Here are the Olympic-related links we’ve been looking at over the last week from July 11th through July 12th:
- Olympian blends of torchbearers – Knit Data –
- London Assembly says Dow sponsorship damages Games– “LOCOG and the IOC must tighten up the regulations around Olympic sponsors to ensure they don’t make the same mistakes again.”The assembly agreed a motion saying the IOC’s decision to select Dow as a worldwide partner had caused “damage to the reputation” of the London Games which start on July 27, and that the IOC should review its current partnership with Dow.
- Coke ‘heroes’ youth in Olympic ad | News | Marketing Week – About a third of the British population will have witnessed the Olympic torch relay and seen the Future Flames by the time of the opening ceremony later this month, Coca-Cola predicts.
- Security scandal at the Olympic stadium | The Sun |Sport|Olympics– But security firm G4S “ghosted” the searches of traffic entering the park in Stratford, East London, for THREE YEARS.Names of dog handlers on days off were allegedly put down on shift rotas so it looked like they were working. But NO searches actually took place.
The alleged deception may have been carried out to avoid a £500 fine imposed by Olympic organisers Locog for every shift G4S could not cover.
The firm — whose Games security contract is worth £284million — is also said to have used dogs trained only to detect drugs because of a lack of animals able to sniff out explosives.
- London Olympics 2012 – The Something Awful Forums– Last week was typical. On Monday, we discovered that sports fans who have been lucky enough to obtain tickets to the Games will pay twice as much for food and drink within the confines of the Stratford park than without. Yesterday, it was revealed that secret CCTV security cameras have been installed on London’s major road to fine drivers who stray into the Olympic lanes £135. But it was Friday’s news that perhaps gave the most striking insight into what these Games are really all about.Visa, a “worldwide Olympic partner”, has instructed the London Games organisers to replace 27 Link cash dispensers at the Games venues with just eight that take only Visa branded cards.
And what has London received in return? The answer is less than you might think: less than 30% of the money Visa has paid to the International Olympic Committee since Beijing will go towards paying for the 2012 Games, 60% will go to other Olympic bodies and at least 10% will flow tax-free into the Swiss coffers of th