London 2012 Olympics: Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt confident that Olympics will come under budget

The Government is “more confident than it ever has been” that the Olympics will come in under budget, with a contingency reserve of around £500 million intact just 150 days before the opening ceremony, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has told Telegraph Sport. On Tuesday the latest Olympic budget update will be published and is expected to show that there has been no additional call on contingency in the three months to December 2011. In December the National Audit Office warned that it was likely that the £9.3  billion budget would be exceeded, but Hunt said the latest figures made that unlikely. He also said the financial position justified his decision to recommend the doubling for the ceremonies budget with an...

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Posted in: London 2012 Olympics

London 2012 Olympics: Luol Deng injured after becoming first Briton to play in All-Star game

Luol Deng became the first Briton to take part in an All-Star basketball game, but he was injured after only six minutes of action, and appeared to court controversy by wearing a T-shirt honouring Africa during the pre-game introductions. Record-breaker: Luol Deng, shown on the right, became the first Briton to feature in an All-Star basketball game, but was injured after only six minutes Photo: REUTERS The 26-year-old Chicago Bulls forward, originally from South Sudan, stepped on to the platform ahead of the exhibition match on Sunday in wearing a black T-shirt carrying an outline of the African continent and drew attention to it when his name was announced. The gesture could be judged to violate...

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Posted in: 2012 London Olympic,London 2012 Olympics

Not made in Britain: Official Olympic scarf is latest in long line of souvenirs made outside of UK

It would appear to be the perfect way to show patriotic support for our sportsmen and women – and also keep the sun off. But the official Olympics scarf, unveiled yesterday, has become the latest in a long list of souvenirs for the London Games to be revealed as made outside of the UK.   The initial run of 500,000 of the bandana-style cotton sheets will be produced at a Next factory in India, with subsequent orders made in either Portugal or Turkey. Unpatriotic: The official Olympic scarf for London 2012 (above) will be made in a Next factory in India It comes just days after the Daily Mail revealed just 9 per cent of the 2012 memento collection is made here. The scarf will be available in Next stores...

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Posted in: British Olympic Association,British Paralympic Association,London Olympics 2012,London Olympics Sports

2012 London Olympics beckons team India

New Delhi: On a day when their favourite cricketers let them down in the tour Down Under, Indian hockey stars turned it into a Super Sunday for the fans after winning the final of the FIH Olympic qualifier. Goal machine Sandeep Singh netted five and completed the second hat-trick of the tournament in the process to give India a perfect evening and a ticket to 2012 London Olympics. Tactical accuracy and the lightning pace displayed by Michael Nobbs men undone a sorry France. The scoreline of 8-1 in favour of the hosts said it all. India attacked from the word go but were deprived of space as the French fullbacks defended stoically. Their frustrations were furthered when French custodian Matthies denied a sure shot goal in the 15th minute. But two minutes thereafter India scored the...

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Posted in: 2012 London Olympics,FIH Olympic qualifier

London 2012 Olympics: Corporates like Hero MotoCorp, Bharti Airtel flock to hockey on rising public interest

NEW DELHI: Indian marketers are joining the 'Chak de India' brigade going to London Olympics. A day after the Indian hockey team qualified for the Olympics in spectacular style, advertisers such as Hero MotoCorp, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone plan to associate with the team and the event while Coca-Cola and Samsung may look to cash in on their official partnerships for the event, say people involved in their media buying plans. Media planners say official broadcaster ESPN Star Sports hopes to earn Rs95-100 crore by selling advertisement spots during the 17-day event in July-August as well as related programmes that will be spread over five months starting March. This amount is several times more than Rs5-7 crore that Doordarshan...

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Posted in: London 2012 Olympics,London Olympics 2012

London Olympics 2012: Ethiopia's former world marathan record holder Haile Gebrselassie could miss Games

The former world record holder had entered the Japanese race to achieve the required Olympic qualifying standard of 2hr 15min and to run quickly enough to secure his place in the three-man Ethiopian team for London. But his time of 2hr 8min 17sec means he is only the 14th fastest Ethiopian over 26.2 miles this year, while three of his countrymen ran under 2hr 5min at last month’s Dubai Marathon — performances that would make them medal contenders in London. It raises the possibility that fans lining London’s streets this summer will be denied the chance to see one of the true legends of the sport, whose record includes two Olympic 10,000 metres gold medals, four world 10,000m titles, nine marathon victories and the distinction of being...

