London 2012 Olympics Tickets Tours Hotels: Iran Protests London 2012 Logo

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London 2012 Logo: Zionist plot
or naughty Lisa Simpson?

While most see Lisa Simpson performing a lewd act, the Iranian government sees a Zionist (read: Jewish) conspiracy in London 2012's controversial logo. The head of Iran's national Olympic committee has complained to the International Olympic Committee that the jagged logo for the London 2012 Olympic games is racist because it spells the word "Zion." As Spyns clients prepare for the London 2012 summer games, most are thinking about London hotel rooms (few and far between if you read my former post), while those fun-loving Iranians come up with this.

"Unfortunately, we all are witnessing that the upcoming Olympics ... faces a serious challenge, definitely spawned out of some people's racist spirit," Mohammad Aliabadi stated in a letter to IOC president Jacques Rogge that was obtained by the newswires. "The use of the word Zion by the designer of Olympics logo ....in the emblem of the Olympics Games 2012 is a very revolting act," he added, warning that if Rogge did not act the logo would "affect the participation of several countries, especially like Iran which insists on following principles and values." That's a bit of a stretch given the Iranian government's recent crackdown on opposition protests. Come to think of it, the London police used charging horses to break up students protesting higher tuition just last year (see this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axWyu1t4rkE). People in glass houses....

Why this complaint is emerging now, when the logo was revealed in 2007, wasn't forthcoming. In a buildup to the great counterfeit games of 2012, London Olympic organizers raided a shop in Oxford high street that was carrying some 6,500 counterfeit items branded with the controversial logo. We should expect more of this as the games get closer. I personally find it sad that countries are trying to exploit the games for political gain.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

London 2012 Olympics Tickets Tours Hotels: An Open Letter to Lord Coe

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Dear Lord Coe:

Lord Coe praying people will
have enough hotel rooms.

As Chair of the London 2012 Olympics, the task of organising London's summer games must feel overwhelming at times. While your time is short, I have one simple request: let ordinary people enjoy the games as well. Sadly, you have your work cut out for you.

I understand millions of London 2012 tickets will go on sale in just a few weeks. While I believe you and your team are making genuine efforts to price tickets reasonably, once every has purchsed their tickets, they will have nowhere to stay. And I blame you.

As you are no doublt aware, for such a large city, London has a relatively small number of hotel rooms. Unfortunately, your organising committee has booked almost every hotel room for International Olympic Committee VIPs and sponsors. Sadly, this leaves almost no rooms for the average tourist to stay within London proper. This is unacceptable. If people cannot stay in London to enjoy the games by finding inexpensive accommodations, I fail to see the point of hosting the games at all.

You and your staff are of course aware of the problem. Unlike the Beijing games, my information suggests your organising committee is not building more hotels to provide the beds necessary to meet overwhelming demand. Compounding the issue is your unacceptable lock on every single hotel room in central London. I would therefore urge you and your staff to focus a bit more on this problem to ensure everyone, rather than just Olympic insiders, can enjoy this wonderful event.

I look forward to your timely reply.

Respectfully yours,

Ryan King

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

London 2012 Olympics Tickets Tours Hotels: Cycling Race a Test for London 2012 Organisers

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British cyclist Mark Cavendish
is a favourite to win gold next summer

Ever since London 2012 organisers unveiled the fetching velodrome, England is abuzz with cycling news. Spyns not only offers London 2012 tours, but we're also a leader in Tour de France tours (http://www.tdf-tours.com/) so blogging about two wheels feels rather natural. A test event will be held over the Olympic road race course on August 14, London 2012 organisers have confirmed. The Surrey Cycle Classic, a UCI-approved race, will put the route, which takes in nine laps of a Box Hill circuit before finishing in front of Buckingham Palace on The Mall, through its paces before the Games arrive in London in July 2012. The course was announced earlier this month.

The full details of the Surrey Cycle Classic are yet to be announced but the event, which will sandwich the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, is only expected to tackle three laps of Surrey's iconic Box Hill - a 166m climb. London 2012 organisers have announced details of the full test event programme, with the newly opened velodrome set to host next year's Track World Cup on February 17-19 in place of Manchester, which held the 2011 event last weekend. And the mountain bike course will host the Hadleigh Farm International on July 31, 2011.


