Of all the negative stories – from transport meltdowns to security scares – likely to afflict the London Olympics before the curtain goes up on Danny Boyle's opening ceremony, Sunday's was the most predictable. And yet it is also potentially among the most damaging.
Claims that 27 representatives of 54 countries – more than a quarter of the total number whose athletes will march around the track in Stratford in the name of Olympic values – were prepared to break International Olympic Committee rules and sell thousands of tickets on the black market will not come as a big surprise to many. Certainly not to anyone who has observed the margins of major sporting events since the 1984 Los Angeles Games set the template for the modern era.
Yet the numbers involved still shock – up to £6,000 demanded for "AA" blue riband tickets sloshing around in a global market for an event staged in venues built with billions of pounds of public money.
For the IOC, which had spent much of the past decade ridding itself of the stain of the Salt Lake City scandal, and for London 2012 organisers, battling public cynicism about ticketing, cronyism and corporate might, it could not have come at a worse time.
In an idyllic lakeside corner of Lausanne, the IOC president, Jacques Rogge, could afford a degree of quiet satisfaction as he sat opposite me last week and reflected on the upcoming London Games. There was no last-minute panic to finish the venues, no international outcry over human rights.
Rogge, who will stand down next year after 12 years in the IOC's top job, had hoped to leave behind an organisation in rude financial health and with a restored reputation for probity and transparency.
As fires raged at Fifa, the IOC was last year able to bask in the fact that in comparison it looked like a model international governing body. The calm hand on the tiller of the Belgian former Olympic sailor, elected in 2001 in the wake of the Salt Lake City bribery scandal that threatened to fatally undermine its image, had made it appear a beacon of good practice next to Sepp Blatter's collapsing Fifa House.
The speed with which the IOC reacted to the Sunday Times allegations reflects the extent to which they threaten to sully that good name. The claims may only involve "thousands" of tickets among 8.8m but, as ever, perception is everything.
At a general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees in Acapulco in October 2010, the Locog chairman, Lord Coe, acknowledged the threat when he told the gathering that tough action would be taken against anyone who broke the rules regarding distribution of the 1.1m tickets reserved for overseas buyers and gently reminded them of the enquiring nature of the British media.
Yet those rules are notoriously difficult to enforce and widespread suspicions remained, only exacerbated by the recent resignation of the general secretary of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee when he was caught by a similar BBC sting.
The IOC was keen in its hastily released statement to underline that the NOCs involved were "autonomous". The same goes for the international federations of Olympic sports that from time to time are similarly involved in scandal.
And London organisers can justifiably point to having done more to combat touting than any previous Games – including specific warnings to overseas Olympic committees and an effort to limit tickets based on how they are likely to sell and performance pedigree. They also stressed that none of the tickets involved were among the 6.6m allocated to the British public.
However, those distinctions mean little to the general public. Many of those who have struggled to secure tickets for the biggest events and already feel ill disposed towards what they see as preferential treatment for sponsors and blazers will see this as yet more evidence for the prosecution.
The timing is less than ideal for London organisers, just as they were hoping to capitalise on the groundswell of goodwill created across the country by the torch relay and the looming excitement of the sporting spectacle. They hoped that growing buzz would translate into an acceleration in sales for almost 2m remaining tickets for football and high-priced options for less popular sports and drown out complaints over sponsors, Games lanes and selection controversies.
There will be lessons to be learned – above and beyond a reminder to those on the take that they might learn to avoid tempting offers from those claiming to represent middle eastern money men. The way the IOC allocates and distributes tickets must surely change. One of the strengths of the IOC's structure is that the executive is not beholden to national associations in the same way as Fifa's is.
A centralised ticketing system that bequeaths less power to national fiefdoms may be one option. However it is done, market forces mean it will never be possible to eradicate the black market entirely – but it should be possible to ensure it's not fuelled by those inside the tent.
In the meantime, the immediate reaction of the IOC and Locog to this latest controversy will do much to inform the ongoing battle for the hearts and minds of the public attitude to the Olympic Games – in London, in the UK and beyond.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
London to Brighton bike ride attracts 27,000 cyclists - BBC News
More than 27,000 cyclists are taking part in the 54-mile London to Brighton bike ride in aid of the British Heart Foundation.
Riders set off from Clapham Common from 06:00 BST, with the first arriving at the finish just before 09:00.
The toughest part of the ride is the climb up 813ft (247m) Ditchling Beacon just outside Brighton, which takes an average of 15 minutes to scale.
The event, which is now in its 37th year, has raised more than £50m.
Among the riders taking part was Toby Field from Eastbourne, also known as the Fat Cycle Rider, who has lost 8st 14lb in weight since taking up cycling.
His father died from a weight-related heart attack at the age of 55, and Mr Field said after his father's death he was in denial about his own health problems.
"I wanted a cheap bike so I could ride around the park with my kids. I was walking and they were leaving me behind. That's where it all started."
Road closures have been in place along the route out of London, through the boroughs of Reigate and Banstead and Tandridge in Surrey and through Sussex into Brighton.
Southern Railway and First Capital Connect do not allow bikes to be carried on trains on race day, but a park and ride service operates between Brighton Racecourse and Madeira Drive.
