Tag Archives: torchbearers

Identified: mystery German torchbearers in Bognor and elsewhere

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A couple of newspapers recently reported on the number of Germans carrying the torch as it makes its way through Bognor – but neither identifies why they’re carrying the torch.

We can reveal that a number work for or have connections with Olympic sponsor Samsung.

Dirk Schafer carried the torch in Bognor. His image is the same as that used on a Samsung worker's LinkedIn profile.

Dirk Schafer carried the torch in Bognor. His image is the same as that used on a Samsung worker’s LinkedIn profile.

Dirk Schafer‘s profile on the official torchbearers site does not have any nomination story, but a poorer quality version of the same image is used in a social networking profile for the Sales Manager:

Continue reading →

Is this Olympic torchbearer another Aggreko director?

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Philippe Boisaubert carried the torch in Hull with no nomination story. Could it be the same Philipp Boisaubert listed as Managing Director, Continental Europe? His profile on Viadeo lists his home town as Sucy en Brie – the same as that of the mystery torchbearer.

We previously reported on four out of seven executive board members from the company carrying the torch – as well as the chief executive’s PA.

Mystery torchbearers – the pictures

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Most of the hundreds of torchbearers who have no nomination story have no picture either. But the table below shows those who do.

Can you help identify them? Here’s how: Continue reading →

Useful Olympic links for July 6th through July 9th

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Here are the Olympic-related links we’ve been looking at over the last week from July 6th through July 9th:

  • Fernandes blazes trail with Olympic torch in London– The AirAsia Group CEO said he was overwhelmed by the support of the locals who came in droves to watch him carry the torch along Hartford Road near Huntingdon.“Fantastic experience running. Proud to represent Malaysia. Despite the rain, the English came out in full force. A real experience,” he said in an e-mail statement to The Star.

    The torch run became a reality after Fernandes, who is Caterham F1 team principal, was invited by the racing team’s official partner GE, to take part.

  • Welcome To The Security Games | Games Monitor – Most military and all private security personnel will work inside the ‘ticketed areas’ of the event venues, according to promises made by the London Olympic organisers. Whether this turns out to be true in practice is one of the issues that the community civil rights group Newham Monitoring Project (NMP), with whom I have been an activist with for twenty years, will keep a close watch upon. However, in the streets surrounding the Olympic Park in Stratford and the ExCel Centre in Canning Town, it is the massive policing operation and its impact on local people that is of our greatest concern.
  • Red Mittens & Red Ink: The story of how the 2010 Olympics came and went –
  • Olympic bargains galore as London’s theatres and hotels slash rates –
  • Guelph Olympic Torch Relay videos still off-limits to the public – In response to an appeal of that decision, the Guelph Police Services Board informed the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario that the criminal matter linked to the video evidence was “no longer ongoing” but that release of the material would still adversely impact when and how the police service could use video surveillance as an evidence gathering technique.

Argus investigates Olympic torchbearers in Sussex

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The Argus reports on corporate torchbearers in Sussex

The Argus reports on corporate torchbearers in Sussex

The Argus in Sussex is the latest newspaper to ask questions of the allocation of Olympic torch relay places: “between the charity fundraisers, world record holders and people who have dedicated their lives to helping others,” reports Tim Ridgway and Charlotte Pemberton, “there will be Olympic officials and representatives from multinational corporations who live abroad. This despite organisers promising it would “enable local communities to shine a light on the best their area has to offer”.”

The Argus report comes on the heels of yesterday’s investigation by the Daily Echo in Bournemouth and Help Me Investigate’s work on the subject last month.

Among torchbearers identified by the newspaper are: Continue reading →

Useful Olympic links for July 3rd through July 6th

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Here are the Olympic-related links we’ve been looking at over the last week from July 3rd through July 6th:

  • London 2012: even Beijing didn’t put an army on the gates –
  • Olympic Torch storm: locals shunned in favour of corporate nominees (From Bournemouth Echo) – • Four Olympic staff members – a venue health and safety officer from Epping and three people who work for the Olympic Broadcasting Service.

    • A Basingstoke councillor, who is also a senior manager at Lloyds Banking Group.

    • A Belgian, nominated for having an eco-home and driving an eco-friendly car.

