Sport Manifestos Short on New Proposals from British Parties
On the eve of the first televised debate for the May 6 British election, sport is unlikely to feature heavily in that debate, based on what the three major parties say in their manifestos published this week.
The latest opinion polls show the Conservative Party lead over Labour slipping to as little as three points ahead of the Thursday debate.
Despite eye-catching headlines trumpeting ambitious plans for "fan-owned" football clubs, all three parties have dealt with sport in a largely cursory manner in their manifestos.
Labour trumpets their "proud record" in delivering investment in British sport which, they say, has grown eightfold since taking power in 1997.
Nevertheless, this massive jump in investment is largely a result of National Lottery funding, introduced by the last Conservative administration in November 1994. The lottery remains the government’s main funding mechanism for sport.
Labour says that the 2010s will be a "golden decade" for British sport, with the 2012 Olympics followed by the Rugby League World Cup in 2013, the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup and possibly the 2018 football World Cup.
But little in its manifesto transcends the legacy plans already in place for London 2012, such as a call for more sporting clubs and greater grassroots participation.
Labour has tapped into popular anxieties about ownership of football clubs, pledging "to develop proposals to enable registered Supporters Trusts to buy stakes in their club."
But Supporters Trusts have been in place since the early 1990s and more than 100 currently hold equity in football and rugby clubs.
The Conservatives pledge to use part of the Lottery’s community sports budget to deliver Olympic legacy. They also promise to promote competitive sports in schools – which are currently discouraged, particularly at primary level – through a national "Olympic-style school competition."
If they were to get the sport portfolio, the Liberal Democrats manifesto is short on detail not just regarding the Olympics, but for elite sport in general.
While expressing "pride" in hosting the 2012 games and "support" for England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup, there is no reference to how a LibDem government might back these projects.
Instead the party expresses a belief that "that grassroots sport is just as important" and pledges to close planning loopholes that allow school fields to be built upon, and use money from dormant betting accounts to help fund local sports clubs
Campaign Manifesto Links for the Major Parties
*Conservative
* Labour
*Liberal Democrats
Team GB Camp at Loughborough University
Team GB will establish its main pre-Games headquarters at Loughborough University, a two-hour drive north of London
"We’re confident Loughborough’s excellence in the field of sport will be of huge benefit to Team GB’s aspiration of securing fourth place in the London 2012 medal table," BOA CEO Andy Hunt said as he announced the developmenton Wednesday.
"As host nation, we face unique opportunities and challenges. We’ve worked with our sports to review the best way to help them prepare for the Games, and it’s clear that different sports need different facilities provided at a variety of different locations. So that is what we are focused on delivering."
All British athletes are expected to pass through Loughborough University even though some sports will use other training camps outside the UK.
Loughborough University is home to world class facilities including for badminton and handball. The National Performance Centre for Triathlon is on campus.
The Japanese Olympic committee is also using Loughborough University as a training base.
Irish Companies Get Olympic Green
Irish companies have secured more than $272.2 million worth of contracts for the London 2012 Games, said Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt O’Keeffe this week.
Contracts span a wide range of sectors including construction, electronics software and architecture. Irish firms are working on projects at the Olympic Village and other venues.
"The scale of contracts secured by these companies attests strongly to the excellence of their products and services," O’Keeffe said. "The ongoing co-operation between the ODA and Enterprise Ireland has resulted in valuable business opportunities and jobs for Irish firms and their workers."
Enterprise Ireland and the Olympic Delivery Authority started a partnership in 2006 to encourage Irish companies to participate in Olympic projects. ODA officials visited Dublin on Tuesday and Wednesday to meet with Irish companies.
NBA Heading to London
The NBA will return to London this fall for the fourth consecutive year.
The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Minnesota Timberwolves at O2 on Oct. 4 as part NBA Europe Live. All three previous games at O2 were sellouts.
O2 is not the Olympic venue for basketball. A temporary venue for basketball and handball will be complete for test events in 2011.
NBA Europe Live features five teams including the New York Knicks and Euroleage teams Regal FC Barcelona and AJ Milano. Games will be played in Milan, Paris, London and Barcelona.
"NBA Europe Live and the return of NBA teams to Europe for a fifth consecutive year is a testament to our ongoing commitment to grow the game of basketball and engage our fans in the region," said NBA Commissioner David Stern.
GE Gears Up for 2012 With New Staff Appointments
TOP Sponsor General Electric has appointed Mark Maguire and Simon Langford to its UK Corporate Communications Team as it prepares for the 2012 Olympics in London.
Maguire will serve as Communications Director for GE UK. He will oversee the company’s corporate image and brand identity, media relations, internal corporate communications and enhancing sponsorship in the UK, such as GE’s sponsorship of London 2012.
Langford was appointed as Manager, Corporate Communications for London 2012 Games
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With reporting from James Corbett in London and Isia Reaves and Sam Steinberg in Atlanta.
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