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	<title>London 2012 latest news</title>
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	<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net</link>
	<description>Independant web site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Includes plans, London2012 news, a blog and information on sports and the 2012 olympic venues.</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 16:30:40 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Channel 4 underlines status as the UK&#8217;s official television broadcaster of the Paralympic Games with BT Paralympic World Cup schedule</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/channel-4-underlines-status-as-the-uks-official-television-broadcaster-of-the-paralympic-games-with-bt-paralympic-world-cup-schedule/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/channel-4-underlines-status-as-the-uks-official-television-broadcaster-of-the-paralympic-games-with-bt-paralympic-world-cup-schedule/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 16:30:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Paralympics news]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/channel-4-underlines-status-as-the-uks-official-television-broadcaster-of-the-paralympic-games-with-bt-paralympic-world-cup-schedule/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Official event broadcaster Channel 4 has announced its online and television schedule for the upcoming BT Paralympic World Cup on 22-26 May, further enhancing its status as the number one Paralympic broadcaster in the UK. Channel 4, who are also official broadcaster for the London 2012 Paralympic Games, will utilise much of their Paralympic Games team at Manchester Regional Arena next week. This will be Channel 4&#8217;s second successive year broadcasting the BT Paralympic World Cup and the event will act as vital preparation ahead of the Paralympic foray in just over 100 days. The final day of the BT Paralympic World Cup, Saturday 26 May, will once again be broadcast live on Channel 4 from 12.00 &#8211; 14.00, with highlights packages concluding all other days of competition. In addition, from Wednesday to Friday, the event will be screened live online from 12.45 &#8211; 17.45, meaning those unable to get tickets to the Manchester Regional Arena, don&#8217;t have to miss any of the action. Saturday&#8217;s live show will be presented by Clare Balding and Paralympic bronze medallist and former wheelchair basketball star, Ade Adepitan, who will both also present Friday&#8217;s online screening. Joining the pair in presenting will be reining triple jump world record holder Jonathan Edwards and acclaimed television host Kelly Cates, who will lead the show on Wednesday. Thursday&#8217;s online transmission will be fronted by Georgie Bingham and Arthur Williams. All highlights packages will be presented by That Paralympic Show host Rick Edwards and Dar?ine Mulvihill, and will be shown on Wednesday at 00.35, Thursday at 00.15, Friday at 01.00 and Saturday at 00.25. Deborah Poulton, Project Leader, Paralympics 2012, Channel 4 &#8220;Channel 4 are delighted to be the host broadcaster of the BT Paralympic World Cup for the 2nd year running." "It is a great opportunity for us to put in place many of our talent who will be working with us at games time and build the stories of the athletes that will compete in the Paralympic Games.&#8221; Deborah Poulton The BT Paralympic World Cup is the largest annual international multi-sport competition in elite disability sport. BT is entering its fourth year as title sponsor, upholding its strong commitment to disability sport in the UK that stretches back over twenty years. Manchester has committed for the eighth consecutive year to hosting elite international athletes competing across Wheelchair Basketball, Athletics and Football 7-a-side. In addition, Boccia will once again be represented, with an international match being staged during the competition. The 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup will once again be broadcast by Channel 4. For more information about Channel 4&#8217;s Paralympic coverage, visit: www.channel4.com/paralympics. The BT Paralympic World Cup is sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) and supported by ParalympicsGB, BT and Manchester City Council. Tickets for the BT Paralympic World Cup are now on sale. For more information visit: www.btparalympicworldcup.com The event schedule will see the Manchester Regional Arena host all events, starting with Athletics on 22 May, followed by Wheelchair Basketball and Football 7-a-side on 23-26 May. The Boccia match will be staged on 24 May. ]]></description>
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		<title>Olympic torch heads to Britain as London 2012 relay gets under way</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/olympic-torch-heads-to-britain-as-london-2012-relay-gets-under-way/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/olympic-torch-heads-to-britain-as-london-2012-relay-gets-under-way/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 16:16:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/olympic-torch-heads-to-britain-as-london-2012-relay-gets-under-way/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ The London 2012 Olympic flame left Athens on Friday afternoon bound for Cornwall, where the torch relay to the Olympic Stadium will get under way. Smoking is permitted on this flight: Met Police inspector Andy Marriner keeps an eye on the passengers in seats 1a and 1b (Picture: AP/LOCOG) Princess Anne, London Games organising chief Lord Coe and David Beckham are three of the dignitaries on board flight BA 2012, a golden plane named Firefly, which will land at RNAS Culdrose, bearing the flame lit in Athens earlier this week. On Saturday morning the torch will be taken by helicopter to Land's End, where it will start its 70-day journey around the whole of the British Isles, being carried by 8,000 torchbearers along the way before its arrival at the Olympic Stadium in east London to light the Olympic flame. Triple Olympic gold medal-winning sailor Ben Ainslie will be the first torchbearer, and the relay will visit England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic. President of the British Olympic Association the Princess Royal said the arrival of the torch in the country would make people realise that the final stretch of the journey towards the Games was under way, and said how she had seen the transforming effect of its arrival at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. 'When the flame arrives and the torch relay starts to get under way, that is a physical moment in terms of the process towards the Games,' she said. 'Certainly in Canada they were amazed by the effect that that had and I think that may well be true for Britain as well.' ]]></description>
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		<title>Third British female boxer secures place in London 2012 team</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/third-british-female-boxer-secures-place-in-london-2012-team/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/third-british-female-boxer-secures-place-in-london-2012-team/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 16:03:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/third-british-female-boxer-secures-place-in-london-2012-team/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Savannah Marshall has become the third British female boxer to quality for London 2012 after reaching the middleweight final at the world championships. Savannah Marshall (right) is the third British female boxer to have qualified for London 2012 (Picture: Getty) The Hartlepool middleweight beat Russia's world number two Nadezda Torlopova 18-10 to book her place in the final and join Nicola Adams and Natasha Jonas in the London 2012 team. Marshall began strongly and never looked back, managing to fight off fatigue towards the end to claim the biggest win of her career so far. 'To know that I had to win my semi-final against the world number two just to secure a place in London was a lot of pressure, but I kept my nerve and I am incredibly relieved to have finally qualified,' she said afterwards. 'It's what I have been working towards for the last three years and to know I have achieved it is amazing. 'Now I can go into Saturday's final feeling incredibly relaxed and knowing I have the opportunity to become world champion.' Flyweight Adams secured her place in a third consecutive world championship final with a resounding 11-6 win over Russia's Elena Savelyeva. In the final she will now face China's world number one Ren Cancan, who beat her in the final two years ago, but whom Adams has since beaten. Lightweight Jonas had to settle for a bronze medal, though, after losing her semi-final 18-10 to another Russian, Sofya Ochigava. ]]></description>
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		<title>Canoe sprint race-off for 2012 spot goes down to final race</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/canoe-sprint-race-off-for-2012-spot-goes-down-to-final-race/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/canoe-sprint-race-off-for-2012-spot-goes-down-to-final-race/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 15:21:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ The race-off between Tim Brabants and Paul Wycherley for a place in the London 2012 canoe sprint team will go down to a third and final race. Paul Wycherley is taking the fight for an Olympic place right down to the wire (Picture: Getty) Reigning Olympic champion Brabants won the first of their best-of-three series at the British national trials last month by 0.03 seconds. But at the World Cup in Poland, he was beaten in the semi-final of the K1 1000m, whereas Wycherley reached the final. The terms of the race-off mean that Wycherley does not need to win the final in Poznan, he has already done enough simply by finishing better than Brabants. The third and deciding race between the pair will be a head-to-head race at the second World Cup of the season, in Germany next weekend. As well as his gold in the 1000m, Brabants won bronze in the 500m four years ago in Beijing, but Wycherley has closed the gap and beat him last summer. ]]></description>
