London 2012 Olympics Tickets Tours Hotels: Money Fight Between London 2012 Organisers and British Olympic Association

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Going Rogge. IOC President
has sided with London 2012
in a dispute with the BOA.

As Spyns diligently prepares to launch our London 2012 tours page, we are constantly reminded the modern games are about money. The British Olympic Association and London 2012 organisers are up to their ascots in a dispute about who gets excess cash (if any) from the London 2012 games. The BOA today suffered a blow in their cash dispute with London 2012 organisers after the International Olympic Committee ruled against them. The IOC say their ruling should be final and binding but it may not mean the end of the row - the BOA had previously lodged a submission with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne. Raise your hand if you've never heard of the CAS. Thought not.


Of course the issue surrounds any money left over after the London 2012 Games - the BOA are due to get a cut but claim the running costs of the Paralympics should not be taken into account when calculating the surplus. Clever because the Paralympics are a notorious money-loser. London 2012 have disputed this and now the IOC have ruled against the BOA, with IOC president Jacques Rogge signing the decision. An IOC spokesman said: "The IOC was asked to reach a final and binding decision on how the surplus of the Games should be defined. Having studied the documents and the past recent history of the Games bidding process we have decided that the word 'surplus' clearly represents the financial results from the staging of the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games combined. The IOC would like to see a swift resolution to this dispute - to allow all parties to concentrate on delivering what will be outstanding Games in London next year."


London 2012 organisers welcomed the IOC's finding and claimed the issues now settled. A spokeswoman said: "We are pleased that the IOC has ruled on this technical point confirming we should continue to determine any surplus on the basis of combined costs and revenues from both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. "Now this is settled we look forward to moving ahead together with the BOA to realise our shared vision of hosting a spectacular Olympic and Paralympic Games." London 2012 stressed the dispute would not affect the staging of the Games next year nor the preparations of the British athletes.


If the BOA proceed with their claim to CAS that the word 'Games' in the host city contract refers to Olympics and not Paralympics, the IOC's ruling means they will be directly challenging a written decision from Rogge.  In biblical terms, this would be a bit like challenging the big man regarding the validity of one of the ten commandments. That could have repercussions in terms of longer-term relationships between BOA leaders and the IOC. Damn straight!

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: Broken Clocks and Bungled Tickets

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The countdown clock in
Trafalgar Square.

While everyone is up to their ascots in Britain about the broken London 2012 countdown clock and problems with summer games tickets, I have a more positive story. London Olympics' organisers now give tours of the Olympic Village but the tickets are very hard to come by. In fact, I was on a waiting list for a spot in early April and never thought I'd get "the call". But call me they did. The woman on on the phone was both friendly and organised. This is rather unremarkable but when you think they called me on March 15 when London 2012 tickets starting going on sale, it's rather remarkable. So London 2012 organisers get a thumbs up from Spyns.


But my call back aside, things took a decidedly negative turn this week for the London 2012 gang. London 2012 organisers were left red-faced over two embarrassing incidents as they marked 500 days until the Olympics. Official timekeeper Omega confirmed the countdown clock stopped working only a day after it was unveiled in a grand ceremony in Trafalgar Square. And London 2012 chiefs claimed there was 'no glitch' with the ticketing website despite some fans being unable to finish their orders due to an error with card payments.


The clock was the centrepiece of celebrations to mark 500 days to go to the 2012 Games, which it counts down in days, hours, minutes and seconds. Monday's launch was attended by organising committee chairman Lord Coe, Mayor of London Boris Johnson and heptathlon world champion Jessica Ennis among others and today's technical problem is a major embarrassment for Omega. A statement from the company read: 'We are obviously very disappointed that the clock has suffered this technical issue. 'The Omega London 2012 countdown clock was developed by our experts and fully tested ahead of the launch in Trafalgar Square. We are currently looking into why this happened and expect to have the clock functioning as normal as soon as possible.' The clock, which is 6.5 metres high, five metres long and weighs around four tonnes, took 10 people two days to assemble.


Meanwhile, sports fans with Visa cards which expire before the end of August found the official website, which went live at midnight on Monday, could not process their orders. London 2012 said that the website and ticketing guide clearly states that in order to process your application, Visa cards must expire no earlier than August 2011. This is because while people are applying now for tickets, they will be paying for them between May 10 and June 10 and will need their card to be valid during this period.