    • A Vodafone account manager, who says on an online profile that he was nominated to carry the Olympic Torch because of his strong sales performance.

    • A man from Ballymena in Newport, who has no nomination story but does appear to have a profile on a website called British Sex Dating.

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    • A Met Police constable.

  • Police told cinema worker dressed as Batman to stop | Stratford Observer – The Stratford Picturehouse staff member dressed as the caped crusader, who like the hero wishes to remain anonymous, was stopped by Community Support Officers (PCSOs) working in the town on Sunday, when the Olympic Torch came to town, because they were concerned he might be part of a protest group. Read more: Police told cinema worker dressed as Batman to stop | Stratford Observer
  • Chelsea School of Sport | University of Brighton – Chelsea School of Sport has an excellent national and international reputation for teaching, research and consultancy in sport-related studies. Courses are taught by leading researchers in their fields as well as coaches and sport scientists who work with top athletes.
  • IASE – Home – Purposes of IASE (extract of the status): ¨ Promote the economics of sport ¨ Encourage academic exchanges among researchers ¨ Offer to members all the necessary means to improve their knowledge and skills in the economics of sport ¨ Supply expert analyses in the field of the economics of sport

Corporate torchbearers in Dorset revealed

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Corporate Olympic torchbearers investigated in Dorset

The Bournemouth Echo has picked up the baton in investigating the Olympic torch relay, and found more unusual choices for the honour of carrying the torch. Among torchbearers in Dorset they identify:

“Four Olympic staff members – a venue health and safety officer from Epping and three people who work for the Olympic Broadcasting Service.

• A Basingstoke councillor, who is also a senior manager at Lloyds Banking Group.

• A Belgian, nominated for having an eco-home and driving an eco-friendly car.

• A Vodafone account manager, who says on an online profile that he was nominated to carry the Olympic Torch because of his strong sales performance.

• A man from Ballymena in Newport, who has no nomination story but does appear to have a profile on a website called British Sex Dating.

• A Met Police constable.” Continue reading →

Get the data: Coca Cola’s US torchbearers for “health, community, environment”

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23 of the places that Coca Cola allocated through public nomination went to these US citizens through the Live Positively campaign. As part of our investigation into how places were allocated, we’ve re-presented the data in a more usable format.

The Live Positively site provides nutritional information on Coca Cola products to medical professionals, including information for patients on low-calorie sweeteners (PDF). Continue reading →

Get the data: Aggreko torchbearers

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Last week we reported on the company where 4 out of 7 executive directors were carrying the Olympic torch.

As part of our process of investigating the allocation of torchbearer places, we’re publishing the data behind that investigation.

This is most likely not an exhaustive list – if you know how many places the company was allocated, please let us know. You can also find a list of employees who have made an impression on the company in their 2011 annual report (PDF), which may contain others.

UPDATE: We have had a tip off that the ‘torch kiss’ between Tom Sreeves and Simon Lyons on Day 26 represented another two Aggreko directors: a Tom Sreeves is also Director of Manufacturing for the company and lives in the same area (his story has since disappeared from the official torchbearer site but is still cached).

If Simon Lyons ever appeared on the official site, it would have been taken off equally quickly, as his name was never caught in any of the sweeps made of the official site by Help Me Investigate. But he is named on the BBC liveblog as receiving the torch from Tom. And he shares his name at least with Aggreko’s Director of Marketing and Communications.

Also appearing without any nomination story is Simon Thompson, who our source suggests is Aggreko’s legal adviser, and certainly the company does have one listed here. Can anyone help confirm or deny?

Previous update: also listed is Philippe Boisaubert, who shares details with the company’s MD for Continental Europe.

Here’s the data:

Samsung torchbearers disappear from London2012 website

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A cache of the original nomination story for Samsung's Sven Eric Durr

Screengrab of the cache of the original nomination story for Samsung’s Sven Eric Durr. The story has since disappeared from the London2012 website

Nine Olympic torchbearers nominated by Samsung have been airbrushed from the London2012 website.

The MD for Samsung Mobile UK and Ireland, the Chief Operations Officer at Samsung Africa, and the President and CEO for Samsung in Southeast Asia, Oceania and Taiwan are among seven individuals who are no longer listed on the site. Continue reading →