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		<title>Ben Ainslie warms up for torch relay with record sixth world sailing title</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/ben-ainslie-warms-up-for-torch-relay-with-record-sixth-world-sailing-title/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/ben-ainslie-warms-up-for-torch-relay-with-record-sixth-world-sailing-title/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 14:25:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandeville</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/ben-ainslie-warms-up-for-torch-relay-with-record-sixth-world-sailing-title/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Three-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie had the perfect build-up to running with the Olympic torch as he won a record sixth Finn world title on Friday. Ben Ainslie will have more reason to celebrate when he starts the torch relay (Picture: PA Wire) Going into the final medal race in the competition at Falmouth Bay in Cornwall, Ainslie had a 20-point lead, meaning he just needed to start the race to win. But even that formality was made redundant as low winds saw the race abandoned, giving Ainslie his record-breaking title, ahead of team-mate Ed Wright, and become the third consecutive Briton to win the title, after Wright in 2010 and Giles Scott in 2011. 'It has been a great competition and now I am looking forward to the Olympics,' said Ainslie after his win. 'It was a shame today that there wasn't enough wind to race because we have had a fantastic week of racing down in Falmouth.' Ainslie will be the first torchbearer when the Olympic flame arrives in Cornwall from Athens on Friday night, beginning its journey to the London Olympic stadium. ]]></description>
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		<title>Shanaze Reade leads British team as world&#8217;s top BMXers hit Birmingham</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/shanaze-reade-leads-british-team-as-worlds-top-bmxers-hit-birmingham/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/shanaze-reade-leads-british-team-as-worlds-top-bmxers-hit-birmingham/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 13:27:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Gold medal hopeful Shanaze Reade heads up a seven-strong Great Britain Olympic Programme team for next week's world championships in Birmingham. Shanaze Reade will be desperate to avoid a repeat of her Beijing 2008 failure at London 2012 (Picture: PA) The 23-year-old will be seeking a fourth supercross title in six years and is hoping to add to the time-trial world title she won in July. Reade is joined in the women’s event at the NIA by Abbie Taylor, a member of British Cycling’s BMX Academy. Liam Phillips leads a men’s team which also features academy riders Kyle Evans, Grant Hill, Curtis Manaton and Tre Whyte. National BMX coach Grant White said: ‘As this is the final major event before the Olympics, we are hoping for some strong performances from the podium athletes [Reade and Phillips]. ‘For the academy riders, we felt that a home world championships provides a fantastic opportunity for them to gain further experience against a top international field.’ ]]></description>
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		<title>Wilson brings home gold from the 2012 Slovenian Open</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/wilson-brings-home-gold-from-the-2012-slovenian-open/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/wilson-brings-home-gold-from-the-2012-slovenian-open/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 13:03:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ There were more gold medals for Britain&#39;s Table Tennis players as they competed at the Slovenian Open, the penultimate Factor 40 event before the London 2012 Paralympic Games. In the Singles, Ross Wilson won gold in class 8, with 3-2 wins against the European Champion in the semi-final and another higher ranked player in the final. This performance should help to move him into the top four players in the world and represents another major step forward on the road to London. Victoria Bromley won silver in class 11, beating 3 French players, including the World No. 9. Against tough competition, ParalympicsGB athletes secured three 4th places for Rob Davies in class 1, Jane Campbell in class 3 and Scott Robertson in class 5. There were also places in the final 8 places for Paul Davies (class 1), Sara Head (class 3), Sue Gilroy (class 4), David Wetherill (class 6), Will Bayley (class 7), Aaron McKibbin (class 8) and Kim Daybell (Class 10)- with Paul, David and Kim losing to the gold medallists and Aaron to the European Champion. In the Team event, there was gold for Scott Robertson and Jack Hunter Spivey playing with a Norwegian in class 5 and also for David Wetherill playing alongside a Danish athlete in class 6. Silver medals were won by Paul Karabardak and Sue Gilroy, playing with a Spaniard and a Slovak in class 7 and class 4 respectively, as well as by Paul and Rob Davies playing together in class 1. Bronze medals were also won by Kim Daybell and Adam Thompson, who secured his first medal playing alongside a Hungarian and a Frenchman in class 10 and 11 respectively, as well as by Jane Campbell and Sara Head playing together in class 3. In all, 14 out of the 16 players won medals in a highly competitive tournament. The next major competition on the calendar is the Slovakian Open in Bratislava &#8211; the last Factor 40 event before London. ]]></description>
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		<title>Weir confident of GB gongs as Paralympic countdown hits 100 days</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/weir-confident-of-gb-gongs-as-paralympic-countdown-hits-100-days/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/weir-confident-of-gb-gongs-as-paralympic-countdown-hits-100-days/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 12:31:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/weir-confident-of-gb-gongs-as-paralympic-countdown-hits-100-days/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ David Weir believes Britain will enjoy success this summer as the Paralympic Games prepares to reach the 100 days to go landmark on Monday. David Weir is unlikely to be the only gold medallist for Team GB this summer (Picture: PA) Wheelchair racer Weir was the only Briton to top the athletics podium at the 2008 Games in Beijing but, after a successful world championships in New Zealand last year, he is confident that will not be the case in his home city. ‘The worlds proved GB were back on winning form,’ said the 32-year-old. ‘There wasn’t so much pressure on my shoulders. It was nice to see the team winning and winning well.’ Weir, from Wallington in Surrey, won two gold medals in Beijing in the 800m and 1500m. His win in the 800m was particularly dramatic, as Australia's Kurt Fearnley lodged a post-race protest over a lane mix-up which initially saw the result suspended and race ordered to be restaged, before a change of heart. ]]></description>
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		<title>Chicago Bulls &#8216;want GB basketball star Luol Deng to miss London 2012&#8242;</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/chicago-bulls-want-gb-basketball-star-luol-deng-to-miss-london-2012/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/chicago-bulls-want-gb-basketball-star-luol-deng-to-miss-london-2012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 11:56:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/chicago-bulls-want-gb-basketball-star-luol-deng-to-miss-london-2012/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Great Britain's most important basketball player Luol Deng is reportedly coming under pressure from his team the Chicago Bulls to miss the London Olympics. Chicago Bulls' Luol Deng could find himself at the centre of a tug of war over the Olympics (Picture: AP) The Bulls have previously been supportive of his trans-Atlantic trips for international duty but after star player Derrick Rose was ruled out for up to a year because of a knee injury they are worried that playing at the Olympics may aggravate Deng's long-standing wrist problem and require him to have surgery, which would sideline him for much of next season as well. Deng is currently on holiday following the team's surprise elimination from the play-offs but will meet team general manager Gar Forman and coach Tom Thibodeau in Chicago when he returns. ? Losing both Derrick Rose (left) and Luol Deng (right) would be a huge blow for the Chicago Bulls (Picture: Getty Images) 'We're going to sit down with Luol sometime in the next week,' said Forman. 'Obviously, the season ended, and we've had Derrick Rose and his knee surgery. Our biggest concern for Luol - and I know the Bulls' fans concern and Luol's concern - is his health.' With Deng being paid £9m a year by the club, they expect to have the final say in what their players do and do not do, but their claims to be worried about Deng's welfare are contradicted by the fact he had the highest average on-court time of any player in the NBA last season. That meant he could not have surgery on the problem in January, which would have made him fully fit now. Although they would like him to have surgery as soon as possible, following the Bulls' play-off elimination, Deng made it very clear he was now turning his attention to the Olympics. 'The fact that it’s in my hometown that I grew up in a country that gave me opportunity to even be here, I’m looking forward to it,' said the Sudan-born player who moved to Britain as a child. ]]></description>