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Posted in: London Olympics 2012

Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium

Ace drag-flicker Sandeep Singh slammed five goals, including a hat-trick, as India qualified for London Olympics men's hockey after missing out the 2008 edition by spanking France 8-1 in the final of the qualification tournament on Sunday. Coming into the game with the memories of Santiago debacle four years ago still fresh in their minds, the Indians ensured that there was no repeat of the blunder this time around and toyed with the French defence throughout the 70 minutes to score the goals at will. Sandeep, who witnessed the Chile debacle from close quarters, continued his goal-scoring spree to not only help eight-time Olympic champions India keep its date with London, but also emerged as the highest scorer of the tournament with 16 goals. The 18th ranked Frenchmen proved to...

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Posted in: 2012 London Olympic,Indian Hockey Team,London Olympics 2012

Hockey: Sandeep Singh leads India to London Olympics 2012

Eight-time champions India are back in the Games with a 8-1 drubbing of France in the final of the 2012 London Olympic men's hockey qualifiers at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Sunday. Ace drag-flicker Sandeep Singh, who was a part of the team that lost the qualifiers in 2008, starred scoring five goals - including a hat-trick - all from penalty corners (19th, 26th, 38th, 49th and 51st). Birendra Lakra (17th), S.V. Sunil (43rd) and V.Raghunath (55th) scored goals apiece. (Related: Match in pics) Sandeep, who had promised to score at least 12 goals in the tournament, remained the top scorer with 16 goals. (Related: Sandeep, the stick magician) France scored their solitary goal completely against the run of play in the 24th minute through Simon Brisac-Martin. Having...

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Posted in: London Olympics 2012,Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium

2012 London Olympics beckons team India

New Delhi: On a day when their favourite cricketers let them down in the tour Down Under, Indian hockey stars turned it into a Super Sunday for the fans after winning the final of the FIH Olympic qualifier. Goal machine Sandeep Singh netted five and completed the second hat-trick of the tournament in the process to give India a perfect evening and a ticket to 2012 London Olympics. Tactical accuracy and the lightning pace displayed by Michael Nobbs men undone a sorry France. The scoreline of 8-1 in favour of the hosts said it all. India attacked from the word go but were deprived of space as the French fullbacks defended stoically. Their frustrations were furthered when French custodian Matthies denied a sure shot goal in the 15th minute. But two minutes thereafter India scored the...

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Posted in: 2012 London Olympics,Indian Hockey Team,London Olympics 2012

Olympic Closing Ceremony to be ‘A Symphony of British Music’

The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) has announced that the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games will be titled ‘A Symphony of British Music’. The Olympic Closing Ceremony Creative Team will create the grand finale of the Olympic Games. L-R: David Arnold (Music Director), Es Devlin (Designer), Kim Gavin (Artistic Director), Patrick Woodroffe (Lighting Designer) The theme will celebrate the fact that music has been one of Britain’s strongest cultural exports over the last 50 years.   Organizers will work with some of the country’s most globally successful musicians, along with some of the industry's stars of tomorrow. The worldwide broadcast of the Ceremony will start at 9.00pm and feature more...

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Posted in: 2012 London Olympic,London 2012 Olympic,London Opening Ceremony

London Olympic ticket rush as thousands take advantage of new window

Some of the best seats at this summer’s games will go on sale during a special 24 hour window only in mid-April to people who failed to get tickets at last year's first two sales windows. Tickets up for grabs will include athletics, track cycling and, most prestigiously, the Danny Boyle-directed Opening Ceremony itself. 

 The Olympic ticketing process, though intended to give everyone equal opportunity to get hold of tickets for the events they want, has left many people empty handed. Those who were unsuccessful in both of the two first sales windows though get priority at this exclusive 24-hour opportunity. 

 Any remaining tickets will be on sale for five days to 1.2million people who missed out in the first ballot but...

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Posted in: London 2012 Olympics,London Olympics 2012

London 2012 Olympics: British Swimming chief executive David Sparkes follows coach in criticising Tom Daley

The head of British swimming is the latest key figure to reveal his alarm that diving star Tom Daley could blow the chance of his young life if he does not work harder on his Olympic preparations. Under fire: Tom Daley needs to focus more on his Olympic preparations, according to the head of British Swimming Photo: PA David Sparkes, chief executive of British Swimming, has also offered full backing to the criticisms aimed at Daley ahead of the Olympics by his diving performance director Alexei Evangulov following the teenager’s poor performance in the World Cup test event at the Olympic Aquatics Centre. Insisting that he and other officials had been flagging up their concerns to Daley’s handlers for...

