Olympic news roundup for September 25

Here are the Olympic-related links we’ve been looking at over the last week from August 25th through September 25th:

  • Olympic Games and Paralympic Games 2012: Security: 24 Sep 2012: Hansard Written Answers and Statements – TheyWorkForYou – To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many phases of negotiations between G4S and the Home Office were necessary in order to determine the final number of security staff needed for the 2012 Olympic Games; on how many occasions the (1) numbers of such staff, and (2) contract price, were adjusted and by what percentage on each occasion; and what were the exact dates on which (a) the necessity for each increase was notified by G4S, and (b) each was agreed by the Home Office.
  • Artist suspects foul play over Olympic ceremony – In its guidance notes on ATTL submissions, ACE reassured applicants that it was “committed to ensuring that artists retain control and ownership of their original work” and AP has clarified with ACE that this includes offering administrative assistance to artists needing to establish their ownership of a concept submitted as part of a funding application. But the biggest hurdle for Sendall is to obtain legal backing to ensure that he has a strong enough case in law to make it possible to pursue his concerns. Sean Egan, Head of Arts and Media at Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP, said: “If it is the case that the creators of the opening ceremony were aware of the image then the similarity is so striking that we would expect Lee to have a good case for copyright infringement.”
  • ACE wipes Yorkshire ATTL questions from the record – Two questions about Arts Council England’s (ACE) grant-making processes were expunged from a blog recording the Live Chat hosted by ACE Chair Dame Liz Forgan yesterday – only to reappear in the transcript of the event some hours later. The only questions to have disappeared from the blog were posed in relation to ongoing efforts by a member of the public, Carol Lee, to shine a light on ACE’s selection processes for the Artists Taking the Lead programme in Yorkshire. An ACE spokesperson told AP: “This was an issue of human error” related to “trialling a new system [which] meant that there were a couple of problems with keeping track of the content and updating the blog”.
  • Where are all the US Paralympic golds?: TBIJ – The paralympic success of Great Britian and former Soviet bloc countries such as the Russian Federation and Ukraine may also point to the value of publicly-funded healthcare systems such as the NHS or higher level government participation in health and sport. In a recent report, PriceWaterhouseCoopers found that ‘sport is one area where state planning and intervention can produce results’. Dick Traum, President of Archilles International, a non-profit organisation working in athletics for people with disabilities, believes that the US Paralympic medal standing reflects a lack of money and a lack of interest in disabled sports within the USA.
  • Manchester MP slams £300k bill for Olympic torch relay | Manchester Evening News – menmedia.co.uk – Bury £31,693.34 Bolton £61,647 Manchester £74,754 Salford £9,169.97 Trafford £1,500 Wigan £58,503.92 Stockport NO RESPONSE Tameside £21,131 Rochdale £29,292.34 Oldham £15,000 London 2012 organisers have been slammed for making cash-strapped town halls pay towards the Olympic torch relay.
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