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		<title>Injured duo included in 2012 Great Britain women&#8217;s hockey squad</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/injured-duo-included-in-2012-great-britain-womens-hockey-squad/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/injured-duo-included-in-2012-great-britain-womens-hockey-squad/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 11:13:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandeville</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/injured-duo-included-in-2012-great-britain-womens-hockey-squad/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Alex Danson and Crista Cullen have been named in the Great Britain Olympic women's hockey squad despite picking up injuries at a recent test event. Alex Danson was injured playing against Argentina earlier this month (Picture: AP) Danson injured her shoulder and Cullen hurt her ankle, and as a result both players will miss the London Cup tournament in June, but they are expected to be fit in time for the Games in July and August. Great Britain are ranked fourth in the world and have high hopes of improving on their sixth-place finish in Beijing four years ago. 'It's a huge, unbelievable honour,' said Danson. 'As a child and as an athlete you dream of going to an Olympic Games but to have the opportunity in your own country is simply incredible.' Crista Cullen is being given a chance to regain fitness before the Games (Picture: Reuters) Head coach Danny Kerry said cutting the long-list of 28 players down to 16 had been incredibly difficult. 'Since we centralised our training programme in late 2009, our process has been continuous, making it our most thorough and exhaustive ever,' he said. "We have chosen what we feel is the best combination of players for the challenges of the Olympic Games. 'Each and every one of the 28 athletes in the training group has committed so much and as a result we have the most powerful squad spirit I have ever known.' Captain Kate Walsh said she felt 'honoured and privileged' to have the chance to represent her country at the highest level on home soil. ]]></description>
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		<title>Commentator Barry Davies &#8216;delighted&#8217; by Olympic torch relay honour</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/commentator-barry-davies-delighted-by-olympic-torch-relay-honour/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/commentator-barry-davies-delighted-by-olympic-torch-relay-honour/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 10:51:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/commentator-barry-davies-delighted-by-olympic-torch-relay-honour/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ BBC commentator Barry Davies says he is 'delighted' to have been chosen as one of the torch bearers on Saturday's opening leg of the Olympic torch relay. Barry Davies will be commentating on his 19th Olympic Games this summer Davies, who will be commentating on this year's London 2012 Games for the BBC, will be attending his 19th summer or winter Games. 'I was invited by the International Olympic Committee to take part in the relay, and I'm really delighted,' he told Metro. 'It’ll be a very special feeling when it comes into the stadium, thinking ‘I carried that’ - I’ll have first hand knowledge of how it feels.' Davies, who lives in Berkshire, will be running in Plymouth on Saturday night. 'When they said Plymouth I thought ‘that’s nice', but couldn’t think why they’d chosen there, then I realised it was the opening day – but as it turns out I’m running about 8pm, which is just when the Champions League final will have started so I don't know if anyone will be watching! 'I’ve managed to do my back in, so I’m struggling a bit - I’ve only got to do it about 300m. My wife said there are bound to be some people who don’t run the whole lot, I said ’but I don’t want one of them to be me!’ Barry Davies' voice is familiar to millions of British sports fans Having travelled all round the world to watch the biggest sporting competition on the planet, Davies says he is particularly looking forward to seeing London host the Games this summer for the first time since 1948. 'I didn’t think there’d be an Olympic Games here on my watch so I’m delighted it’s happening and that I’m involved, not least because in hockey – one of the things I’m covering – both the men and women have a great chance of a medal.' Davies's first Olympic Games were Mexico 1968, which were the scene of John Carlos and Tommie Smith's famous Black Power podium protest. Since then, the Games - and Davies - have seen terrorism at Munich in 1972, political boycotts in 1976, 1980 and 1984, and in 1988 arguably sport's most notorious ever act of cheating, when Ben Johnson was stripped of his 100m gold medal after a positive dope test. But despite all these blows, the Games hare retained their status as the ultimate in sporting competition - and that, says Davies, is what makes the Olympic Games so great. 'They've had all those slips but the important thing is that there have been enough people who still have real belief in the Olympic ideal,' he said. 'Somehow it’s hung on to the importance of athlete v athlete competing in what is supposed to be the keenest of events where the best person wins. 'It’s hard to put into words - I’ve always had great belief in that ideal and that’s what pulled the Olympics Games through.' The rivalry between Steve Ovett (left) and Sebastian Coe (right) at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics was one of the greatest of all time. As the voice of the Games for so many years, Davies has been an eyewitness to many of the greatest events in sport - but his choice of the greatest battle he witnessed is not one of those which would obviously spring to mind. 'The competition I commentated on which I thought was the best was the final of the women's gymnastic competition in Seoul in 1988, between Elena Shushunova from Russia and Daniela Silivas from Romania,' he said. 'It emerged fairly early on that it was going to be between those two. 'They were both within touching distance of the gold medal and it was absolutely riveting the whole way through. 'The close-ups of agony and ecstasy at the end, and tension the whole way through were amazing - I didn’t realise gymnastics could be like that. 'Away from the sports that I covered, the best competition I’ve seen was between Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett over two Olympics, Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984. That was absolutely magnificent.' IN PICTURES: Olympic torch handover in Athens ]]></description>
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		<title>Team GB&#8217;s Tom Daley launches new Olympic inspired diving game app</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/team-gbs-tom-daley-launches-new-olympic-inspired-diving-game-app/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/team-gbs-tom-daley-launches-new-olympic-inspired-diving-game-app/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 10:46:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandeville</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Apple iPod Touch Portable Audio Device]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Tom Daley hopes to make a splash in the app world with the launch of a new diving game. Tom Daley has launched his own diving game app (Picture: Clive Rose/Getty Images) The Olympic athlete worked in partnership with developer Chelsea Apps Factory to create Tom Daley Dive for the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. The game is aimed at the 17-year-old’s fans, diving enthusiasts and mobile gamers. Players are challenged to master the art of diving using timed touchscreen gestures to roll, twist and tuck with top scores displayed on a global leader board. The diver modelled his techniques for the game and gamers can watch a virtual Daley show them how each dive should be done. Daley said: ‘Apps are one of the best things about having a phone, and I jumped at the chance to create my own. ‘There are no good diving games out there and I love how this game has turned out: it looks great and feels very realistic – although I’m a bit nervous my own score won’t make the online leader-board! 'If the game helps raise awareness of diving and gets people excited about the Olympics this year, I’ll be really pleased.’ Tom Daley with fellow team GB members (Pictures: Clive Rose/Getty Images) Mike Anderson, CEO of Chelsea Apps Factory, added: ‘With the Olympics around the corner, interest in the athletes is really starting to build - especially so in Tom’s case because he’s already got so many fans and is tipped to be one of the biggest stars of London 2012. The game is available to download free. ]]></description>
