Embedded above is a report from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee on preparations for the Olympic and Paralymic Games. Some of the contents were covered (mainly on specialist blogs) when it was published in April, such as the … Continue reading →
While LOCOG argues that sponsors are needed to support the Olympic torch relay, and councils struggle to meet the costs of hosting it, there’s a genuine Olympic spirit quietly at work in a series of grassroots alternatives across the country. From … Continue reading →
Here are the Olympic-related links we’ve been looking at over the last week from June 22nd through June 27th: BBC’s Olympic rights under threat from new TV deal | Sport | The Guardian – total, $3.91bn was raised from TV … Continue reading →
We’ve acquired a copy of guidance given to local authorities hosting the Olympic torch relay (embedded above). As previously reported, local authorities have had to bear heavy costs for hosting the torch relay, with some saying they have had no … Continue reading →
Following a request from the Cumbrian Newspapers Group, we’ve been cleaning and mapping data on torchbearers from Cumbria. One map showing where the torchbearers from the area are concentrated is shown above – click the image to explore the interactive … Continue reading →
French energy company EDF were given 71 places on the Olympic torch relay – including the group’s former director of HR and communications, Yann Laroche. As part of our process of trying to identify how spaces were allocated by sponsors, … Continue reading →
I spent around 20 minutes yesterday talking about Help Me Investigate and its investigation into Olympic torchbearers on BBC Radio WM. The broadcast broke the story of Aggreko’s executive torchbearers, and also covered some of the issues surrounding sponsors’ selection … Continue reading →
UPDATE: Now published on the Caledonian Mercury. Rupert Soames is having a very good year. In addition to netting a £7m bonus this year on top of his £1.39m salary, and seeing the company’s share price shoot up, he will … Continue reading →
One of the more curious inclusions among the Olympic torchbearers are two diplomats with a Korean connection: the former British ambassador to Korea and the Korean ambassador to the UK (pictured above). Martin Uden carried the torch in Knotty Ash. He writes that he … Continue reading →