London 2012 chairman, Lord Sebastian Coe, said: "Our approach to operational delivery is similar to that of an athlete. You do not want to face any conditions at competition time that you have not prepared for. When the world’s greatest Olympic and Paralympic athletes come to London in the summer of 2012, every aspect of our delivery needs to be the best it can be. "The invaluable experience we gain through our testing programme means we can 'road-test' all our operational plans and make sure we have all the knowledge we need to deliver a truly memorable Games in 2012."


We applaud their efforts to highlight cycling as a premiere sport. While basketball, swimming, and athletics (track & field) are among biggest draws, thanks to one Lance Armstrong and host of medal-worth British riders, organisers are right to promote everything two-wheeled. While the velodrome was finished on schedule, methinks ticketing may be a tad more complicated. But Spyns London 2012 clients will just have to wait until March 15.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

London 2012 Olympics Tickets Tours and Hotels: Velodrome/There Goes Boris Again

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London 2012: One down, sixty to go.

London Mayor Boris Johnson rarely disappoints. Yes the nervous hair has been smoothed, and the public school blazers replaced by tailored suits but he still comes up with the occasional zinger. As London 2012 looms, organizers are frantically working to finish, well, everything. No wonder everyone looked so relieved at the opening of the London 2012 velodrome.

The 2012 Olympic velodrome, site of the track cycling competition at the London Olympics, was officially opened on Tuesday. It's the first 2012 venue to be completed, and officials, dignitaries and athletes were on hand to cut the ribbon. Among the speakers at the event was London Mayor Boris Johnson, who made a seemingly outlandish claim: The cedar planks that make up the roof and ceiling of the structure got their amber color after being rubbed with rhubarb.


If it wasn't for this blogger's mother making strawberry-rhubarb pie years ago, we probably wouldn't know what exactly rhubarb is. (A quick Google search turned up rhubarbinfo.com, a Web site solely dedicated to the odd vegetable -- a common myth is that it's a fruit.) Johnson's declaration that workers tediously rubbed the wood with the sour-tasting plant might have been inflated -- watch a video of his speech here -- but we still think the rhubarb deserves some time in the spotlight.

As Spyns gears up for its London 2012 tours, we can't wait for more bons mots from Sir Boris. His comedy will go a long way in assuaging the masses when they're forced to pay thousands of pounds for tickets to the kayaking finals.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

London 2012 Olympics Tickets Tours Hotels: Basketball's LeBron James Undecided About London Summer Games

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LeBron may be the only
person who can afford
London 2012 tickets.

As the world eagerly awaits London 2012 tickets to go on sale, organisers are hoping big-name stars will attract potential clients to purchase pricey tickets. Miami Heat star LeBron James has admitted that he still has a 'tough decision' to make before committing to the US Olympic team. James - who controversially swapped Cleveland for Miami last summer and skipped last year's World Championships, which was won by the United States - is the biggest name in basketball and had previously put his name forward for London 2012.


But the 26-year-old, who was an integral part of the US team that won Olympic gold in Beijing, admits he is reluctant to give an official thumbs up until his team-mates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh reach their own conclusions. News of his potential absence will be a concern for London 2012 organisers, who are hoping that basketball will be one of the hottest tickets to go on sale next month, despite the fact Great Britain's involvement has yet to be ratified by world governing body Fiba. I'm eagerly awaiting the ticket backlash because the prices are going to be outrageous, particularly in the secondary (read: black) market.


"These two [Wade and Bosh] don't know if they're going yet and if they don't go then it's definitely a tougher decision for myself," James told national sports agency Sportsbeat. "I've got to roll with my guys, so we'll see what happens. "I've been to London before and it's a great city. Basketball is continuing to spread. Even though we know it's a huge soccer town, the game of basketball is getting bigger every day."


James had previously stated he would be available, if called on by US coach Mike Krzyzewski.
"Hopefully I'm healthy enough to be a part of that team. Coach K has my number," he said, last year. Wade was part of the Miami Heat team that visited London for an exhibition game against the New Jersey Nets in 2008 but the 29-year-old appears lukewarm about returning. "I think we have to see what the best opportunity is for us at that time and where we possibly fit in," he explained. "And it's about a lot of other things as well. It's an honour for us to even be considered for the team. We'll see. "London is awesome and I know they're going to put on a first class Olympics. I got the chance to go with Miami for the pre-season. The fans were amazing and we had a great time."


Spyns London 2012 tours will also include tickets to the basketball finals...with out without LeBron.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

London 2012 Olympics Tickets Tours Hotels: The Chinese Are Coming!

