London 2012 Olympics Tickets and Tours: Organisers Say London 2012 'Not Austerity Olympics'

http://www.london2012-tours.com
http://www.london-olympiad.com
http://www.london-tours-2012.com

UK Culture Minister Jeremy Hunt
promises London 2012 won't be
"austerity" games.

As Spyns dilligently prepares for its 2012 London Olympics tours, many fear recent budget cuts in the UK will have an adverse effect on the games. Britain's culture secretary has rejected claims that the London 2012 Games should be an "austerity" Olympics. Jeremy Hunt told the Daily Telegraph that rather than cutting its budget, the economic downturn meant the event's opportunities must be "harnessed". Mr Hunt said voters would not forgive the government if it failed to make the most of the Games.


The government has provided £9.3bn for the Games - up from an estimate of £2.4bn at the time of the bid in 2005. Mr Hunt said: "You can take two attitudes to the Olympics. You can say: these are times of austerity and therefore we should pare them down as much as possible. Or, you can say: because these are times of austerity we need to do everything we possibly can to harness the opportunity of the Olympics."


The minister said hosting the Olympics would have a "massively positive impact" on economic confidence. "We're going to be the centre of global attention and it will be the first time that we've had a major sporting event that's watched live by half the world's population. People would not forgive us if we didn't make the absolute most of this moment. This is going to be an incredible expression of Britain's culture, Britain's history and Britain's creativity. So, we decided that the sensible thing to do is to make sure that we finance it properly."


The government recently more than doubled the budget for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies - from £40m to £81m - after Prime Minister David Cameron saw the plans. The extra money came from within the £9.3bn Olympic public funding package. The venue security allocation has also risen by £271m to £553m after the estimated number of security guards required more than doubled from 10,000 to 23,700.

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

http://www.london-tours-2012.com/
http://www.london2012-tours.com/
http://www.london-olympiad.com/

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: British Olympic Team Faces Funding Crisis

http://www.london-tours-2012.com/
http://www.london2012-tours.com/
http://www.london-olympiad.com/

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 Hotels and Tours: Cue the Thames Cable Car

"I say good man, where the devil is the Olympic Stadium?"

http://www.london-tours-2012.com
http://www.london2012-tours.com
http://www.london-olympiad.com/

I was in London last week on an Olympic pre-trip swing and can safely say London will have a transportation issue come July 2012. But the city seems to have found a solution: a ridiculously expensive cable car!

A wildly expensive £25 million (US$34 million) cable car scheme is set to get planning permission tomorrow, and will be ready in time for the 2012 Olympics. The scheme will be privately funded and Transport for London (TfL) are confident the funds would be found when they vote on the plans. John East, Newham Council's divisional director of planning says: ''All the discussions I have had with Tfl suggest they will be able to secure that private funding, or sponsorship to enable the cable car to happen.' 'Bearing in mind where we are with public finances and the scrutiny that public bodies are under, why would TfL come this far if they weren’t sure?''

Perhaps Tfl could invest the millions of pounds into keeping the tube trains running on time when millions of people test London's creaky transport system to its limits! The cars - a first for a UK city - will cross the Thames connecting the O2 arena and ExCel centre, between the Greenwich Peninsula and Royal Docks. The venues will both be used in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. The scheme is part of the ongoing regeneration of East London and will be significant for improving connections to the site. TfL believes that construction jobs will be found competitively allowing the scheme to be produced quickly and cheaply.

Taking just five minutes to do the crossing, London Mayor, Boris Johnson told the Daily Mail: ''A cable car spanning the majestic Thames would not only provide a unique and pioneering addition to London’s skyline, but also offer a serene and joyful journey across the river." He added: "Passengers would be able to drink in the truly spectacular views of the Olympic Park and iconic London landmarks whilst shaving valuable minutes from their travelling time. It would also provide a much needed enhancement of cross river options to the east of the city.”



The cable cars will match the capacity of 50 buses per hour, carrying up to 2,500 passengers in each direction arriving every 30 seconds, says London Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy. Now we need only build the damn thing...after the arena, Olympic park, hotels, roads....tea time!

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 Summer Olympic Games Tickets Tours Hotels: Vancouver 2010 to London 2012 "Get Ready!"

http://www.london2012-tours.com/
http://www.london-tours-2012.com/
http://www.london-olympiad.com/

With less than 20 months to go before the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games begin, the time left for businesses to prepare for the onslaught of visitors not just to London, but to Britain as a whole, is rapidly running out. Spyns team is working round the clock to prepare its 2012 London Summer Olympics package tours.


