NEWS ABOUT: 2012 London Olympics
2012 London Olympics stories: 21 news briefs
ABC News Feb 18, 09 1:46 PM CST
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A British model and recreational boxer has been barred from competition because she has breast implants, ABC News reports. The Amateur Boxing Association of England cited possible health risks, but Sarah Blewden says she should be able to use a breast protector, similar to groin cups for men. “If I had great, ginormous, double-F breasts it would be different,” she says.
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Fans launch boycott, slam company with wave of complaints
Baltimore Sun Feb 10, 09 7:27 AM CST
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Kellogg's decision to drop Michael Phelps’ sponsorship deal has created an angry wave of would-be cereal killers, the Baltimore Sun reports. A Facebook group urging consumers to boycott the company has hit 5,000 members and is growing fast. Pro-marijuana groups are also calling for a boycott, labeling the company's attitude "hypocritical and disgusting." Kellogg’s has set up a special phone line to handle the flood of complaints.
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Swimmer struggling with fallout from 'stupid'
bong encounter
Baltimore Sun Feb 5, 09 7:09 AM CST
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Michael Phelps is weighing whether to compete at the 2012 Olympics in the wake of fallout over his much-publicized encounter with a bong, he tells his hometown paper, the Baltimore Sun . Phelps still has goals to achieve in the sport and will talk his decision over with his family and coach, says the swimmer, but he "clearly made a mistake" and has been deeply embarrassed by it.
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Times (UK) Dec 2, 08 12:54 PM CST
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The UK made its grab for the 2012 Olympic Games in defiance of a secret, 205-page strategy report concluding that, apart from being a nice party, the games were essentially useless, the Times reports. Representing almost a year of research by experts, the 2002 document was signed off on by Tony Blair, but then quietly shunted aside when it debunked the main justifications for hosting the games.
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OPINION
Economic crisis makes spending billions on 2012 London Games unjustifiable
Times (UK) Nov 26, 08 10:11 AM CST
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With the economic crisis taking billions out of Britain’s coffers, spending billions more to get ready for the 2012 Olympics makes no sense, writes Alice Miles in the Times of London, who foresees a day when “the unemployed, the homeless, and the destitute will join the athletes parading through London.” The best solution: Give the 2012 Games to already-prepared Beijing.
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OPINION
Brits less than thrilling
in Olympic preview
Guardian (UK) Aug 25, 08 2:24 PM CDT
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The Beijing Olympics' closing ceremony was predictably stupendous, with thousands of acrobats and "more orthodontically screened children," writes Guardian columnist Marina Hyde. It certainly ran over the 8-minute tableau promoting the 2012 Games in London. While China spent years preparing its "deliciously understated 16-day world domination infomercial," the Brits decided on a low-budget showcase that featured rain-soaked commuters waiting for a bus.
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A look back at a successful 2 weeks
BBC Aug 24, 08 11:54 AM CDT
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The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games wrapped up today with a star-studded fireworks-filled extravaganza worthy of its opening, Reuters reports. With 51 golds, China easily topped the medal rankings, capping a near-flawlessly-executed couple of weeks that saw smog lifting, transport worries evaporating, and Tibet protests dwindling. Still, arrests and suppression of free speech marred China's image, say critics.
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Dual-billing with counterpart Lin Maioke expected
The Standard Aug 22, 08 11:50 AM CDT
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Yang Peiyi, the 7-year-old songstress whom Chinese officials deemed better heard than seen during the Olympic opening ceremonies, may appear alongside her lip-syncing counterpart during Sunday’s closing ceremonies, the Hong Kong Standard reports. Organizers who claimed that the decision to replace Yang with a cuter girl was “in the national interest” are said to have bowed to public pressure to let her share the spotlight.
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Medals, torches, and sweaty uniforms fetch top dollar
Portfolio Aug 8, 08 4:50 PM CDT
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The 2008 Olympics have barely begun and collectors are already jockeying for possession of Beijing memorabilia. But serious shoppers are bypassing the hundreds of official knickknacks, hoping instead to score big-ticket items such as medals and sweaty uniforms, Portfolio reports. It's serious business: A gold medal from the 1904 Games in St. Louis—651 athletes vs. 11,000 this year—recently brought in $49,000, and jerseys from the 1992 “Dream Team” went for $10,800.