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"Leeds here I come!"

As Spyns clients gear up for our London 2012 tour packages, English cities are hoping to cash in on pre-games training camps. A good example is the city of Leeds. China's athletes will be based in the northern English in the final build-up to the London 2012 Olympics, organisers announced Wednesday. China will use the Headingley Campus at Leeds Metropolitan University to train and acclimatise. China is set to be one of the key nations at the 2012 Games having topped the 2008 Beijing Games table with 51 gold, 21 silver and 28 bronze medals. Spyns believes this is just part of a pre-invasion force. Just kidding! The next war will be a trade war between the US and the Chinese, without a shot fired we hope.


The Chinese Athletic Association said it was "confident Leeds will provide an ideal training base for our athletes as we prepare for the London 2012 Olympic Games." Around 50 athletes and officials will head to Yorkshire's biggest city. It is the first deal to be signed between any of the Chinese squads and a British city. "Pre-Games training camps provide essential preparation for every athlete, and Chinese competitors will enjoy world class facilities in Leeds," said London Games chairman Sebastian Coe. "Having grown up in the county, I'm delighted that Yorkshire people, and especially the Chinese community, will be sharing in the excitement of the Games in their own back yard." To make the athletes feel at home, Leeds will ban certain search engine terms and arrest heads of various Leeds-based human rights organisations. Again...kidding!


British cities hope that hosting pre-Games camps will bring in millions of pounds (dollars, euros) worth of revenue as well as giving locals a chance to see some of the 2012 stars up close and even train alongside them. Since 1988, Leeds has been twinned with Hangzhou in China's eastern Zhejiang province. Their partnership is aimed at developing business, educational and civic links.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

London 2012 Olympics Tickets Tours and Hotels: London Summer Games Tickets Are Going to Hurt Your Wallet

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"The price is $250 dollars
for one diver...$400 for two."

As Spyns' clients prepare for our London 2012 Olympics tours, price will certainly be an issue. Whenever I visit London, I always call a friend and make the following joke about England's most expensive city, "I just sneezed and it cost me 20£ (approximately $30)." And now we have the London 2012 Summer Games ticket prices to prove it.


Sports fans hoping to make the journey across Atlantic for next year’s Olympic Games were able to get an idea of just how much the trip could cost them after organisers announced the competition schedule and ticket prices for the London showpiece. Some 2.2 million subscribers to an official Olympic email service were given a sneak preview of the times, dates and pricing categories this morning with tickets due to go on sale on March 15th.


Naturally enough, the blue riband events in athletics will command top dollar with VIP seats at the Olympic Stadium for the men’s 100 metres final going for as much as €890 ($1100). The closing two days at the track, Friday August 10th and Saturday August 11th, will also be priced at the same structure. However, the highest prices were reserved for those wishing to attend both the opening and closing ceremonies. Those looking for the best seats in the house when the Olympic cauldron is lit will be asked to part with €2,390 ($3346) while VIP seats for the closing ceremony will cost €1,790 ($2500). Spyns former clients may ask, will only billionnaires be attending the games.


For those hoping to follow Mark Phelps exploits in the Aquatics Centre, tickets will range in price from €23 ($32) for some of the heats to €540 ($760) for the Category AA seats in finals. Given the boxing team’s success in Beijing, the ExCel boxing arena will be another obvious port of call forfans with tickets for the all-important finals available from €113 to €470.


Sebastian Coe launched the detailed schedule for the London 2012 Olympics and admitted that the arrival of the “greatest show on earth” now feels just around the corner. “This is a really big moment, a huge moment. In this project, every day you get closer, every day it becomes more of a living creature,” Coe said. “In my own experience as a competitor this is the point that it suddenly becomes very real.” With the organising committee holding half of the beds in London and sky-high ticket prices, I wonder when someone is going to call London 2012 "the most expensive show on Earth."


Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

London 2012 Olympics Tickets and Tours: London Mayor "Let those without tickets eat cake"

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A commodity more precious
than gold.

To the tens of people following this blog, I have long lamented Olympic ticket organisation and would enjoy seeing an Egypt-like uprising against IOC members and VIP sponsors hording tickets at the expense of the masses. Off with their heads!


While Spyns plans to procure tickets in a fair and open way through the normal channels, recent musings by London's mayor Boris Johnson about free open-air venues throughout the city. Politicians can smell an uprising years in advance. Given our constant requests for information about how tickets will be sold/released and a lack of information, it appears London 2012 tickets are being handled by a rather scared group of computer geeks strung out on Red Bull.