A survey released today shows firms in Vancouver - the city that hosted The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games - allowed themselves an average of 18 months to get everything they thought they would need - from extra network capacity to new working practices - in place. Twenty per cent started preparing three years in advance. Even so, 49 per cent of those contacted said their organisations had failed to take full advantage of the opportunities on offer.


Conducted for BT by Vanson Bourne, the survey also highlighted the benefits of being well-prepared and the consequences of inadequate planning. Two thirds of respondents said their organisations had benefited from the Games. A quarter reported improvements in sales of between ten and 25 per cent during the Games themselves - a further six per cent even more. And while demand obviously fell once the event was over, 29 per cent of those surveyed said their firms were continuing to enjoy higher demand for products and services. Forty three per cent attributed this to an increase in business from overseas.


In all, 61 per cent of respondents reported lasting benefits resulting from investments made in the run up to the Games. Twenty six per cent said their organisations were more efficient, 19 per cent were still benefiting from flexible working arrangements introduced to help staff avoid congestion caused by the influx of visitors while 20 per cent reporting enduring performance improvements resulting from upgrades to networks and IT systems.


Emer Timmons, President BT Global Services UK, said: "This is excellent news, but the results of the survey make it clear that the benefits many firms gained could have been even greater. Thirty eight per cent of those contacted felt their organisations should have equipped themselves better in advance. "The survey's findings have big implications for UK plc as well as for individual firms. The next few years are going to be tough for us all. London 2012 shines out as an opportunity for British businesses to demonstrate the quality of their products and services, show the world what they can do and win the new business UK plc needs. It would be tragic if the opportunity were to be missed." The survey highlighted the particular importance of having sufficient infrastructure in place. Twenty three per cent of organisations experienced shortages of network capacity during Vancouver 2010 as a result of surges in demand from employees and/or customers. Sixteen per cent wished their firms had increased the capacity of their contact centres in the run up to the Games, and 30 per cent said their firms should have done more to improve the flexible working facilities available to staff.


"The lessons from Vancouver are clear," added Timmons. "To gain from the opportunities London 2012 will create, businesses need to prepare well in advance. The benefits will persist long after the Games are over, so executives should take a long-term view of any investments they are asked to make. But time is running out. The longer firms delay before taking steps to get ready for the Games, the greater the chance they'll miss out."

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: Olympic Stadium..Let There Be Light!

http://www.london2012-tours.com/
http://www.london-tours-2012.com/
http://www.london-olympiad.com/

A snow-covered London 2012 Olympic Stadium

As Spyns clients gear up for the London summer games, the United Kingdom is blanketed in snow. Artic winds and subzero temperatures didn't dampen enthusiasm for a lighting ceremony of London 2012's olympic stadium.

London's snow-covered Olympic Stadium sparkled under floodlights for the first time on Monday. Prime Minister David Cameron, accompanied by a choir of local schoolchildren, hit the button for the big switch-on which shone a megawatt of light on to the showpiece venue. It was the first time that all 532 bulbs had been lit together - in a scene that will be repeated during the London 2012 Games.


Mr Cameron joked that the £537 million stadium in Stratford, east London, looked more like a winter Olympic venue with ski-jumper Eddie the Eagle expected at any moment rather than the setting for the London 2012 summer Games. But he told the 400-strong invited crowd, which included 2012 builders at the site: "It is being delivered on time and on budget thanks to British genius and many of the people here."


Introductions were carried out by London Mayor Boris Johnson, who did not seem aware that the lights take up to eight minutes to reach full power. "They are coming, they are coming," Mr Johnson told the crowd before all the lights had phased in. He described it as a "wonderful and historic evening", while also joking that with plans so advanced, including 75% of building work complete, London 2012 might consider holding a snap Olympics now 17 months before the Games "to catch the world napping". There are 14 lighting towers reaching 70 metres (230ft) above the sports area. They are supporting a total of 532 individual lights.


Mr Cameron also spoke of changes to unpopular plans to cut £162 million from school sport. On Monday, the Education Department announced it will fund School Sport Partnerships to the end of the summer term 2011 at a cost of £47 million, ensuring they can run until the end of the academic year.A further £65 million has been earmarked to enable every secondary school to release one PE teacher for a day a week in the school year 2011-12 and in 2012-13. This recognises the considerable impact the current network of School Sport Co-ordinators have had on PE and school sport throughout the country over the past decade.


The Department also announced it will fund the Youth Sport Trust (YST) to expand its Young Ambassadors programme so that every secondary school and some primary schools can create more Young Ambassadors ahead of London 2012. The Government also restated its commitment to a nationwide school sport competition.

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.