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		<title>Olympic Road Cycling test event to take place on streets of London and Surrey</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/olympic-road-cycling-test-event-to-take-place-on-streets-of-london-and-surrey/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/olympic-road-cycling-test-event-to-take-place-on-streets-of-london-and-surrey/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 07:22:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[London Prepares]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/?p=2825</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Some of the world’s best road cyclists will be competing in the Olympic Road Cycling test event on 14 August 2011. The London-Surrey Cycle Classic will feature a number of the world’s leading riders The London-Surrey Cycle Classic will pass through six London boroughs, four Royal Parks and a looped route around Box Hill in [...]]]></description>
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		<title>David Beckham to Bring the Olympic Flame to the UK</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/david-beckham-to-bring-the-olympic-flame-to-the-uk/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/david-beckham-to-bring-the-olympic-flame-to-the-uk/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 00:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/18/david-beckham-to-bring-the-olympic-flame-to-the-uk/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Global Sports Icon David Beckham Joins Five Young People to Bring the Olympic Flame to the UK Today the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) confirms that London 2012 ambassador David Beckham will attend the Olympic Flame Handover Ceremony in Athens and bring the Flame back to the UK ahead of its 70 day journey, presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung. (PRWEB) May 16, 2012 Today the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) confirms that London 2012 ambassador David Beckham will attend the Olympic Flame Handover Ceremony in Athens and bring the Flame back to the UK ahead of its 70 day journey, presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung. David, who was part of the successful London 2012 bid team in 2005, will be joined by five young people invited to take part by LOCOG and the British Council in recognition of their commitment to sport and their role in promoting the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect within their school or college. The official delegation will be led by British Olympic Association President and LOCOG Board Member HRH The Princess Royal, Chair of LOCOG Sebastian Coe, Minister for Sport and the Olympics Hugh Robertson and Mayor of London Boris Johnson. The young people have been selected from schools and colleges involved in the London 2012 Get Set Education programme and school linking programmes run by the British Council. As well as visiting some of the schools in Athens they are linked with, the young people are set to have a starring role in the Handover Ceremony expected to start at 19:00pm local Greek time (17:00pm BST) on the evening of 17 May at the Panathenaic Stadium. Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: 'We wanted to involve young people from across the UK in bringing home the Olympic Flame. Their stories of personal achievement and contribution to sport echo the 8,000 inspiring Torchbearer stories that will be shared from this weekend and over the next ten weeks in the build up to the start of the Games. Working with one of our most inspiring sportspeople is also fitting for this hugely exciting time for the London 2012 Games.' Representing Scotland is rugby player Dennis Coles, age 17 from Doon Academy, Dalmellington, East Ayrshire; representing Northern Ireland is talented hockey player Chloe Brown, age 18 from South Eastern Regional College, Bangor and representing Wales is Swansea Harriers athlete and Mumbles Rangers FC player Sean White, age 17 from Bishop Vaughan Catholic School in Swansea. Representing Cornwall where the Olympic Flame arrives and starts its 70 day journey is Falmouth Ladies hockey player Georgia Higgs, age 15 from Helston Community College and School Sports Ambassador and athlete Sakinah Muhammad, age 15 from Clapton Girls’ Academy, Hackney represents London where the Olympic Flame will light the cauldron signifying the start of the Olympic Games on the evening of 27 July 2012. Click here for biographies and images of the young people. Images of their time in Athens will also be uploaded to this link over the course of the next couple of days. Paul Docherty, Director UK 2012 at the British Council, said: ‘The British Council is delighted to be part of this historic occasion, enabling young people from across the UK to participate in the Handover ceremony and to meet Greek youngsters from their partner schools. The London 2012 Games offer a great opportunity for people in the UK and around the world to develop a better understanding of each other and build lasting relationships. Our school linking projects help make that happen.' Dennis Coles from Doon Academy, East Ayrshire said: ‘Going to Athens is a fantastic opportunity, and to be part of such an historic ceremony representing my school and country, fills me with pride and excitement. This is the chance of a lifetime and I look forward becoming even more involved in the Get Set London 2012 work in my school when I return.’ Chloe Brown from South Eastern Regional College, Bangor, Northern Ireland, commented: ‘I have been selected for this trip as through my involvement in sport and through my studies, I show the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. Playing hockey has taught me these three important aspects. I am really looking forward to the Olympic Games and the Olympic Flame handover will be an amazing event which I am very honoured to be involved in.’ Sean White from Bishop Vaughan School, Swansea, said: ‘I am really excited about visiting Greece and seeing Athens, the home of the Olympic Games. I am looking forward to the Ceremony and to taking the Flame back to the UK in preparation for the Olympic Games. I am really excited about coming home and sharing my experience, both in school, my running club and in the wider community and hope that this will help people to become even more excited and enthusiastic about the Olympic Games.’ Georgia Higgs, Helston Community College, Cornwall, said: ‘I have always loved participating in numerous sports , so to be given the opportunity to partake in the world’s greatest sporting event is just incredible. I'm so proud to be part of this experience and to bring the Flame back to Britain, as well as my home county of Cornwall, is utterly amazing. I know it will be something I will always remember!’ Sakinah Muhammad, Clapton Girls’ Academy, added: ‘I am thrilled to have the honour of representing my country, London, Hackney, Clapton Girls’ Academy and my family in such a historic event. Being given this opportunity means so much to me as I’ve been looking for a way to get more involved in the 2012 Games.’ The young people will also be on board the BA2012 flight carrying the Olympic Flame from Athens to RNAS Culdrose landing on the evening of Friday 18 May 2012. For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office. Notes to editors About the schools and colleges involved: The schools in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland were invited to get involved because of their work with the Get Set network and also because they have an existing link with a school in Greece through Comenius, the EU-funded programme managed by the British Council in the UK. Helston Community College was invited to get involved due to its proximity to RNAS Culdrose where the Olympic Flame will arrive. As a result of the Athens visit, the college is developing a partnership with 2nd Exemplary Experimental Gymnasium of Athens through the London 2012 School Linking Programme delivered by LOCOG and British Council and supported by the Hellenic Olympic Committee. Georgia will visit her partner school during their visit to Athens and develop ideas for future joint projects between the two schools. Clapton Girls’ Academy in Hackney was chosen as a member of the Get Set network, located in the Borough of Hackney one of the Host Boroughs for the London 2012 Olympic Games, and because it is supporting and learning about the Greek Olympic team in the lead-up to the Games. Earlier in the year, the school was linked with Leontios School in Athens through the London 2012 School Linking Programme, delivered by LOCOG and the British Council and supported by the Hellenic Olympic Committee. During their visit to Athens, Sakinah will visit her partner school and develop ideas for future joint projects between the two schools. About the British Council: The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. We are a Royal Charter charity, established as the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. Our 7000 staff in over 100 countries work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year through English, arts, education and society programmes. We earn over 75% of our annual turnover of nearly £700 million from services which customers pay for, education and development contracts we bid for and from partnerships. A UK Government grant provides the remaining 25%. We match every £1 of core public funding with over £3 earned in pursuit of our charitable purpose. For more information, please visit: http://www.britishcouncil.org. About the Handover Ceremony: Timings local to Greece and subject to change 19:00pm (17:00pm BST) Olympic Anthem; UK and Greece National Anthems; Entry of the High Priestess and Priestesses into the