I believe we should cut Olympic organisers a bit of slack. Selling 6 million London 2012 tickets, building an entire Olympic village (from scratch), and doing the many other things required to put together the games is enough pressure without everyone whingeing about a clock. But it is a shame the clock stopped on its first day of operations. Big Ben has always kept perfect time. Shame on you Omega.

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: Whew! UK Basketball Team Given Green Light to Compete in Olympics

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Great Britain will compete in
London 2012 basketball

In one of the most important "whew!" brow-wiping, almost a catastrophe moments in Olympic history, Great Britain have been granted automatic qualification to play basketball at the 2012 Olympics. The announcement was made at world governing body FIBA's central board meeting in Lyon, bringing a successful conclusion to a long campaign from British Basketball. Board members voted 17-3 in favour of allowing Britain to play, but attached a condition that the sport's governing structure in Britain be resolved by June 30, 2012. This is a bit like the government's bailout of Norther Rock - we'll say yes now but you'll really have to clean up...er at a later date.


"I congratulate you," FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann said in announcing the decision. "You will be playing at the Olympic Games and we will be very happy to have you there." FIBA had asked to see evidence that Britain could put a competitive team on the court and that the Games would leave a legacy for basketball in the country. While it was quickly accepted that Britain had met all performance criteria, Baumann revealed there was a long discussion by board members on the question of the governing structure, which currently sees British Basketball operating as an umbrella organisation over the three home nations, England, Scotland and Wales, who retain their votes on FIBA's board.


FIBA want to put an end to that situation going forward, and as part of the agreement to allow Britain to play next year, they will require home nations to either merge completely or disband the British team following the Games. As London 2012 tickets go on sale next week, olympic basketball tickets will very likely be a big seller at the London summer games. Spyns will be offering London 2012 basketball tickets and many others as part of its London Summer Games packages.   

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: What Londoners Think of Their Games

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"That fare will be 1 billion pounds
for the Olympic Games please."

As Spyns diligently prepares for its London 2012 Summer games tours, I wanted to take a moment and reflect on what the locals think about the London 2012 Summer games. Before that, however, I just wanted to use the term London 2012 Summer games one more time! Let's get started.



While I've written a lot about the London Olympics and the endless construction surrounding the same, today I'd like to blog about what locals think about the Olympics. During a recent swing through London I was lucky enough to ask Londoners what they thought about next year's games. While people who live in large cities like London can be jaded, I was surprised by the results.


Not surprisingly, the very first person I spoke to about the London 2012 Olympics was a taxi driver. Born and raised in London, he was enthusiastic about the prestige the games would bring to his city but lamented what 500,000 to 1,000,000 tourists would do to its creaky transportation system. He also thought the resulting traffic would be nightmarish. This appeared to be a common theme in my discussions with London natives. While most were thrilled about winning the games, almost everyone acknowledged it would be impossible getting around downtown London with so many tourists.


For anyone who has experienced London's subway, affectionately referred to as “the tube”, you might agree with me that the only thing keeping the system running properly is Londoners' famous good manners. Above ground, the City of London maintains an almost medieval network of narrow roads and streets. The road system gets overloaded even in normal traffic conditions let alone when so many tourists are flooding the streets during the 2012 Summer games. Underground, things won't improve much. The tube is a complex system of overlapping lines second only in complexity to the human nervous system. Although not the fault of those who manage such a complex subway system, it tends to break down A LOT. I also think that when the British were awarded the games, the International Olympic Committe glossed over issues such as London's infrastructure (one need only look to Rio winning the games as an example of the IOC turning a blind eye). For example, the Olympic Village will be located in London's East End and unfortunately there is only one subway line that goes there. I find it difficult to believe that this line will not become overloaded during the Olympics. And I am not the only one with this concern.


I do not plan to go through an inventory of people that I spoke to during my last swing through London, but here is a quick list: a bagpiper on Westminster Bridge; a French engineering student living in London for the year; an Australian expat working for the British government; a Polish waitress serving breakfast at my hotel (grrrrrr) ; a British student studying architecture; and many others. The common theme among all these people seem to be the cost. While the games were awarded at a time when it appeared Londonwas booming, since 2008 the economy has more or less been in recession and David Cameron's conservative government is cutting back. While the governments has not reduced the budget for the Summer Olympics games, austerity is in the air.


