2012 Olympics (London)

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Anybody got some extra sterling they want to give away? Ticket sales have begun for the 2012 Olympics.

The prices range from £20 to £725 for the showpiece 100 metres final and reach £2,012 for the opening ceremony on 27 July.

[jim 546 43]

Bidding for tickets in the UK (and apparently the rest of the EU) closed ages ago. I think one of my mates bided for about £2,000 of tickets. It will hit him hard if all of them are successful.

Since I don't have much interest in the Olympics, I haven't bid for any, plus it's quite a long journey from here to London without the thousands of tourists and spectators crowding the roads and rails.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Bidding for tickets in the UK (and apparently the rest of the EU) closed ages ago. I think one of my mates bided for about £2,000 of tickets. It will hit him hard if all of them are successful.

Since I don't have much interest in the Olympics, I haven't bid for any, plus it's quite a long journey from here to London without the thousands of tourists and spectators crowding the roads and rails.

Bit of a long haul from Wales, I agree. Especially for something as expensive as the Olympics.

I've never paid much attention to everyday living in Wales, it being sort of far away. What sports are popular there? Mostly, over here, what we get are tragic stories of coal miners.

[Merlin of Flyote 8]

Bidding for tickets in the UK (and apparently the rest of the EU) closed ages ago. I think one of my mates bided for about £2,000 of tickets. It will hit him hard if all of them are successful.

Since I don't have much interest in the Olympics, I haven't bid for any, plus it's quite a long journey from here to London without the thousands of tourists and spectators crowding the roads and rails.

Bit of a long haul from Wales, I agree. Especially for something as expensive as the Olympics.

I've never paid much attention to everyday living in Wales, it being sort of far away. What sports are popular there? Mostly, over here, what we get are tragic stories of coal miners.

Much the same as England:- Rugby, Cricket and Football.

As for the Olympics, why spend money not knowing what you will get for it.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

As for the Olympics, why spend money not knowing what you will get for it.

Good point, but if you follow those amateur sports you might have an idea.

Over here the country is going hockey-mad. Vancouver is just about as far west in the country as you can go, but Stanley Cup mania seems to be sweeping the country. When you consider the size of this place, it must be due to the communications net.

[Merlin of Flyote 8]

As for the Olympics, why spend money not knowing what you will get for it.

Good point, but if you follow those amateur sports you might have an idea.

You haven't understood the point, here in Britain they will take your money from your bank first, then send you your successful tickets after June 24th.You will not know which applications for tickets have been successful until you receive them.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

You haven't understood the point, here in Britain they will take your money from your bank first, then send you your successful tickets after June 24th.You will not know which applications for tickets have been successful until you receive them.

Seems rather high handed. Do they have an Act of Parliament allowing this?

[Merlin of Flyote 8]

You haven't understood the point, here in Britain they will take your money from your bank first, then send you your successful tickets after June 24th.You will not know which applications for tickets have been successful until you receive them.

Seems rather high handed. Do they have an Act of Parliament allowing this?

Don't think so, but I wouldn't do business this way so I haven't applied for any.

[Ocram's Razr 964]

I did not even cross the border to the nearest major city for the winter Olympics. No way in heck will I take a transoceanic flight for the Olympics.

  Edited June 3, 2011 by Ilikeseattle  

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

I did nor even cross the boarder to the nearest major city for the winter Olympics. No way in heck will I take a transoceanic flight for the Olympics.

At least if you wanted tickets, you could queue up for them when they went on box office sale. All you had to do was hop over to Vancouver. Isn't there a ferry service?

[Ocram's Razr 964]

Seattle, WA to Vancouver, BC is a convenient train ride (convenient stations in Seattle, Kent, Tacoma, etc, all the way down to Portland, OR). To get to Vancouver, BC over water, I would need to go to Downtown Seattle, take the Victoria Clipper, then transfer to the BC Ferry from Victoria to Vancouver.

I love the train and I get seasick so I would prefer the train. Unfortunately, my parents did not allow me to blow my money on the trip. I was 18 at the time but not exactly fiscally responsible.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Seattle, WA to Vancouver, BC is a convenient train ride (convenient stations in Seattle, Kent, Tacoma, etc, all the way down to Portland, OR). To get to Vancouver, BC over water, I would need to go to Downtown Seattle, take the Victoria Clipper, then transfer to the BC Ferry from Victoria to Vancouver.

I love the train and I get seasick so I would prefer the train. Unfortunately, my parents did not allow me to blow my money on the trip. I was 18 at the time but not exactly fiscally responsible.

You and I are on agreement on travel by land. However, I don't get mal de mer. I think the trip by water would be interesting, once.

I am surprised that you can't go directly from Seattle to Vancouver. The triple play through Victoria is worth it if you are a tourist, but a direct route would be better. I can't imagine braving Active Pass if you don't have to.

[Merlin of Flyote 8]

55% of Brits that applied failed to get their tickets.