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Posted in: 2012 London Olympic,London 2012 Olympics,London Olympics 2012

Hindes in late sprint for London Olympics after teenager named in GB squad

German-born Philip Hindes has been included in Great Britain's squad for April's Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne. The 19-year-old, who was born in Krefeld in northern Germany but qualifies for Britain through his father, has been included in the men's sprint squad as they seek to resolve the problem surrounding the team sprint. High hopes: Philip Hindes Ross Edgar has been omitted from the team following last weekend's Track World Cup event at the  Olympic Velodrome in London. Britain have struggled to fill the crucial starting spot since the retirement of Jamie Staff. Edgar took on the role in London, but it is likely Jason Kenny will start as man one at the World Championships, which take place from April 4-8 at the Hisense Arena. Hindes, who specialises...

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Posted in: 2012 London Olympic,London Olympics 2012

British In London Olympic Property Tax Warning

Property owners serving the demand generated by the London Olympic Games have received a somber warning from the British Tax body (HMRC) Her Majesty Revenue & Customs. The Games come to London in 2012 and with them bring millions of foreign visitors.  And, these visitors will be looking for accommodation during their visit.  Many London home owners are now considering renting their homes to make some extra cash A large number of property letting websites are encouraging homeowners to rent their homes during the Games.  And, many of you are likely to be lured by the opportunity to make some additional money.  But what about the tax implications of renting out your home?  Our guide explains more. HMRC...

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Posted in: 2012 London Olympic,London Olympic Games,London Olympics,London Olympics 2012

London Olympics to boost UK music scene

As the newly reformed British act Blur is set to take the stage at this summer's London Olympic Games, not much else is known about what to expect at the opening and closing ceremonies -- but whatever it is, experts say that the event will put UK musicians (at least some of them) on the map for the rest of the world. The Olympic Games, July 27 through August 12, will be watched by an estimated 4 billion viewers worldwide, according to the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. As a result, the UK's music industry can expect a bump in sales, according to a Billboard.biz report. Plus with more than 16 million people involved in the events of the Cultural Olympiad, the event has a total funding of £97.6 million ($155 million) to play with -- of course, how much...

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Posted in: 2012 London Olympics,London Olympics,London Olympics 2012

Olympic hockey qualifiers: Indian men, women in finals

The Indian men's and women's teams Friday night made it to the finals of the 2012 London Olympics qualifiers, the former with a come-from-behind 4-2 win over Poland and the latter scraping past Italy 1-0 at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. The women's team will take on South Africa in Saturday's final while the men will square off with France Sunday. For the men's team, ace drag-flicker Sandeep Singh (26th, 70th) was again the star of the night slamming in two from penalty corners while Shivendra Singh (59th) and Vokkaliga Raghunath (65th) scored one goal apiece. Sandeep is the leading goal scorer in the tournament with 11 goals. Poland took an early lead through Tomasz Dutkiewicz in the 13th minute and Mirsloaw Juszczak helped them make it 2-2 in the 63rd minute but the winning...

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Posted in: London Olympics 2012

Olympic Stamps on Sale Now and Diamond Jubilee Stamps Coming Soon

If you’re looking to boost your stamp collection, 2012 is the year to do it! Royal Mail is issuing some interesting new collections featuring London events and figures this year, starting with the Olympic “definitive”, or everyday stamps, which go on sale today. Olympic and Paralympic Stamps The new stamps feature the Olympic and Paralympic logos, as well as an image of the Queen’s head, and are set to brighten up millions of letters. After the Games, Royal Mail will issue a set of Gold Medal stamps to honour all Team GB victories. Diamond Jubilee Stamps Royal Mail will celebrate the Diamond Jubilee with three new stamp sets: House of Windsor stamps featuring the five monarchs from the start of the...

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Posted in: 2012 London Olympic Games,2012 London Olympics,2012 Olympic Games,2012 Olympic Logo

Duchess of Cambridge’s Wedding Dress and Olympic Torch in Design Museum Exhibition

The Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress, the Olympic Torch and the London 2012 Velodrome all feature in the longlist for Designs of the Year at the Design Museum. A wind-propelled landmine detonator, virtual Tesco store and pop-up cinema (Folly for a Flyover in Hackney, East London) were also selected for the longlist. The nominated products will be on show at the Design Museum from next month. The winners will be selected by a jury and announced on 24 April. Designs of the Year is at the Design Museum from 8 February to 15 July 201...