Stadium; Arrival of the last Torchbearers; Lighting of the cauldron; Address by the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Mr Spyros Capralos; Address by Sebastian Coe Chair of LOCOG; Handing over of the Olympic Flame 19:45pm (17:45pm BST) Departure of the LOCOG representatives, carrying the Olympic Flame About the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay: For more information on the London 2012 Torchbearers and the streets through which they will carry the London 2012 Olympic Flame, please go to http://www.london2012.com/olympictorchrelay About the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners: As the longest standing Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola will be using its heritage and experience to spread excitement across the UK ahead of London 2012. Coca-Cola's national nomination campaign - Future Flames – has focused on finding inspirational young people from across the country to have the once in a lifetime opportunity to carry the Olympic Flame. This summer Coca-Cola will celebrate these Future Flames: young people who use their passions in areas like sport and physical activity, music and dance, and community and the environment; to spread happiness in their local communities. As the only National Presenting Partner of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, Lloyds TSB will be taking the inspiration and excitement of the Olympic Flame right to the heart of communities across the UK. As part of Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of Scotland will be the National Presenting Partner in Scotland. We are creating as many opportunities as possible for communities the length and breadth of the UK to get involved as the Flame travels past their front doors. Lloyds TSB’s troupe of performers the Flame Followers will be travelling ahead of the Flame to excite crowds with a unique fusion of street performance, theatre and sport celebrating the endeavour, athleticism, agility and skill of Olympic sporting heroes, Team GB. Lloyds Banking Group is Britain’s biggest corporate investor in UK communities and in 2011 invested £85 million and as part of the Group’s Community Investment Programme, we’ve launched the Lloyds Banking Group Community Fund to give back to the communities in which we operate and pass through on our journey with the Olympic Flame. We’re inviting everyone to visit the Lloyds TSB stand at each Evening Celebration to vote for a community project in their area that inspires and supports young people. By voting at the Evening Celebration members of the public will automatically enter a draw to win four tickets to London 2012. The two projects that receive the most votes at each locality will each win a £5,000 grant from Lloyds Banking Group. At the Lloyds TSB site members of the public will also have the opportunity to have their photo taken with the Olympic Torch, meet Lloyds TSB Local Heroes – the future stars of Team GB and ParalympicsGB – and get up close to our Flame Followers. As a Presenting Partner of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, Samsung aims to encourage everyone to be part of the Olympic Torch Relay to make London 2012 ‘Everyone’s Olympic Games.’ We aspire to offer new and memorable experiences for everyone around the world. Samsung is providing 1,360 Torchbearers, who have “gone the extra mile” by contributing to the local communities, through its worldwide public nomination campaign. Samsung will support towns and cities to celebrate the exciting moment of the Torch Relay and help showcase Great Britain’s cultural landmarks to provide a more enjoyable experience to everyone. The evening celebrations that will be staged in 66 towns and cities throughout the Olympic Flame’s journey across the UK, will allow Samsung to entertain the community they are visiting. The Samsung caravan, complete with LED screen on the side showcasing runners and goodwill messages, will travel with Torchbearers around the UK cheering up everyone to celebrate the Torch Relay with music and interaction with local communities. It is Samsung’s ambition that London 2012 will be an event that reaches and involves more people than on any other Olympic Games occasion. The Supporters of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay are: Worldwide Olympic Partners Procter and Gamble and Visa, Tier One Partners adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT and EDF, Tier Three Providers Aggreko, Holiday Inn and NATURE VALLEY. London 2012 Games partners: The Worldwide Olympic Partners who support the London 2012 Olympic Games and the National Olympic Committees around the world are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos, Dow Chemical Company, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa. LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are now twenty-eight domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, G4S, GSK, Gymnova, Heathrow Airport, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, NATURE VALLEY, Next, Nielsen, Populous, Rapiscan Systems, Rio Tinto, Technogym, Thames Water, Ticketmaster, Trebor and Westfield. There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games-only Partner, Sainsbury’s and one domestic Tier Three Paralympic Games-only Supplier, Otto Bock. The London 2012 Paralympic Games also acknowledges the support of the National Lottery ]]></description>
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		<title>Olympic flame due to arrive in UK, before travelling on 8,000 mile relay</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/olympic-flame-due-to-arrive-in-uk-before-travelling-on-8000-mile-relay/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/olympic-flame-due-to-arrive-in-uk-before-travelling-on-8000-mile-relay/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 21:30:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/olympic-flame-due-to-arrive-in-uk-before-travelling-on-8000-mile-relay/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ The Olympic flame is London bound and should arrive in the country today after it was handed over to a UK delegation in Athens, which included David Beckham and Boris Johnson. The Princess Royal (centre) joins David Beckham, Lord Coe and Hugh Robertsonand others at the official handover of the Olympic flame to London 2012 There will be a special ceremony to welcome the flame and it will then be taken around the country on a 70-day relay involving 8,000 torchbearers. If everything goes to plan the flame will reach the Olympic Stadium in time for the opening ceremony on July 27. Yesterday, umbrellas were at the ready as the Olympic torch was handed over to the organisers of London 2012 in a rainy Athens ceremony. As the clouds gathered over the Greek capital dignitaries watched Spyros Capralos, president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, pass the flame to Princess Anne, head of the British Olympic Association. After a rainbow appeared, the mood in the Panathenaic Stadium – home of the 1896 Games – was further brightened when the announcer twice incorrectly introduced Beckham as ‘Sir David Beckham’. In his speech, London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: ‘The Olympic spirit is about celebrating the best in ourselves and in our communities. We have found the very best torchbearers who, like Olympic athletes, will inspire a generation.’ Metro’s Olympic correspondent Matt Nash (@mattnasholympic) will be on the golden and yellow plane bringing the flame back to Britain on Friday. Pictures : Check out more pictures of the handover here: ]]></description>
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		<title>Our Olympic spirit will inspire a generation, says Lord Coe</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/our-olympic-spirit-will-inspire-a-generation-says-lord-coe/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/our-olympic-spirit-will-inspire-a-generation-says-lord-coe/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 21:30:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandeville</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Umbrellas were at the ready as the Olympic flame was handed over to the organisers of London 2012 in a rainy Athens ceremony on Thursday. The Princess Royal (centre) joins David Beckham, Lord Coe and Hugh Robertsonand others at the official handover of the Olympic flame to London 2012 As the clouds gathered over the Greek capital dignitaries watched Spyros Capralos, president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, pass the flame to Princess Anne, head of the British Olympic Association. After a rainbow appeared, the mood in the Panathenaic Stadium – home of the 1896 Games – was further brightened when the announcer twice incorrectly introduced David Beckham as ‘Sir David Beckham’. In his speech, London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: ‘The Olympic spirit is about celebrating the best in ourselves and in our communities. We have found the very best torchbearers who, like Olympic athletes, will inspire a generation.’ Metro’s Olympic correspondent Matt Nash (@mattnasholympic) will be on the golden and yellow plane bringing the flame back to Britain on Friday. It will be carried by 8,000 torchbearers on a 70-day, 12,800km (8,000-mile) relay to the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony on July 27. ]]></description>
