London Olympic 2012: Luke Taylor refuses to give up

Dartford judoka Luke Taylor knows age isn’t on his side in the run up to the London Olympics but has vowed to leave no stone unturned in his bid to qualify for 2012.
Taylor, 20, gave warning of his talents in 2008, claiming Junior World Championship bronze two months after Britain returned home from the Beijing Olympics with nothing to declare.
The former Chellaston School pupil has since begun the transition from promising junior to talented senior and is recently based at the British Judo Performance Institute in Dartford.
Taylor will be 22 by the time of the London 2012 Olympics – which are two years away on July 27 and maintains his tender years won’t deter him from trying to qualify.
Taylor said, "The London Olympics will likely come a bit too soon for me, which is disappointing but I’m not going to rule anything out".
"It is only two years away and I have still got a bit of a way to go before I can lift myself up toward the top of the game.
"I’m still in the situation at the moment where I’m making the transition from being a junior to being a senior, which is always tough.
"I’m still learning about different things and if I can go to certain European events and do well then that is going to be hugely beneficial.
"It is all about the development stage because now I’m competing against guys who are stronger and more experienced than me so it can be a steep learning curve.
"London 2012 should be a fantastic event, the fact that we have the Olympics in this country will do great things for the sport."
Taylor – who is a member of the British 2012 development and senior judo squads – suffered with a back injury at the start of the year but is now fully fit.
And, with a European Cup meeting in Germany and the Heart of England Championships on the agenda in the next two months, Taylor has vowed to prove his worth.
He added: "Training has been going well. I’ve got no injuries to report so I’ve got nothing to complain about.
"I’m back from injury feeling good and would like to now go to the European Cup and look what I can do.
"Then I want to go to the Heart of England Championships and do well there because I think I’m in with a opportunity of getting a medal there."

Olympics-London 2012 unharmed by government cuts, organisers say

London 2012 Olympics organisers are on schedule to complete their project despite a 27 million pounds ($41 million) government budget cut, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) said on Monday.
The coalition government's wide ranging austerity measures to tackle Britain's budget deficit included a reduction in the money allocated for the 2012 Games. However, the ODA said its own efforts to drive down costs had already achieved savings.
In its Quarterly Economic Report, the ODA said it had reduced the estimated overall cost of the Games by 6 million pounds to 9.298 billion pounds.
Those savings would have been nearer 50 million were it not for tax, VAT and national insurance increases announced by the government. The ODA said 100 million pounds of savings had been made in the last quarter, of which 27 million pounds had been returned to the government.
Of those savings, 13 million pounds came from construction site security, 11 million from the international broadcast centre and main media centre, and 3 million from smaller changes to the basketball arena and velodrome.
"As we approach two years to go until the Games, and with over two-thirds of the construction phase complete, we are in an excellent position," Sports Minister Hugh Roberston said.
"The ODA have done an excellent job thus far, delivering a complex project on time and within budget, despite the credit crunch. Today's report shows they have delivered 27 million of savings as part of the Government's measures for reducing the deficit, while keeping the whole Olympic programme intact."
ODA chief executive David Higgins said 700 million pounds of savings had been made since the baseline budget for the Games was announced in November 2007.
"As we have done since the very start of the project, we have made savings through driving greater efficiency on a range of projects," he said.
"We will continue to bear down those costs wherever possible, whilst ensuring we deliver what is required for both a fantastic Games in 2012 and a lasting legacy afterwards."
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has completed its latest set of milestones on time it was announced today as the `Big Build' construction project moved into its final year. New aerial images of the Olympic Park have also been released showing the good progress being made across the site. Last week the ODA said it had achieved all 10 construction milestones announced last year and that by this time next year the structures of all the main venues will be complete an ready for handing over to the organising committee.
Seats have already been installed inside the main Olympic stadium while the strucjturse of the Aquatics Centre and Velodrome are also complete.
Three quarters of the Olympic Village is also built and more than 2,000 new trees have bene planted as landscaping of the park begins.