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Posted in: London 2012 Olympics,London Olympics 2012

Indian women, men hockey teams enter Olympic qualifier final

The Indian men's and women's teams on Friday night made it to the finals of the 2012 London Olympics qualifiers, the former with a come-from-behind 4-2 win over Poland and the latter scraping past Italy 1-0 at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. The women's team will take on South Africa in Saturday's final while the men will square off with France on Sunday. For the men's team, ace drag-flicker Sandeep Singh (26th, 70th) was again the star of the night slamming in two from penalty corners while Shivendra Singh (59th) and Vokkaliga Raghunath (65th) scored one goal apiece. Sandeep is the leading goal scorer in the tournament with 11 goals. Poland took an early lead through Tomasz Dutkiewicz in the 13th minute and Mirsloaw Juszczak...

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Posted in: Indian Hockey Team,London Olympics 2012,London Olympics Qualifiers

Olympic Games gearing up with London Cultural Olympiad 2012

EVERYONE KNOWS that the Olympic Games are scheduled to start from 27 July and end on 12 August 2012. Let’s not talk about the Games for now, which are going to be of topmost quality, no doubt. Hence, let us focus on things that would be considered to be very important for the people of England. Here, London Cultural Olympiad 2012 would take the centre stage. It would be showcasing the traditions, cultures and arts in various forms during the event. It is one of the largest cultural celebration as far as the modern Olympic and Paralympics are concerned, as stated in the official website of the London Olympic Games, 2012, london2012.com. Hence, the event is surely going to be a huge one, where people from all over the world would be able...

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Posted in: 2012 London Olympics,2012 london olympics tickets,London 2012 Olympics,London Olympic Games,London Olympics,London Olympics 2012,London Olympics Tickets,london olympics travel package

Olympic Games to hit tourism industry

PEOPLE INVOLVED with the tourism industry would suffer heavy losses due to the London Olympic Games, 2012, which are scheduled to start on 27 July and end on 12 August 2012. One trade association also feels that during the time, income would be dropping down to 3.5 billion pounds, as reported by ANI. This would probably happen as the organisers of the games have increased the hotel rates. If this indeed happens, it would seriously be a great setback for the hoteliers as they have been looking up to the games, which was supposed to provide them with lots of revenues. They had even been trying to provide the best of facilities for the tourists. But, what is the use if there is no tourist inflow into their hotels. It was also expected that the revenue earned form the Tourism industry...

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Posted in: 2012 London Olympics,2012 london olympics tickets,London 2012 Olympics,London Olympic Games,London Olympics,London Olympics 2012,London Olympics Tickets,london olympics travel package

Locog To Take Action If Allegations Against Olympic Resellers Proved Correct – London Olympics 2012

The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games has warned that it will be proceeding with tough measures against two of its official ticket re sellers in the event that allegations against them are proven to be true. The allegations hold the official London 2012 Olympic Games resellers responsible for offering usage of the VIP lanes to the Olympic venues to their clients as part of their hospitality package. However, according to the agreement between the London 2012 organizers and their ticket resellers, the provision of VIP lanes to the customers was not to be allowed. The two hospitality companies that have been brought to the limelight in the illegal allotment of VIP lanes to their customers are Thomas Cook as well as Jet Set Sports. The information became public on...

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Posted in: Jet Set Sports,London Olympic 2012,London Olympic 2012 Logo,London Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games,Thomas Cook

London 2012 Olympics: Usain Bolt's agent plays down injury fears after sprinter visits German doctor

Bolt flew to Munich last week to visit one of Europe’s most controversial doctors less than a week after pulling out of the Camperdown Classic in Kingston on Saturday, the Jamaican's first scheduled race of the season. Bolt had been expected to launch his season at the National Stadium but was spotted instead in Germany late last week, so the track was buzzing with rumours that he might have a recurrence of the back trouble which has required treatment from Munich-based specialist 'Healing' Hans Müller-Wohlfahrt. According to reports, Bolt secretly visited the expensive clinic of Muller-Wohlfahrt, a 69-year-old doctor who is known for using unorthodox methods which include injecting patients with calf’s blood. Bolt missed the end of the 2010 season with a back injury and was treated...

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Posted in: 2012 London Olympic,Bolt,London 2012 Olympic