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		<title>Why London 2012 could be the best Paralympic Games yet</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/why-london-2012-could-be-the-best-paralympic-games-yet/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/why-london-2012-could-be-the-best-paralympic-games-yet/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 19:22:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Paralympics news]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/?p=1762</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I think those who have never seen a Paralympic Games before will be surprised and taken aback at the sheer quality of performances from the athletes at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The Paralympic Games are an awe-inspiring and spectacular showcase of sport featuring thousands of athletes from around the world. These Games are the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Diving duo Tonia Couch and Sarah Barrow win historic Euro gold medal</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/diving-duo-tonia-couch-and-sarah-barrow-win-historic-euro-gold-medal/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/diving-duo-tonia-couch-and-sarah-barrow-win-historic-euro-gold-medal/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 16:49:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandeville</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/diving-duo-tonia-couch-and-sarah-barrow-win-historic-euro-gold-medal/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Tonia Couch and Sarah Barrow have ended Great Britain's 74-year wait for a women's gold medal at the European diving championships. Tonia Couch and Sarah Barrow have hit form in perfect time for London 2012 (Picture: Getty) The long-time competition leaders in the 10m platform synchro pairs category lost their advantage to the Ukrainian pair late on but produced a faultless final dive with a back two-and-a-half somersault one-and-a-half twists to win by 8.88 points. That win rounds off a fine 12 months for the duo in the run-up to London 2012, which has seen them finish fourth at last year's world championships and third at the World cup in February, and establishes them as major medal contenders at London 2012. 'We've done a few records now,' said Couch. "It is really exciting. 'We dived really well. It was our personal best, which makes it even better, but even then we think we can go better. 'That wasn't the best we can do and we scored our highest score.' All the pair need to do now is secure their Olympic places at the trials in June - not that they are taking that for granted. 'We hope to be in London, we've been doing well, but we've got trials in two weeks' time so it is not long to wait now,' said Barrow. "We're in good shape physically and the results are showing. It's amazing to break that 74-year record as well.' Before their win, the last British woman to win European gold medal was Betty Slade in 1938. ]]></description>
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		<title>Diving duo Tonia Couch and Sarah Barrow close to historic Euro gold</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/diving-duo-tonia-couch-and-sarah-barrow-close-to-historic-euro-gold/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 15:49:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Tonia Couch and Sarah Barrow are a step closer to a historic win at the European diving championships after qualifying first for the platform synchro final. Tonia Couch (top) and Sarah Barrow have progressed significantly over the last 12 months (Picture: AFP/Getty) Great Britain have waited 74 years for a women's European gold medal but the pair reached the final in style, with a score of 310.20 putting them 16.86 points clear of defending champions Germany. 'At that last world series event we were the best European team, so hopefully we're the ones to beat,' said Couch. 'We've just got to go out and do our best. We're happy. We have a lot more to give so we're just going to save that for the final. It was a nice steady performance from us both.' Couch and Barrow came fourth at last year's world championships and took bronze at February's World Cup, and also finished third at the final world series event in Mexico. The last British European female gold medallist was Betty Slade on the 3 metre springboard in 1938, but Couch and Barrow know their rivals will raise their game on Thursday night, with Germany and Ukraine posing the biggest challenge. 'It's the final that means the most, everyone pretty much just runs through their dives in the prelims,' said Barrow. 'Obviously they're still trying to do their best but there's a lot more to come in the final.' ]]></description>
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		<title>Walter Dix to miss showdown with Dwain Chambers due to tight hamstring</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/walter-dix-to-miss-showdown-with-dwain-chambers-due-to-tight-hamstring/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/walter-dix-to-miss-showdown-with-dwain-chambers-due-to-tight-hamstring/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 14:28:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Double world silver medallist Walter Dix will not race against Dwain Chambers in Manchester on Sunday due to a tight hamstring. He suffered the injury after an extremely quick 20.02 second 200 metres in Doha last Friday, his personal best time. Walter Dix will not meet Dwain Chambers in Manchester at the weekend (Pic: EPA) The US sprinter pulled out of a meeting on Wednesday in Daegu, South Korea as a precaution, but he is not expected to recover in time to take to the track for the 150 metre race at the weekend. Both Dix and Chambers had been scheduled to line up for the clash, but the American is unwilling to risk further injury so close to the Olympics. He revealed he would have competed if the race had been the US Olympic trial, indicating that the injury is not too serious. Chambers and Dix, who finished behind Yohan Blake in the 100 metres and Usain Bolt in the 200 metres at last year's world championships, will be hoping to line up against reigning Olympic champion in London in August. The British sprinter's lifetime Olympics ban for doping offences is expected to be formally removed today, paving the way for him to compete at London 2012. Chambers' first race since being cleared to run in London ended in disappointment last Saturday as he finished sixth in a time of 10.52, behind fellow Brit Tyrone Edgar. ]]></description>
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		<title>Craig Pickering out of London Olympics because of back problem</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/craig-pickering-out-of-london-olympics-because-of-back-problem/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/craig-pickering-out-of-london-olympics-because-of-back-problem/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 11:17:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/craig-pickering-out-of-london-olympics-because-of-back-problem/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Sprinter Craig Pickering has been ruled out of the London 2012 Olympics after undergoing surgery on a long-term back complaint, making it even more likely Dwain Chambers will represent Great Britain at the Games. Craig Pickering is out of the Olympics with a back injury (Picture: Getty) The 25-year-old, who is based out of Loughborough, was considered a promising sprinter when he was younger and was part of Team GB's 4x100 relay team in the 2008 Bejing Olympics. Pickering had been out since January and the operation on his back has now ruled him out for the rest of the season. 'I had to have an operation in March to remove some disc fragments in my back which were pressing on my nerves,' said the former European indoor silver medalist. 'They removed 8cm worth of disc, which is a lot, so because of that I can’t race for the whole year. 'It’s a sickener but I’ve basically known since January that I wasn’t going to make the season, so at least I’ve had time to come to terms with it. Great Britain's Dwain Chambers has a greater chance of making it to London 2012 (Picture: PA) 'It’s not as if it’s happened on the eve of the Olympics, which would be much worse. 'I knew I really needed to have the operation because I was in a lot of pain all the time, so it wasn’t a hard decision to make in terms of my quality of life.' Former drugs cheat Chambers, who tested positive for banned substance THG in 2003, now has more chance of making it to the Olympics and onto the prestigious 4x100m relay team. He will compete in the upcoming Rome Golden Gala on May 31. The final Team GB line-up will be chosen after the meeting. ]]></description>
