IOC Likes London, Maybe Not the Roads

(ATR) IOC inspectors say they like the way plans for the London Olympics are taking shape but apparently still harbor reservations about whether London roads can cope with the Games.

Speaking at the end of a four day coordination commission visit to London, coordination commission chairman Denis Oswald said that LOCOG "is at the top of the table in our minds."

"There is of course still work to do, which is quite normal before the start of the games, but we are really positive and quite convinced that there will be an excellent games in 2012," Oswald told reporters in London.

He hailed the "great progress" that had been made in stadium and infrastructure construction since his last visit to London and spoke of how impressed he was that IOC Jacques Rogge was able to install the 2012th seat in the Olympic Stadium on Monday.

"I’ve done the same [job] as coordination commission chairman of Athens," he added.

"The only difference in my case was that it was three weeks before the opening of the Games!

"It shows that London is on track, London is well advanced and we are very confident that this part of their obligation will be fully delivered."

Oswald said that after meetings with new prime minister David Cameron, the commission was "fully assured" of the government’s commitment to the games.

One of the new coalition government’s first tasks after taking power in May was to cut nearly $41 million from the Olympic Development Authority budget.

Oswald recognized the "difficult economic environment", and added that the IOC would be "certainly willing to cooperate" with LOCOG and the government "to find areas where savings can be made" should the need arise.

During its visit, the Commission visited Olympic venues, including the Olympic Park, Olympic Village, Broxbourne, Excel, and Royal Holloway.

It also staged meetings on "operational aspects" with LOCOG. These included preparations for stakeholder services – including athletes, IOC members and media – as well as areas such as technology, medical services, commercial, transport, communications, marketing, culture, ceremonies and education.

Oswald said that it was important for Rogge to visit this week.

"The president had not been at the park for more than one year. Of course he had seen some videos and pictures, but he was very much impressed with the progress which had been made in the mean time.

"Last time he was there were just a few things coming out of the ground, but now you have buildings, the velodrome, the impressive aquatics centre, the basketball hall.

"It’s really impressive and concrete for someone who has not been there for a long time."

Road transportation was the one area that he described as "challenging" but it was due to the "specific nature of London."

"It’s not an area that needs improvement, but it needs a solution. We know that LOCOG is working hard on it, even if it is challenging," he said.

He mooted the idea of building temporary road bridges to lessen the need for pedestrian lights, which would in turn ease the flow of traffic on main thoroughfares.

"I thought it was a brilliant idea and even the mayor was seduced and said it could maybe be a legacy for London," he said.

"Compared to Beijing, as an example, where you have really wide avenues and three or four lanes in every direction you can easily dedicate one lane for Olympic traffic. But you cannot do that in London because you do not have the same kind of road."

Oswald suggested that the inspection team would be taking the tube to Heathrow Airport after the press conference to experience London’s public transport first-hand. Some of the delegation, including Rogge, is heading straight out to South Africa for Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Holland.

Ticket Plans Advance Says Deighton

LOCOG CEO Paul Deighton promised that there would be no repeat of the corporate ticketing problems that have undermined the World Cup in South Africa and declared it among his "top priorities" to do "an outstanding job" on ticket sales.

"It’s clearly unacceptable to have tranches of empty seats at venues and we absolutely accept the responsibility to get all our seats full – not just the hospitalitypart," he said.

Ticket pricing would be released in the autumn, he added

"Tickets are going to be broadly accessible, pricing will be attractive," he said

"From a systems point of view we want to really be at the cutting edge of getting tickets into the hands of people.

"It’s really, really important for us that people in this country can get a ticket and see those games. We’re going to have full stadia and the atmosphere for the athletes, the fans inside the stadium and those watching on TV, we just want to make electric."

Deighton said that discussions were ongoing with other sports bodies – including the Premier League and the English Cricket Board – about the postponement or suspension of their seasons. He confirmed that the start of the 2012/13 Premier League season would be delayed.

LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe looked tired after the inspection, and a 2012 source confirmed it had been a draining – but rewarding – experience for the whole team.

"With two years to go, our focus is very much on working through the details of delivering this large and complex project," Coe said in a statement released this afternoon.

"There will of course be challenges ahead, but we have an excellent team in place, and we benefit from great partnerships with the government, the Mayor of London, our sponsors and, of course, both the British Olympic Association and the British Paralympic Association.

"The strength of this team, combined with the tremendous support of the public, will help us work through any challenges and deliver Olympic and Paralympic Games we will all be proud of in 2012."

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Written by James Corbett.

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