An insider has told The Telegraph that the Mayor of London is considering land on the edge of Thames next to the London Eye as a potential spot for one of his Olympic ‘live sites’, which will show sporting action for free throughout the games. Mr Johnson has already announced there will be giant screens broadcasting 2012 events in London’s Hyde Park, Victoria Park, and on land next to his City Hall building close to Tower Bridge, some of which could attract up to 80,000 people per day.


But it is understood a fourth venue could be necessary to cater for all those who fail to secure or cannot afford any of the 6.6 million Olympic tickets set for release next month. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games confirmed today it will run 18 others sites across town and city centres across the country throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games, all of which will also be free. Whether this will keep the millions of ticketless London 2012 goers happy remains to be seen.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

London 2012 Olympics Tickets Tours Hotels: A Royal Start for Summer Games Cycling

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How many royals does it take
to fold a bike? Prince Philipp
admires a folding bike at
a palace reception.

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Spyns offers both London 2012 Summer Games packages and cycling tours to France (including the Tour de France). Spyns former clients will be thrilled to learn London 2012 organisers have unveiled the route for the men's 250-kilometre (156 miles) road race. The race takes place on the opening weekend of the Games, and will start on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace before heading south west towards Surrey Hills. Following the departure, riders will pass through the London boroughs of City of Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, Wandsworth, Richmond and Kingston in what will be the biggest one-day bike race ever witnessed in Great Britain.


After heading south over Putney Bridge the route winds its way through Richmond Park before passing by Hampton Court Palace and down towards Surrey. As riders enter Surrey they will loop through Walton on Thames, Weybridge, West Byfleet, West Horsley in an anticlockwise direction before riders' climbing legs are tested at they tackle the undulating roads around Box Hill including the National Trust’s Zigzag Hill, a popular destination for amateur cyclists. Following nine 15.5km circuits – two for the women's race – including Zigzag Hill, the race will head back towards central London via Leatherhead, Esher, Hampton Court, Kingdton upn Thames and Richmond Park before speeding its way towards the finishing line.
A 15km stretch of relatively flat road is likely to provide a thrilling denouement where a packed grandstand on the Mall will be hoping for a dramatic sprint finish which would lend itself perfectly to Cavendish, the fastest sprinter in world cycling provided he is backed by a strong team.



Cavendish, memorably, was the only member of the Team GB track cycling team to return from the Beijing Games without a medal in 2008, the year he burst onto the world cycling scene with four Tour de France stage wins, and will be desperate to add an Olympic gold medal to his palmarès. The sprinter, who is currently racing at the Tour of Qatar, said he was excited about the chance to win gold. "Competing in a home Olympic Games is a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said. "To compete in the road race on the opening weekend of the London 2012 Games in front of home fans is going to be amazing."


Meanwhile, Londoner Bradley Wiggins told Telegraph Sport recently that he was unlikely to compete in the race. "Probably not with the way the scheduling is," said Wiggins. "At the moment it looks like I'll do the time trial and the team pursuit." The women's event, which will take place on the same weekend, will be raced over 140km (87 miles) along the same route. The route, could favour Team GB riders such as Emma Pooley, Nicole Cooke, the reigning Olympic champion, and Lizzie Armitstead who are all expected, barring a disaster, to provide the backbone of the women's team.


"Having ridden Box Hill many times – and also knowing the rest of the circuit pretty well – I think we are likely to see a good group form on the ascent of Box Hill. "One-day classics riders such as Cadel Evans, Heinrich Haussler, Thor Hushvod and Fabian Cancellara will all be keen to try their hand here, but there will still be a long run in back to the centre of London. "It could well come back together for someone like Tom Boonen or Cavendish if they are backed with strong teams that can work for them. "If Cavendish has a good day, who knows? He will certainly be motivated to win in front of a home crowd to become Olympic champion. He certainly has the ability to get over the climbs and stay in close contact with the best in the world to win the title."


Cavendish plans to compete in the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France trips, please visit our website (www.tdf-tours.com).

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

London 2012 Olympics Tickets Tours Hotels: Beware of London 2012 Big Brother

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I believe the Olympic Games have reached a tipping point. The games were previously about sport, competition, and international friendship. Now it seems profit is everything. As the games get more expensive, sponsorship plays more of a factor and it's having adverse effects on the London 2012 games. By my estimates, almost half of London's hotel rooms are currently reserved for Olympic VIPs and sponsors. Clearly these are no longer the "people's games." And now London's organising committee is attacking small businesses.