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		<title>Alistair Brownlee: I&#8217;m back in the Olympic running after bad study break</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/alistair-brownlee-im-back-in-the-olympic-running-after-bad-study-break/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/alistair-brownlee-im-back-in-the-olympic-running-after-bad-study-break/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 08:52:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ambassador]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[another injury]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Austria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[injury]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Switzerland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Triathlon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[untimely injury]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World Series]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[www.bt.com/london2012]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/alistair-brownlee-im-back-in-the-olympic-running-after-bad-study-break/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Writing exclusively for Metro, triathlon world champion Alistair Brownlee reveals he is well on the way to recovery following an untimely injury setback. Alistair Brownlee suffered a tear to his Achilles last month (Pic: Action Images) Since I wrote my last Metro column, things have thankfully picked up on the injury front and the outlook is a lot more positive now. Tearing my Achilles was the worst of the worst. I was in an air boot for three weeks, and it was a long, slow process. All in all, though, my recovery could not really have gone any better. Things happened very slowly, I went cycling a bit, then a bit more, then I was running five minutes at a time and ten minutes at a time. Alistair Brownlee: It was a long, slow recovery I’m now pretty much back to normal training but the key is to get the intensity back and I’m working on that now, although I’m not sure how far off competing I am. I could do a triathlon next week and get round but I’m focusing on getting good training under my belt. After all, I had three months without any normal training. Finding motivation for the gym was hard. Running is what I do every day of my life and, therefore, it was difficult to escape the frustration of not being able to do that. But I feel at least I got the chance to rest up a bit and come back refreshed, which may not be a bad thing in Olympic year. When I’m not exercising I can’t concentrate on coursework either so my dissertation has been a bit neglected! I did try to do a bit of decorating, although I found nothing replaced actually being out there training. One thing that has come out of this is I’ve realised I can shake up my training a bit, take a different approach sometimes. It’s hard because you don’t want to be too cautious when you return and have in your mind that you want to avoid another injury. But obviously I don’t want to do too much either. I’ve already missed the San Diego World Series event, which my brother Jonny won at the weekend, so I am keen to compete in Kitzbuhel, Austria, next month. After that it’s off to the Olympic preparation camp in St Moritz, Switzerland, although I would ideally like to get a couple more races in before the Games. But racing takes away from training time and my mind is beginning to turn towards the ultimate goal of London, where I’m sure I will be back to my best and in great shape. Alistair Brownlee is a BT Ambassador. BT is the official communications services partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. www.bt.com/london2012 ]]></description>
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		<title>GB world championship gold winner Derek Redmond: On the Spot</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/gb-world-championship-gold-winner-derek-redmond-on-the-spot/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/gb-world-championship-gold-winner-derek-redmond-on-the-spot/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 08:04:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandeville</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Athletics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bryn Lennon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cycling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Daley Thompson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Derek Redmond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jim]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Martyn Rooney]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Michael Johnson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PS3]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Swimming]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/gb-world-championship-gold-winner-derek-redmond-on-the-spot/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Derek Redmond was part of the Great Britain 4x400m team that won world championship gold in 1991. Injury famously denied the former British record holder an Olympic medal in Barcelona the following year. Here he talks to Metro about his injury, the London 2012 Olympics and the Games' official video game. Derek Redmond won world championship gold in 1991 (Picture: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images) I suppose you’ll always be remembered for that moment when your dad, Jim, helped you over the line after you were injured in Barcelona. How do you feel now when you look back at that time? Well, it was 20 years ago now. I guess frustration is the overriding emotion. I felt I was in line for a medal, a silver at least with the times I was running. But you have to be philosophical about it. In the end, all I did was pull a muscle in a race. Your dad will be a torch carrier? Yeah that’s right, the old man has been asked to carry the flame. If he breaks down injured, I’ll be there to help him over the line, repay the favour. How do you rate Britain’s current 400metres runners? Any chance of a medal in London? There’s always a chance. Martyn Rooney ran a good time at the weekend – around 44.90 seconds. There’s no dominant figure like Michael Johnson in the 400m at the moment. It’s a wide open field. We’re getting closer and closer to the big event. I take it you’re getting a bit excited? Absolutely. I can’t wait. London is ready. Team GB are ready. Bring it on. It’s going to be great. You’re one of the ambassadors for the official video game of the London Olympics. Is it any good? It’s very good. It’s got all the different sports that will be in the Olympics – athletics, cycling, swimming, they’re all there. What I particularly like is they’ve worked closely with the architects of all the different stadiums that will be used in London, so it really feels like you’re competing where all those superstars will be in a few months time. A bit of an improvement on Daley Thompson’s Track &#038; Field then? Absolutely. Gone are the days of just bashing the buttons and running the 100metres in 4.2sec! You actually have to use similar techniques to the real-life events. In fact, it’s so realistic I even felt my hamstring tighten as I came down the final stretch of the 400metres. Derek Redmond is an ambassador for London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games, for PS3 and Xbox 360. Out on June 29. ]]></description>
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		<title>Local residents and schoolchildren enjoy first ‘picnic in the Olympic Park’</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/17/local-residents-and-schoolchildren-enjoy-first-%e2%80%98picnic-in-the-olympic-park%e2%80%99/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 07:22:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Latest News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/?p=2397</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The rain stayed away today as local residents and schoolchildren came to the Olympic Park to walk in the parklands and enjoy the first ‘picnic in the park’. Local residents and schoolchildren enjoy the Parklands in the Olympic Park Over one hundred local people of all ages joined the picnic and guided tours of the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Will Smith shows off his Olympic skills with Team GB</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/will-smith-shows-off-his-olympic-skills-with-team-gb/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/will-smith-shows-off-his-olympic-skills-with-team-gb/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 19:34:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandeville</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Latest News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[actor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[athlete]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[barack-obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[basketball player]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Cassius Clay]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[gymnastics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[martial-arts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Men in Black]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Olympics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PICTURE]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Will Smith]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[ London 2012 turned a little showbiz as movie legend Will Smith worked up a sweat and waxed lyrical with members of Team GB in the capital. Alias Smith and stone: The Men in Black star said sparring partner Anthony Joshua’s back was rock hard (PICTURE: GRETEL ENSIGNIA) The Hollywood superstar shot hoops with basketball player Drew Sullivan, negotiated hurdles with a little help from Perri Shakes-Drayton, went? toe-to-toe with Anthony Joshua and then rewound to his Fresh Prince days by reinterpreting Yamile Aldama’s triple-jump tutelage into some impromptu body-popping action. ‘Big Willie’, with trademark cheeky-chap charm in full flow throughout, even had some advice for the quartet. However, the American left the partisan crowd in no doubt where his allegiances lie come the Games, saying: ‘I will have an absolute personal affinity with them [the British competitors], and I’ll be rooting really hard for them to come in…second!’ Having portrayed Cassius Clay in ‘Ali’, it was no surprise which activity Smith – in town to promote his latest blockbuster Men in Black III – enjoyed the most. ‘Basketball is fun but I love boxing.When I did ‘Ali’ – as every actor does when they play a boxer – I was like,? “Hey, I can do this professionally”. I really love the art of boxing. ‘I had a little taste of the peak physical condition athletes have to be in during ‘Ali’. I’ve never considered myself an athlete. ‘I was a little bit goofy when I was 14 or 15-years-old. The first time I actually ever saw myself look good athletically was in the first Bad Boys. [Director] Michael Bay shot me running in slow-motion. But I’ve no sporting aspirations – except golf!’ And Smith added of his sparring partner: ‘I put my hand on his [Johsua’s] back and it was like stone! I was like, “I gotta stay friends with this dude!”’ Joshua was equally impressed by the 43-year-old’s footwork. ‘He was getting in his element there,’ said the super-heavyweight. ‘I’m glad he’s not in the Games because he would give me a bit of a challenge. He was dancing man, he’s got the moves.’ Smith hopes to drop by Stratford come August (‘for the 100metres and the boxing’). He believes, though, home ‘advantage’ could be a banana skin for Team GB. ‘What’s difficult at being at home is your cousin Jimmy wants tickets, your aunt Mary, who raised you, wants to bring 30 people from the church. You’ve gotta find a way to separate yourself so you can stay focused on what you’re coming to do.’ PICTURES: Will Smith with Team GB ]]></description>