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IOC says the game, along with bridge, isn't physical enough
Time Aug 6, 08 6:25 PM CDT
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Chess players and bridge players will be spectators when the Olympics begin this week, but both are making a strong push to be official sports at the 2012 Games, Time reports. First, they'll have to convince a skeptical International Olympic Committee that they belong, despite their decided lack of physical activity. "Mind sports, by their nature, cannot be part of the program," says one IOC official.
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Amputee not selected for relay team
Associated Press Jul 18, 08 9:22 AM CDT
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Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius was not chosen today to be on South Africa's Olympic team for Beijing. After failing to qualify for the 400 meters earlier, Pistorius was left off the 1,600-meter relay team, the AP reports. Four other South Africans had faster times, and two others were chosen as alternates.
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Billionaire bankrolls effort to increase
medal haul in 2012
Christian Science Monitor Jul 9, 08 7:59 PM CDT
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India is not a nation known for its Olympic prowess—it's never even won more than two medals in one Games—but Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal wants to change all that, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The Mittal Champions Trust is spending millions to train and prepare India's elite—often dissuaded from seriously pursuing sports in the past—for the 2012 Olympic Games.
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London Olympic planners eye passing along parts of arena
Guardian (UK) May 27, 08 10:45 AM CDT
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If Chicago wins its bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games, it might follow more closely in London 2012's footsteps than expected. The cities have begun discussing the possible sale of large parts of London's new stadium to Chicago, the Guardian reports. The deal could result in 55,000 seats crossing the Atlantic for reuse in a new Windy City arena.
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Training delayed, Pistorius thinks London more realistic than '08
Associated Press May 20, 08 7:13 AM CDT
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Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius finally got the go-ahead to compete in the Olympics, but it took so long the 21-year-old Paralympic world record holder who runs on carbon fiber blades says he may not be able to make the cut for Beijing, and the London Olympics now appear more realistic. Pistorius says months of travel, tests, and "marathon conference calls" interfered with the training he'll need.
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Government slammed after projected
costs soar $10B
Guardian (UK) Apr 22, 08 3:00 AM CDT
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The projected pricetag of the 2012 Olympic games in London has more than doubled to $18 billion since the city was picked as host three years ago—and the British government is being accused of deliberately low-balling estimates to sell the event to the public, the Guardian reports. A public spending watchdog says the original figure was completely unrealistic.
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Brown insists he's not boycotting, will go to closing ceremony
BBC Apr 9, 08 3:36 PM CDT
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British PM Gordon Brown will not attend the Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremony, the BBC reports, though his office made clear it was not a boycott. Brown said he never intended to go to the opening and emphasized that that he will be present at the closing ceremony for the torch handoff—London will host the 2012 Games.
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April 6 stop in London will test police readiness, set tone for rest of tour
Times (UK) Mar 21, 08 2:38 PM CDT
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The Olympic torch will pass through London on April 6, meeting major protests over China's human-rights abuses in Tibet and other causes. The visit will test how disruptive political forces could be on the Summer Games—and how well British security forces are preparing for the 2012 London Olympics, the Times of London reports.
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Heightened emphasis for London Games has yielded taller jocks
Daily Telegraph (UK) Feb 29, 08 8:24 PM CST
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A, ahem, heightened push to make Britain's sports teams more competitive by the time London hosts the 2012 Olympics has added 52 new athletes to the country’s handball, rowing, and volleyball squads, the Telegraph reports. The “Sporting Giants” program sought tall applicants—over 6-foot-3 for men and 5-11 for women—from all walks of life to try their hand at a new sport.
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Designers go back to the drawing board for bootylicious Brits
Sun (UK) Sep 10, 07 4:25 PM CDT
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Seats at one of London's new Olympic venues are being widened to accommodate spectators' bulky backsides. Stadium designers warned that the 20,000 seats at the Aquatic Centre wouldn't be able to handle expanding British buttocks, so organizers widened the chairs by 4cm (1.5 inches), the Sun reports. The new specs call for seats 50cm (almost 20 inches) wide.
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New Eurostar line cuts London-Paris transit time by 20 minutes
BBC Sep 4, 07 7:49 AM CDT
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Top travel time between London and Paris should be at least 20 minutes faster thanks to track improvements that allowed a Eurostar train to set a record this morning. The test journey from Paris to St. Pancras Station, London, a 306-mile trip, took 2:03:39, the BBC reports. Regular service, priced to compete with flying, begins in November.
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