London Olympic 2012: Usain Bolt not to compete in Britain prior

London Olympics 2012 Usain Bolt not to compete in Britain prior.
Usain Bolt remains one of the most prominent men in the field of athletics today, boasting of three Olympic gold medals, as well as a distinguished world record holder for the hundred metre, two hundred metre, as well as the four hundred metre relay race.
Of Jamaican origin, his sporting triumphs have never ceased to fascinate and enthral his fans, as well as followers of this field of sports. It is fascinating to discover that Bolt has the distinction of surpassing his own records of hundred metre and two hundred metre races, a feat that he currently accomplished at the 2009 World Championships. Such accomplishments are few of the many more that have respectfully earned him the title of “Lightning Bolt”. It is therefore undeniable that Bolt is truly deserving of the respect and appreciation he is showered with.
Yet, current events have triggered a debate that suggests that the athletic lovers from all over the globe may not get to see their favourite athlete perform in the recent future. A proposition that provoked significant fury a few years ago and resulted in Andre Aggasi, the celebrated tennis player to suffer defeat in a case against a taxman has now kindled fire again, with Bolt being at the receiving end this time.
This case raised eyebrows on the technicalities of sponsorship deals, with overseas players suffering the blunt. The victory of the case in favour of the tax man implied that overseas performers such as Andre Aggasi were obligated to provide a share of their earnings to the taxman, regardless of the extremely controversial issue that the income did not get channelled from the United Kingdom.
The gist of this strategy implies that foreign sportsmen may end up being obligated to pay sufficiently more than the amount they earn, since the taxman is now eligible to demand a share from their income. Not only is this methodology seemingly biased in favour of the taxman, it is also legally controversial, since the income that these players receive is not provided by the United Kingdom, hence challenging the protestation of the taxman in the first place.
This current bitterness has resulted in Usain Bolt pulling out of the Crystal Palace Diamond League event, to be held in August. Not only does this imply a blow to the thousands of spectators who arrive at every athletics event in the hope of rooting for their favourite player, but also puts in jeopardy the organizers of this grand tournament. Who had hoped to witness and showcase a three way rundown between Usain Bolt and his prominent rivals Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay. Although this amasses as a great deal of disappointment on the part of both the spectators and the arrangers, it is a ruling that seems justifiable on part of the athletes. In a country such as the United Kingdom where athletes can be charged with up to fifty percent tax rates on their appearance fee, together with a magnanimous proportion of their worldwide earnings, performers such as Bolt are definitely being insightful for nodding in favour of withdrawal from such events.
The proponents of this disposition fail to grasp the idea, that while athletes like Usain Bolt may suffer a temporary downfall by withdrawing, their stardom will enable them to continue participation at other major tournaments, continuing their successful streaks and being oblivious to their inability to perform in the United Kingdom. At the midst of this all, the most gravely affected will be the government of the country itself, since it will have to prepare itself for facing refusal to hold major events in the future.
The hosting of the UEFA Champions League final by Madrid instead of Wembley is a mere testimony of this argument. Therefore, while players such as Usain Bolt may be agonized by facing barriers to perform in tournaments that could prove to boost their careers further, they will never run short of tournaments around the globe to perform in. This leaves the government of the United Kingdom itself to burn ablaze in the fire it has kindled, and the sooner it realizes this, the lesser damage it will concede to its reputation, as well as its economic status.

London 2012 Olympics: McDonald's to train volunteers as part of massive sponsorship deal

London 2012 volunteers will be recruited and trained by McDonald’s staff as part of a multi million pound sponsorship deal with the fast food giant.
Arrangers will start looking for 70,000 volunteers re badged as Games Makers from July 27, which marks the two years to go celebrations. The sponsorship deal, the 32nd sealed by the organising committee, is a coup for McDonald’s, which has long been a sponsor of the Olympic Games, as it affords a highly visible promotional link to the public attending the Games.
Locog 2012 chairman Lord Coe said the Games Makers had to be passionate and prepared for a serious commitment. Volunteers should not expect to be the person carrying Usain Bolt’s tracksuit. Instead, many of the positions are behind the scenes roles with little interaction with the athletes.
Lord Coe said the success of the Games would come down to selecting and training the right talent for the volunteering positions.
”We want them to get the experience of a lifetime, and it is also a fantastic chance for people to find out about themselves and take them out of the comfort zone,” Lord Coe said.
Officials have stressed that people need to take their time considering whether to volunteer because the commitment is substantial. Games Makers will have to be prepared for at least 10 days of unpaid work during the Games as well as undergo several training days conducted by McDonald’s.
Travel costs, accommodation and other expenses have to be borne by the volunteers.
The first tranche of volunteering positions for specialists will open on July 27. The general positions will be launched on Sept 15. There will be a special programme for 1500 volunteers aged under 18.
The Mayor of London is also opening a volunteering programme for 7000 city guides on July 27.

At gay people, London Olympics to sell badges aimed

London Olympics arrangers will begin selling badges in support of the gay community on Saturday.
The badges, featuring the rainbow flag and London 2012 logo, will be on sale at the London Pride gay parade and on the London 2012 website.
Former Wales rugby captain Gareth Thomas, who announced he was gay in December, complimented London 2012 arrangers Friday for attempting to achieve greater inclusion in sports.
Games arrangers plan to sell more pin badges in the next year based on other issues such as age, disability, belief, gender and ethnicity.