Not surprisingly, almost everyone who worked in the hotel industry seemed thrilled that the games were coming to London in the summer of 2012. Obviously these are the people best positioned to profit from a flood of tourists. However, in the list of people that I provided above it seemed that those not associated with tourism or least likely to profit from the games were most hostile. The French student for example, was upset the British government had recently decided to increase university tuition. If you have been following the news recently there were violent clashes a few months ago between student protesters and riot police in central London over the issue of increased tuition. It does seem strange that students and their families will have to pay more for university education when the government is building stadiums with taxpayer dollars. I can only imagine how it feels to have your welfare benefits slashed when again the government is building an entire Olympic Village. The incongruity is striking and not lost on the natives.


So through my very unscientific poll the results were as follows: 60% for the games, 30% against, 10% indifferent. My feeling was that while the majority of people living in London were mildly supportive of the games, a strong minority of people felt, "Why now in this economy?" I believe the games have reached a size whereby only the wealthiest countries on Earth can afford them. Unfortunately, whether the British accept this or not the United Kingdom is in a period of transition from economic superpower to perhaps something of a lesser economic power. This is similar to the situation the country went through in the 1970s. Rampant inflation, crushing debts, and high unemployment are not the best conditions for hosting the games. And the citizens are restless. Compounding the problem is the fact that the Chinese spent tens of billions of dollars on the Beijing games - financial means that the British no longer have that their disposal.

In closing, the British support their Summer games but question whether the country can afford it in a period of intense economic uncertainty. I hope you have enjoyed my somewhat rambling post. If you have any questions about Spyns London 2012 Summer games tours or would like information about London 2012 tickets or hotels, please do not hesitate to contact us toll-free at 1-888-825-4720.

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: British Olympic Team Faces Funding Crisis

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The British Olympic Assocation is
facing a fund crisis.

As my fellow Canadian Alanis Morrisette famously sang, "Isn't it ironic, don't you think?" As Spyns prepares for its London 2012 Olympics Tours, London 2012 organisers are spending billions in a building bonanza (see our post about the Velodrome) yet the UK may not have enough cash to field a full Olympic team. Strange.

It's beginning to feel a bit like the 1970s again in England. In a decade lost to high inflation, an oil crisis (then called the energy crisis), and Olympics that spent all of their money on VIPs rather than athletes. I fear this is happening again.  

The British Olympic Association (BOA) admitted there was not enough money to support the GB team at the London Games. BOA members were told of the shortfall at an emergency meeting last week. The association will help about 550 athletes and 1,400 support staff during the Olympics next summer. It will provide training advice, medical assistance and a holding camp. Andy Hunt, the BOA’s chief executive, said: ‘We’ve still got a gap to close. I’m absolutely certain we’ll have a full team at the Games and the money will not affect that. The level to which we can support the team is where the challenge comes.’ Mr Hunt would not reveal how much funding was needed but the shortfall is thought to run into millions of pounds.

The cost of BOA’s responsibilities, which include the Team GB camp in Loughborough, Leicestershire, is expected to be more than £5million (approximately US$8 million). The BOA gets it funding from commercial sponsorship and fundraising and receives no government cash. It gave the commercial rights to the Olympic rings to the London Organising Committee for about £30million. Mr Hunt, not part of the BOA at that time, has insisted the rights were worth more. Sounds like a fight is brewing. ‘The work we need to do, to make sure we meet the aspirations of the British people, is an immense task,’ he recently told the BBC. ‘The judgment about the success of the Games... will be about the ability to win medals and create those amazing moments that inspire the next generation of heroes.’

We at Spyns London 2012 tickets, hotels and tours (shamless plug) hope the Brits can cobble together enough cash to field a full team. Perhaps if British soldiers pulled out of Afghanistan (an unwinnable war), the savings could be applied to funding athletes.

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: Brits Hope to Field Olympic Basketball Team

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Preparations continue apace for Spyns London 2012 Olympic Tours. Many Spyns clients will attend the basketball finals, scheduled to take place in London's O2 arena. The arena has the dubious distinction of being where Michael Jackson was supposed to perform a series of concerts before his untimely death. 