08/06/2011

Design of torch has been announced about 1 metre tall, conical, triangular, with 8000 holes (one for each runner to carry the torch in Britain and NI)

  Edited June 9, 2011 by Merlin of Flyote  

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

2012 Torch lit at Olympus.

It was a reluctant flame, probably reflecting the bad times in Greece.

[Cantona_21 3]

I must say I am still annoyed about the tickets thing. The government has been calling it the 'people's olympics' Me and most of the people I know all failed to get tickets but I guarantee that someone like Chris bloody Moyles will have some of the best seats in the house.

[Meg 368]

Ticket lotteries never seem to turn out fair.

I'm an Olympics junkie.

I enjoy the stories, like the one about former Soviet figure skater who convinced Israel to create a Winter Olympics team just for him. I enjoy watching people do things that I have no hope of ever doing. I enjoy seeing how, by technology or technique, they manage to keep raising the bar in terms of how far, how fast, how high, how complicated.

I enjoy watching that many people from that many countries get together in one place and not try to kill each other. It's the largest, most diverse, peaceful gathering on the planet.

and every day, an athlete from some small corner of the world steps up and trounces the best the world has to offer.

What's not to like?

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Complaining about not getting tickets to events is futile. The best seat in the house is in front of your telly.

Attending an Olympic Event is for those who want to be "seen at". The "beautiful" people and the nouveau riches are welcome to blow their shekels any way they like, just so long as the IOC collects them.

The Olympic Games are the world's biggest potlatch.

[JanYpe 17]

Ticket lotteries never seem to turn out fair.

I'm an Olympics junkie.

I enjoy the stories, like the one about former Soviet figure skater who convinced Israel to create a Winter Olympics team just for him. I enjoy watching people do things that I have no hope of ever doing. I enjoy seeing how, by technology or technique, they manage to keep raising the bar in terms of how far, how fast, how high, how complicated.

I enjoy watching that many people from that many countries get together in one place and not try to kill each other. It's the largest, most diverse, peaceful gathering on the planet.

and every day, an athlete from some small corner of the world steps up and trounces the best the world has to offer.

What's not to like?

The not to like part is where untold billions in public funds get thrown away on infrastructure that will never see use after the events and on lavishly hosting the IOC and its corporate sponsors, at a time when cuts threaten the livelihood of the employed, unemployed, pensioners and disabled. But then they're only being held accountable for the crisis they caus...oh right, that was mainly caused by the sort of fine people who'll be watching the events from comped skyboxes and front row seats.

I enjoy the stories, and the idea behind the event, but not when it comes with an organization that demands its own dedicated traffic lanes, an unjustifiable public cost and “brand protection teams” roaming the city.

[Meg 368]

Good points.

[Duke87 1,070]

A well-established city in a western country will be lucky to break even on hosting the olympics comparing cost spent on it to revenue pulled in by it. Which is why hosting them in a place like London makes no sense from an economic perspective. It makes more sense when the games are held in a lesser-known city which isn't already drawing a lot of tourist dollars. Then the city may be able to hope to pull additional tourism after the games end since now more people will be thinking about the place. Rio for 2016, for instance, is an excellent choice Atlanta in 1996 was also somewhat decent. Going forward I would say we should be looking to host more games in South America or Africa. Or even the middle east (Dubai 2020, anyone?).

[Meg 368]

The summer games are so much larger than the winter games. It would easier to host them if the events were "evened out" somehow.

It wouldn't be difficult, technically. Just take any summer sport that is played indoors and move it to the winter games. Fencing, wrestling, boxing, judo, taekwondo, table tennis, basketball, weightlifting, etc can be done in the winter as easily as in the summer.

Of course people will start fussing that wrestling can't be moved to the winter because it was part of the original games. I'm sure they would find other reasons to object. But it would take some pressure off of a host city if the venues were paired down a bit.

Of course, those are the easy sports to host. They can usually be hosted in existing buildings.

[hym 358]

A well-established city in a western country will be lucky to break even on hosting the olympics comparing cost spent on it to revenue pulled in by it. Which is why hosting them in a place like London makes no sense from an economic perspective. It makes more sense when the games are held in a lesser-known city which isn't already drawing a lot of tourist dollars. Then the city may be able to hope to pull additional tourism after the games end since now more people will be thinking about the place. Rio for 2016, for instance, is an excellent choice Atlanta in 1996 was also somewhat decent. Going forward I would say we should be looking to host more games in South America or Africa. Or even the middle east (Dubai 2020, anyone?).

The value of hosting the Olympics is not in the revenue it pulls in (though an analysis of Houston's earlier bid for the Olympics indicates that it is possible to make money on hosting the Olympics). The real value is the prestige, which has monetary value even once the Olympics is over.

[Merlin of Flyote 8]

A well-established city in a western country will be lucky to break even on hosting the olympics comparing cost spent on it to revenue pulled in by it. Which is why hosting them in a place like London makes no sense from an economic perspective. It makes more sense when the games are held in a lesser-known city which isn't already drawing a lot of tourist dollars. Then the city may be able to hope to pull additional tourism after the games end since now more people will be thinking about the place. Rio for 2016, for instance, is an excellent choice Atlanta in 1996 was also somewhat decent. Going forward I would say we should be looking to host more games in South America or Africa. Or even the middle east (Dubai 2020, anyone?).