London Olympics tickets: Severe budget cuts in the UK raise questions about affordability

London Olympics despite ticket prices not having been announced yet, there are growing concerns about the ticket cost, and specifically British fans’ ability to afford tickets, in light of the UK’s new austerity plan.
The plan includes 25% spending cuts across all areas except health and international aid, as well as various tax hikes, including a 2.5% increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT). All together, this budget will potentially reduce the disposable income which British Olympic fans intend to use to purchase tickets to the Games.
Still, Lord Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), is optimistic that the country’s fans will find their way to the games. In a current quote in London’s Daily Telegraph, Lord Coe expressed confidence that tickets of the Olympic, going on sale early next year, will be met with high demand: "We are very confident that with the ticket sign up we had a few months ago and going forward what we have been able to do regarding price and structure of the events, there will be a very big appetite".
According to Graham Burns, chairman of the Association of Secondary Ticket Agents in the UK, strong ticket sales for the 2012 Games are a certainty, due to the unique nature of the Games themselves.
“People will buy (tickets to the Games) no matter what. It is a global event, and people will be coming from around the world, so a 2.5% increase (in the VAT) is not going to be an issue,” Burns told TicketNews.
However, Coe added that multiple factors will determine the success of Olympics ticket sales, including the economic climate for potential buyers. In addition, with no word yet on the exact price of tickets, LOCOG’s ability to meet the needs of financially stressed consumers has yet to be proven.
Burns’ concerns regarding London 2012 center primarily on disreputable brokers giving a black eye to England’s secondary ticketing industry. In 2008, alleged disreputable brokers in the UK ran ticket scams that reportedly victimized dozens of fans, and there were problems with secondary ticket sales at the current Vancouver Winter Olympics.
“What we need to do is separate out the real brokers from the crooks, because if we don’t, secondary ticketing in the UK will be at risk,” Burns said.
In May, Great Britain’s new coalition government announced £27 million ($39.5 million) in cuts to LOCOG’s partner, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). The ODA is responsible for the construction of Olympic venues and developing the necessary infrastructure for the Games. The decision to reduce ODA’s budget came in direct contradiction to the previous government’s assurances that the Olympics budget would not be touched.
Cuts are expected to be managed through administrative cost cutting and streamlining functions. At the time these reductions were announced, government officials insisted that they posed no danger to the UK’s presentation of a successful Olympics.
Following a progress report by Coe and LOCOG’s Chief Executive Paul Deighton at this week’s International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board meeting, IOC President Jacques Rogge also expressed confidence that the £27 million in cuts will not compromise the integrity or success of the upcoming Games.
Earlier this month, however, England’s Sports Minister, Hugh Robertson, remarked that the Games may be at risk for further cuts down the road because of the nation’s ongoing economic difficulties.

Under threat of budget cuts London 2012 Olympics

London Olympics 2010 may not escape encourage budget cuts as Britain's new government seeks to slash public spending, Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said Thursday.
"I cannot say categorically that there will be no adjustments," Robertson told The Associated Press. "No one can say that the state of the nation's finances are not dire, and sport and the Olympics Games are not immune from that.
"But when we look at the Olympic budget we will make an argument that reflects its importance to the nation and make sure that we deliver a successful games that Britain can be proud of, on time and under budget."
Last month, the Olympic Delivery Authority, the body responsible for building the venues for the games, was told its funding would be cut by 27 million pounds ($39.5 million). The overall public sector budget for the Olympics is 9.3 billion pounds ($13.6 billion).
The ODA reduction was just a slice of the $8.7 billion in total spending cuts announced by the coalition government to trim Britain's record budget deficit.
Further cuts are expected when the government's spending review takes place in the autumn, when each department will have to justify its funding in what has been dubbed Prime Minister David Cameron's "star chamber."
Robertson, a Conservative Member of Parliament, said: "I am looking forward to going before the 'star chamber.' I want people to know that."
"Every single area of government expenditure will be looked at, and we have to deliver. But the 2012 Olympics have a measure of protection in that they are an event with a clear deadline. People accept the games are here, we can't hand them back, and that they are vital for the country."
Robertson announced Thursday that British sport's share of money raised by the national lottery would increase from 16 percent to 20 percent by 2012, an increase of about 50 million pounds ($73 million) a year.
The move is part of the minister's efforts to safeguard a positive future for British sport after the 2012 Olympics.
"Delivering a mass participation legacy for sport from London 2012 is one of my three top priorities," Robertson said.
He said the other two priorities were staging a successful 2012 Games and helping England win the right to host the 2018 World Cup.
Robertson also announced other differents to be made by the new British government.
A new "Major Sports Events Bill" will be introduced, which will help Britain attract big sporting events, and the main bodies that organize British sport -- UK Sport, Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust -- will be brought under one roof while keeping their areas of expertise.