Bus services have been redirected and Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach company said the A23 into Brighton was gridlocked at about midday because of the race.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Cabbie accused of causing man's death in crash walks free after claiming he had 'sneezing fit' at the wheel - Daily Mail
- Taxi driver said he sneezed seven or eight times which prevented him seeing car in front
By Amy Oliver
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A taxi driver accused of causing a man's death following a car crash has walked free after claiming he was having a 'sneezing fit'.
Phillip Parker, 38, smashed into Malkit Khatkar's Vauxhall Vectra as he was driving home from work in the early hours of New Year's Day last year.
Mr Khatkar, 70, suffered serious spinal injuries in the accident on the A2 at Wilmington, Kent, before dying two weeks later.
Let off: Phillip Parker, 38, of Chatham, Kent, was left in floods of tears as he was acquitted for causing death by careless driving at Maidstone Crown Court
Mr Parker denied causing death by careless driving, claiming he only hit Mr Khatkar because he sneezed seven or eight times in a row, which prevented him from seeing the car in front.
The taxi driver, of Chatham, Kent, was left in floods of tears as he was acquitted for causing death by careless driving by a jury at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday.
Before the verdict, Anthony Prosser, prosecuting, told the court that Parker was at fault and not driving to the 'standard of a careful and competent driver'.
He said: 'The Crown say if he did have a sneezing fit there was at least 30 seconds of visibility of the car in front and plenty of time to brake and do anything to avoid the rear-end collision.
Tragic: Malkit Khatkar, 70, was initially taken to Darent Valley Hospital in Kent suffering spinal injuries but died two weeks later
'The Vectra was there to be seen on a straight stretch of road. The reality is he drove into the back of the car, causing the collision.'
Mr Prosser added if sneezing did not explain the cause, it could have been lack of concentration or tiredness.
There were no independent witnesses to the crash, which happened at about 5.20am on a long straight stretch of the coast-bound carriageway.
Off-duty PC William Parish arrived on the scene just after the collision on the inside lane.
The Vectra had been struck from the rear and spun around. Mr Khatkar had to be cut out.
He was taken to Darent Valley Hospital, in Dartford, Kent and then transferred to Stoke Mandeville in Aylesbury, Bucks, on January 16.
Parker, who denied the charge, said in a police interview of his sneezing: 'It didn't well up, it just - bang - happened.'
He said in evidence: 'It was just one after another.'
Asked by Mr Prosser how he missed an object in the road directly ahead of him, he replied: 'All I can tell you is I had a sneezing fit and the car was there.
'It looked like it was stationary and I went into the back of it. I did brake.'
Mr Prosser said it was not possible to say how fast Mr Khatkar was travelling and it was possible his car was stationary at the time of the collision.
Mr Parker, who suffered a broken collarbone, said his speed was about 50-60mph. He denied being tired.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Kate Middleton to visit Margaret McMillan House in Kent - Kent Online
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Kate shares a joke with youngsters around their woodland campfire
The Duchess of Cambridge paid a special visit to Kent today to meet youngsters as they experienced the countryside for the first time.
Looking relaxed and casual, Kate, who was wearing Zara jeans, a jumper, waistcoat and green wellies, helped the eight and nine-year-olds from King Solomon Academy in London cook dough balls over their campfires – and sampled some with jam.
She was at Margaret McMillan House, near Wrotham, for the morning visit to meet the children, who had arrived at the centre on Friday.
For most, it is the first time they have seen the countryside or stayed away from home.
It is also the first time the school, which is based in an area of high deprivation in North Westminster, where 70% of under-15s live in workless households, has organised a residential visit.
The Duchess of Cambridge checks out one of the woodland shelters...
... and also tried one of the teepee tents for size
Video: The Duchess of Cambridge is welcomed into the camp
Kate, who has worked extensively with the Scouts, was perfectly at home sitting around a campfire and crawling inside a shelter the children had made with sticks and branches.
She also spoke to two youngsters about their night under the stars.
Headteacher Venessa Willms, who is from East Malling, said: "It's been very exciting. It's our first camping trip and the first year we've gone outside of London, and then this visit on top. They're going to be very tired!
Kate watched children build shelters and campfires in the woods
Youngsters from the academy were keen to answer the Duchess' questions
Head of the centre, Niall Leyden, added: "Kate was really fabulous. She walked around and talked to all the children. She was very at home with all the woodland activities; I would have her as an instructor here any time."
Nine-year-old Alpha Kolajo said of his time with the Duchess: "She said she had been to a lot of countries but not nearly as many as William."
The academy is supported by ARK Schools, which is backed by The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, a charity set up by Kate's husband and brother-in-law.
During their camp, the children, aged eight and nine, will sleep in teepee tents and take part in teambuilding exercises, such as rope and obstacle courses and a survival challenge.
Kate stepped out in wellies for her visit to the Kent countryside
The Duchess of Cambridge walks with children from King Solomon Academy
The residential course is run by Widehorizons Outdoor Education Trust, which provides new experiences for young people at its five centres across the UK.
Kate flew in by helicopter and found time to have a barbecue lunch with the youngsters.
It was her only official engagement of the day, before she headed off to a polo match this afternoon.
Sunday, June 17 2012
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Source: www.kentonline.co.uk