Kamel Kichane claimed he took advice from Newham Council before naming his restaurant Café Olympic three years ago, after the 2012 Olympic Games were handed to London. He was among a number of local businessmen hoping to capitalise on the Games, which organisers claimed would spark the rejuvenation of east London and boost trade. But now Mr Kichane has reportedly been told he may face legal action as trading standards attempt to crack down on unauthorised use of the lucrative Olympic brand.

He told The Independent: "We did not get written permission ... but the council said, 'As long as the signs do not have the Olympic Rings on, it should be OK". Mr Kichane said changing all of his signs and logos would cost up to £3,000 (approx $5,000), which would represent a "crisis" for his business.  A spokesman for the London Organising Committee of the Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), which is in charge of protecting the Olympic brand against unauthorised use, said it would take a "pragmatic and proportionate" approach to infringement, but added that key to the games budget was "companies paying millions of pounds to become exclusive partners."

Newham Council confirmed its trading standards department was "advising businesses" on the legality of using words and logos relating to the Games, and that it was examining the case of Café Olympic. As Spyns prepares for its London 2012 Olympics Tours, we wonder if the games are about sport or sponsorship. 

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

London 2012 Olympics Tickets Hotels and Tours: London Organisers to Triathletes: "Go Jump in a Lake!"

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Look! The crown jewels.

As the interminable battle rages over the London 2012 stadium ("Legacy!!!!" screams Lord Coe), Spyns is dilligently preparing for its London 2012 package tours. Before unveiling a number of surprises, this just in from London!

The swimming leg of the Olympic triathlon at the 2012 London Games will take place in Hyde Park's Serpentine lake after local government officials gave permission for the construction of spectator seating and a pontoon. The triathlon will begin with a 1.5-kilometer (0.9-mile) lap starting from the pontoon on the north side of the Serpentine.

The seating area will hold 3,000 spectators, with the temporary structures set to be installed two months before the August opening of the games. The Serpentine will also host the 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) marathon swimming event. Spectators without tickets will be able to watch both events from vantage points in the park.Westminster Council planning and city development chairman Alastair Moss says "Hyde Park will be a first-class backdrop."

I personally have no desire to complete a triathlon. In fact, the word triathlon makes me want to open a beer. I can't imagine the pain and endurance it must take to finish one although I applaud those who do. Actually I don't mean that at all. You're all mad and look like Holocaust survivors!

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

London 2012 Olympics Tickets Tours and Hotels: Spyns to London 2012: "Lighten the Hell Up!"

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"Ambush Marketer" in Dutch is
"hinderlaag bemarker".
Aaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!

As the fiscal belt tightening continues in Great Britain, London 2012 organisers are cranking up the rhetoric to protect summer games sponsors and a much-needed revenue stream. While everyone wants the games, few want to pay for them so expect sponsorship to play a very big part of the London 2012 extravaganza.


The organisers of the London Olympics have warned drinks firms against trying to ambush the Games with unofficial brands as happened at the last World Cup. The Bavaria 'ambush' made headlines around the world - just as intended. London 2012 chief executive Paul Deighton issued the warning as he unveiled Heineken UK as the official supplier of lager. He said his team has a "very, very active anti-ambush" unit which will not tolerate the sort of marketing stunts witnessed in South Africa. Why a Dutch beer is the official drinks sponsor of the London Olympics makes perfect sense.


The most notorious involved 36 young women wearing orange mini-dresses advertising the Dutch brewer Bavaria. TV cameras picked them out in the stands at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg during the Netherlands v Denmark match.The women were ejected from the ground and arrested. They also faced threats of legal action. The World Cup ambushers apparently got their tickets from ITV pundit Robbie Earle.


"If someone tries to ambush, I would see it as an attack on one of the most important events in this country in a decade," said Mr Deighton. "Any brand that behaves like that would probably receive quite a negative reaction." He went on: "We are very alert to protecting our partners who, without their contribution, this kind of event cannot happen. We have got to strike the balance right to protecting those rights and on the other hand behaving in a way that is sensible when an ambush is attempted." We at Spyns suggest an even more severe punishment: forcing ambush marketers to watch all 5 seasons of Dutch "Big Brother". Now that's what we call a life sentence. For our many Dutch readers (tongue firmly in cheek) the Dutch translation of "ambush marketer" is "hinderlaag bemarker". Terrifying isn't it?