Lets not forget the value in rejuvenating a run-down part of a city. The Stratford area now has new transport links (both underground, overground and High-Speed rail),and a new shopping centre as well as the Olympic park, the new athletes accommadation will become affordable housing after the games, and it will leave many new venues for national sports and a new tower to rival the Eiffel Tower in Paris (at least in starting in the same vein). Add to that the proposed new river crossings including the Cable-Car from the Dome at Greenwich to Canary Wharf and the East London Bridge at Thamesmead/Dagenham and you can see a major update of the area taking place.

All of this makes perfect economic sense for it to be hosted here, and it will be the first time London has hosted the games in their own right. Both 1908 and 1948 were last minute emergency measures, after a volcano in Italy and WW2 making the previously chosen hosts impractical.

  Edited May 12, 2012 by Merlin of Flyote  

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

As I recall, the Montreal Olympics was somewhat spread out. The sailing events were conducted at Kingston, Ontario because you can 't have dinghy races in the St. Lawrence. That was also the Olympics in which the Mayor of Montreal declared that the Olympics could not lose money any more than he could become pregnant. I hope M. Drapeau's labor went well.

[Linoa06 1,374]

I don't really care about the olympics proper, but I like their new over-the-Thames cable cars (right? Seil(schwebe)bahn)..I hope they'll have it started by the time the Olympics begin, then I'll totally go =)

[Merlin of Flyote 8]

Today they have elimited 2 places from the 2020 competition leaving Tokyo, Istanbul and Madrid in the running.

Wether or not the swimming pools, velodromes and halls etc. are used afterwards is down to the government, certainly it looks like it will be the case in London. Some of the events like Equestrian (Greenwich Park) and Shooting (Royal Artillery Barracks) are temporary and the places will return to their former use afterwards. Sailing is down on the south coast at Weymouth/Portland Bill.

[Meg 368]

I'm surprised this thread fell to the second page since the games are in full swing.

My homeboy, Michael Phelps, failed to medal in his first race. He seemed a bit baffled by this. He later admitted that some of his teammate's talk is true: he didn't train as diligently as he did for Beijing four years ago. A news announcer has called him "no longer dominant but still competitive".

Still, he managed to cruise his way into setting the all-time Olympic record for medals. Quite a feat, even if he could have done more had he trained better. He decided to chill out and have fun this time around. He just isn't as hungry for it as he used to be. He is looking at these games as toppings to his sundae.

I can see how this could rankle the people around him who are training as diligently as they can. But, seriously, how much more do people want from the guy?

Meanwhile, onto other things. Folks in the US are rather annoyed at NBC's coverage. They are not showing event finals live. They are waiting until prime time to show the good stuff. By that time, most people have seen the results somewhere.

The good news is that they are streaming things live online. but most of us can't still online and watch. It has it's own hashtag #nbcfail.

[Merlin of Flyote 8]

I'm surprised this thread fell to the second page since the games are in full swing.

My homeboy, Michael Phelps, failed to medal in his first race. He seemed a bit baffled by this. He later admitted that some of his teammate's talk is true: he didn't train as diligently as he did for Beijing four years ago. A news announcer has called him "no longer dominant but still competitive".

Still, he managed to cruise his way into setting the all-time Olympic record for medals. Quite a feat, even if he could have done more had he trained better. He decided to chill out and have fun this time around. He just isn't as hungry for it as he used to be. He is looking at these games as toppings to his sundae.

I can see how this could rankle the people around him who are training as diligently as they can. But, seriously, how much more do people want from the guy?

Meanwhile, onto other things. Folks in the US are rather annoyed at NBC's coverage. They are not showing event finals live. They are waiting until prime time to show the good stuff. By that time, most people have seen the results somewhere.

The good news is that they are streaming things live online. but most of us can't still online and watch. It has it's own hashtag #nbcfail.

bbc.co.uk is showing olympics coverage as it happens.

Four teams players have been disqualified from the Badmington for trying to lose thier first round games.

  Edited August 1, 2012 by Merlin of Flyote  

[Duke87 1,070]

Folks in the US are rather annoyed at NBC's coverage. They are not showing event finals live. They are waiting until prime time to show the good stuff. By that time, most people have seen the results somewhere.

"]Well, The Onion has their typical take on that

There is a five hour time difference between New York and London. An event which starts at 6 PM in London starts at 1 PM in New York. People are still at work. Most people cannot watch the events live.

Still, the way they're going about it is rather odd and rather silly. They are still showing the events live during the day, just not the finals. So, the people who can watch in the afternoon don't get to watch the finals live... and the people who can't, can't anyway. Nobody wins, many people lose.

I've always held that there is no point in watching the entirety of a sporting event recorded - you can just look up the results, after all, and save yourself the trouble. There's no suspense. If it's recorded, just show the highlights and you're good

[Haljackey 17,398]

This Australian newspaper wins at life. (Check out the names for the Koreas)