Speaking of strange twists, the Brits are now hoping to field a basketball team for the London 2012 Summer Games. Quick, name a British basketball star? I bet you can't. While the British Olympic Association (BOA) is backing the bid by GB basketball for its teams to play at London 2012, t world basketball's governing body Fiba will decide on 13 March if GB should be given host nation places at the Games for its men's and women's teams. After meeting with GB Basketball, the BOA is satisfied that the sport has met its performance and legacy criteria.

My feeling is the UK will be able to field a team simply because it would be an enormous embarassment to host the London Olympics without being able to participate in such a crucial sport. BOA chief Andy Hunt said: "The potential for continued growth and future success is tremendous." He continued: "They have surpassed expectations and there is no question that they are now capable of producing credible performances at the London 2012 Olympic Games." Basketball is one of the only Olympic sports where entry for London 2012 is determined by the world governing body rather than the BOA.

GB men's captain Drew Sullivan said: "With the upcoming decision from Fiba fast approaching it's great that we have the full support of the British Olympic Association. I believe it's extremely important for the continued success of basketball in this country that we show togetherness. Hopefully Fiba can recognise this and grant us our place in the 2012 Olympics." While the UK's team may lack the star power of the US or China, we're hoping for a favourable decision on March 13 - incidentally just 2 days later the London 2012 ticket tornado gets started at the Olympic Committee sells roughly 6 million tickets. Now that's going to be more of show than seeing the Brits gets their b-ball asses kicked by Vietnam in 2012.

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: IOC President Rogge Delcares War on Illegal Betting

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Psst...need tickets? Spyns London 2012
trip packages (with tickets) go
on sale in two weeks.

While Spyns diligently prepares for the 2012 London Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee has declared a war of sorts. The IOC will oversee a global taskforce designed to tackle match-fixing and irregular betting, after Interpol estimated the size of the illegal gambling market at $500bn (£308.4bn) in Asia alone and called for urgent action. Following a four-hour meeting between senior government officials, sports bodies, bookmakers and international agencies the IOC president, Jacques Rogge, warned that "sport is in danger" and promised to convene a group within a "couple of weeks."

I fail to see how sport is under threat from gaming. You can't swing a dead cat in London without hitting a (legal) casino or betting hall so demonising a system so widely accepted in the UK will be difficult. Methinks Herr Rogge is simply making grand announcements to divert attention from the Iranian threats to boycott the games (or worse) if London 2012 organisers don't change the logo. When Canada makes a threat, you can brush it off. When Iran starts making threats, it's a little different.


Although Rogge outlined several options, it is believed that the idea of creating a global body with statutory powers in the style of the World Anti-Doping Agency has been largely discounted. Instead, the working group will attempt to come up with a new model for an organisation where sports bodies, law enforcement agencies and government representatives can come together to share information and co-ordinate global action. "Sport is in danger," Rogge said. "We had a clear signal from governments, Interpol and international federations that there is illegal betting that threatens the credibility of sport. It is a big problem in the entire world. There is no safe haven." Ho-hum. I think the IOC and London 2012 should focus on a more pressing issue, getting all of those IOC and sponsor fatcats to stay somewhere else so real people can also book London hotel rooms.

Interpol's secretary general, Ronald Noble, said the tools for international co-operation already existed, pointing to a recent operation that led to 5,000 arrests and the prevention of $155m in illegal bets, but appealed for them to become "a cornerstone of our common strategy. We must act now, and we must act fast. The stakes are high, and they are getting higher," he said, warning that "pressure to violate sports integrity will increase, diversify and come from anywhere in the world." Rogge said the problem was not specifically one for the Olympics but for sport as a whole. The issue has come to the fore in recent years amid a series of high-profile cases, including allegations of fixed football matches across Europe and the spot-fixing scandal that gripped cricket last summer.


The pace of technological change, allowing bets to be offered on all manner of sporting events across the world via the internet and mobile phones, and the proliferation of illegal markets has intensified the threat. The sports minister, Hugh Robertson, told the meeting it was important to separate the debate about establishing a "betting right" that would effectively impose a levy on bookmakers to fund the fight against corruption from the need to establish a co-ordinated approach to tackling the problem. He is believed to have said that Britain would play a leading role in co-ordinating an international response.

In two weeks we're about to witness one of the largest black markets ever: secondary sales of London 2012 tickets...the IOC be damned.

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.