organising Committee (LOCOG), likened the project's progress to being at the 600 metre point of an 800 metres race, the event in which he held the world record for 16 years.
"We are just entering the back straight on the second lap and of course the killing zone in an 800 metres is between 500 and 600 metres. That is the platform that you build for what happens in the finishing straight.
"This is where a lot of what you do in the finishing straight and what it looks like when you get across the line is shaped. This year is a very important one for us," he told AFP in an interview.

Volunteers are interested to learn new skills - London Olympics 2010

Volunteers are being keen to learn new talents and increase experience of national and international events prior to the London 2012 Olympics.

The British Swimming Volunteer Training Programme, which will begin in January 2010, intent to provide volunteers with the opportunity to facilitate major s to prepare them for applying for volunteer tasks at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The programme is under the London 2012 Inspire Mark. This recognises non-commercial projects and events inspired by the Games.

Although the official London 2012 volunteer application process opens later in 2010, Saturday 19th June saw almost 60 of the 100 recruits on the programme descend on British Swimming’s offices at SportPark in Loughborough for the initial induction day.

He explained how all British Swimming athletes are confident to give workers just a smile during their day to make sure they are acknowledged and feel delightful. Through a question and answer session the Olympic medallist shared his memories of Athens and Beijing and his hopes for London in 2012.

Olympics London 2012: Chief rules out clash with soccer season

London Games chiefs said on Thursday the start of the 2012-13 English soccer season will be delayed so as not to clash with the 2012 Olympics.
The Olympics start on July 27 and end on Aug. 12, while the Premier League season traditionally opens with the Community Shield curtain raiser in early August.
Organising committee chief executive Paul Deighton said he had held talks with the Football Association (FA) and Premier League to discuss the matter.
"We have been in discussions with all the sports bodies responsible for sports schedules in 2012 and we are on track to meet our obligation," Deighton told reporters at the end of a four day visit by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to inspect London's progress.
Pushed on whether the Premier League and FA would agree to a slight delay, Deighton replied: "Yes".
Olympic host cities agree to abide by IOC requirements that no other major sporting events take place at the same time.
The FA said on Thursday they were in talks with the London organising committee (LOCOG) about fixing a date for the Community Shield, traditionally played at Wembley Stadium between the league champions and FA Cup winners.
Wembley will host the gold medal match in the Olympic soccer tournament on the final weekend of the Games.

ASHES SERIES
The Olympics could also have implications for the cricket schedule. England are hosting Australia in the Ashes in 2012 with the first match of the series usually reserved for Lord's which will be the venue for Olympic archery.
Denis Oswald, the head of the IOC's co-ordination commission, said he was happy with London's progress.
"Two years before the Games you are at the turning point from conception and construction to the operational phase," Oswald told reporters.
"We are entering a crucial period in the coming months but we are convinced that London will have a very successful Games."
IOC president Jacques Rogge toured the 2012 Olympic Stadium earlier this week and met Britain's new Prime Minister David Cameron.
Oswald played down the 27 million pounds ($41.01 million) of cuts to the Games budget currently announced by Britain's new coalition government, saying: "The new government is fully backing and supporting the Games."
Asked to compare London's progress with past host cities, Oswald described it as "top of the league" after a dig at Athens.