Under the terms of an iron-clad tier three sponsorship deal, Heineken UK will get exclusive pouring rights for its beers and ciders at all London 2012 venues where alcohol is served. Its brands include John Smiths, Bulmers and Strongbow. The Heineken deal takes London 2012 domestic sponsorship to £670m, leaving it £30m (US$50 million) short of its £700m (US$1.3 billion) target. It has been tasked with raising a total of £2bn from the private sector to help pay for the Games, which are costing around £9.3bn (tired of calculation but it's a very large amount).

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

London 2012 Olympics Tickets Hotels and Tours: Summer Games to Volunteers: "We want you...er, no we don't."

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"We volunteered. Now where are
our bloody London 2012 tickets!"

As London 2012 organisers scramble to get Summer Olympics tickets figured out, some bold ticket-related initiatives are quietly being scrapped. Case in point: the volunteers in exchange for tickets plan. I'd love to be a fly on the wall of the London 2012 ticket committee. I can almost smell the sweat, Red Bull, and yes perhaps a whiff of urine as panick sets in. Tick tock boys and girls!

A scheme to use the Olympics to get people to volunteer in their local communities has been scrapped, the Culture Department has said. Following severe government cuts, the UK's culture department now consists of one Welsh man, a telephone, and a monkey named "Londoneye." The national 25th Hour campaign was launched at the Olympic Park last March by the then Olympics minister Tessa Jowell and London 2012 chairman Lord Coe. As a thank-you for giving up their time for community work, devoted volunteers were promised to be in line for one of the 2,012 pairs of tickets for the dress rehearsal for the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony. Alas the scheme has gone the way of the Dodo.

The 25th Hour campaign was based on the idea that everyone can find an extra hour or more to make a difference. The tickets were to have been among a range of Olympic-themed awards for "exceptional time givers". The new Government is now hoping that the Places People Play scheme will bolster grassroots projects and events. A Culture Department spokesman said: "After careful consideration, the Government has decided not to continue the 25th Hour Programme. "Instead, the focus going forward will be on getting more people involved in sport as volunteers and coaches, through the Places People Play initiative. The new Sports Leaders Scheme aims to recruit, train and deploy 40,000 new volunteers to help organise sports activities in their communities."

 The 25th Hour was separate to London 2012's volunteer programme which this week began interviews to recruit 70,000 people to help the Games run smoothly. We at Spyns London 2012 tours (shameless plug) wonder why the games rely so heavily on volunteers. You don't see anyone volunteering a building, loaning equipment for free, or providing construction services at cost now do you?

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

London 2012 Olympics Tickets Tours and Hotels: Swimming Ian Thorpe Making Comeback

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Ian Thorpe's Comeback:
Manage your expectations.

Spyns asks its London 2012 tour clients: Phelps or Thorpe? In what promises to be the new "Battle of Britain" five time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe is expected to announce his return to competitive swimming. Thorpe will bid to make the Australian team for next year’s London Summer Olympic Games, news reports said Tuesday. The 28-year-old, who retired in November 2006 but has been training hard in Sydney pools, will speak to the media Wednesday.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Thorpe, who would need to register with the ruling body FINA by the end of May to be eligible to compete at the London Olympic trials in March 2012, has told friends that he would be returning to competitive swimming. Thorpe left the sport when illness and injury put him out of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Thorpe, who has lost weight and looks in good shape, said last month that he was enjoying swimming again.

Swimming is among the top five most popular sports at any summer games. If Thorpe plans a comeback and Phelps continues to dominate, it will likely be one of the most coveted London 2012 tickets. Spyns will be offering trips that include the men's swimming finals so you might even catch the Thorpedo in action - provided he makes the Australian swimming team. “I never really stopped swimming, I’m just doing more of it now and I’m really enjoying getting into shape,” Thorpe said. Michael Bohl, Stephanie Rice’s coach, said last year that a Thorpe comeback would be a success. “He’s one of the best freestylers I’ve ever seen. He has an absolutely perfect stroke,” Bohl said. Thorpe’s best times in his chosen disciplines have all been eclipsed. Brazilian Cesar Cielo Filho holds the 100 metres freestyle in 46.91 seconds while Germany’s Paul Biedermann holds the 200m and 400m in 1 minute 42.00 seconds and 3:40.07 minutes, respectively.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.