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		<title>Football 5-a-side</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/football-5-a-side/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/football-5-a-side/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 19:22:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Paralympic Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Athens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FIFA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Football]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[goalkeeper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northern Ireland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parasport]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Scotland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the Paralympic Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Kingdom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[visually impaired goalkeeper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wales]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/?p=891</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The sport of 5-a-side Football is played by visually impaired athletes. Did you know? All outfield players in the five-a-side game are required to wear &#8216;black out&#8217; masks to ensure they compete on an equal basis. The first national Five-a-side Championships took place in Spain in 1986. Key facts Venue: Hockey Centre Dates: Friday 31 [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Jessica Ennis not ready to specialise, says coach Toni Minichiello</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/jessica-ennis-not-ready-to-specialise-says-coach-toni-minichiello/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/jessica-ennis-not-ready-to-specialise-says-coach-toni-minichiello/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 18:40:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Latest News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[athlete]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Austria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[businesswoman]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Jess]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jessica Ennis]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Nataliya Dobrynska]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Tatyana Chernova]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Toni Minichiello]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[ Jessica Ennis will eventually drop the heptathlon in favour of individual events, according to her coach Toni Minichiello. Options: Ennis could focus on hurdles (Picture: REUTERS) The 26-year-old is preparing for her first Olympics, having missed Beijing four years ago with injury, and competes in her first heptathlon of the year in Gotzis, Austria, over the weekend of May 26 and 27. Minichiello believes it would be foolish for his charge to drop multi-eventing at this stage of her career but realises specialising could be the way forward into her 30s. ‘I don’t think she should do one event now,’ he said. ‘She could specialise in the 100metres hurdles or the high jump, but even Jess herself says she doesn’t know how to train for one event. It’s like, “what will I do for the whole day? I’m used to preparing for seven events”.’ Minichiello also revealed how the nature of his relationship with? Britain’s most high-profile female athlete had changed since her emergence onto the world stage. The Sheffield-based coach has trained Ennis since her early teens but admits the situation now is a rather different one to their early days. ‘I was working full-time for the Civil Service when I first coached Jess but took her on full-time when she started to perform at the top level,’ he added. ‘Now she’s a businesswoman – Jessica Ennis is a brand. From coaching and teaching a young girl, I’m now advising/coaching a top star. I have to respect who she is. Thankfully, her sponsors have bought into the whole ethos of Jess.’ After Gotzis, Ennis will begin to focus on the Olympics, where she will aim to improve on her pentathlon silver at March’s world indoor championships in Turkey. It has been suggested she is better placed to go for gold as the underdog behind Olympic champion Nataliya Dobrynska and world champion Tatyana Chernova. Minichiello said: ‘We tweaked a bit [after Istanbul] but not a lot went wrong. ‘Now it’s about making Jess better at? being Jess. More consistent, just stuff she’s done before. It’s like a golf swing – you’re always trying to perfect it.’ Powerade will be hydrating Team GB athletes at London 2012. Powerade is offering a free Olympic Sports Bottle for everyone with any promotional bottle of Powerade ION4 or Zero – visit poweradesportsbottle.com ]]></description>
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		<title>Dai Greene refusing to back down in row with American hurdles rivals</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/dai-greene-refusing-to-back-down-in-row-with-american-hurdles-rivals/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/dai-greene-refusing-to-back-down-in-row-with-american-hurdles-rivals/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 15:38:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Angelo Taylor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[ Dai Greene is showing no sign of backing down in his confrontation with his American 400m hurdles rivals in the run-up to the London 2012 Games. Dai Green (right) hopes to add Olympic gold to his world title this summer (picture: PA) The world champion said it was strange not to see any Americans on the podium at last year's world championships in Daegu but his rivals such as 2005 world 400m hurdles champion Bershawn Jackson and two-time reigning Olympic champion Angelo Taylor have misquoted him, saying he has been disrespectful, and saying that they will show him who is boss in London in the summer. But Greene has hit back, saying: 'The Americans are talking as if I was slagging them off. ‘I stand for high morals in sport. So I can’t be seen to be criticising them for no reason. ‘No, I don’t go out for a drink with them and, yes, I am fiercely competitive. I look forward to racing them and I’ll be aiming to beat them, as I always aim to do, and as I managed at the worlds last year. 'But I acknowledge they have been the outstanding nation in my event for years and I wouldn’t disrespect them. I’m not blase about that.' Greene is famously outspoken, and his comments about Olympic 400m champion LaShawn Merritt, who has served a 21 month doping ban, are particularly blunt, saying he would ‘call him a cheat and tell him he shouldn’t be here’ if they meet in the 4x400m relay.? Dai Green has already made his feelings clear about LaShawn Merritt (Picture: Reuters) ‘They can hate me for that but I am not taking it back,’ he says. ‘Those are the moral standards I believe in. Maybe they thought because I was having a go at Merritt they should stick with him and have a go at me to show solidarity. 'Or maybe they do see me as a threat and that’s why they have said the things they have.? 'It seems as if they have taken the bait dangled in front of their mouths. It hasn’t taken much for them to get their true feelings out.' ]]></description>
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		<title>Seb Coe: BT Paralympic World Cup a &quot;Fantastic Opportunity&quot; for both athletes and spectators alike</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/seb-coe-bt-paralympic-world-cup-a-fantastic-opportunity-for-both-athletes-and-spectators-alike/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 15:32:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Manchester]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Manchester City Council]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[world cup]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/seb-coe-bt-paralympic-world-cup-a-fantastic-opportunity-for-both-athletes-and-spectators-alike/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ London 2012 Organising Committee Chair Seb Coe has expressed his delight at the quality of field at the upcoming BT Paralympic World Cup and says the event at Manchester Regional Arena is a &#8220;fantastic opportunity&#8221; for sports fans to catch a glimpse of the stars of this summer&#8217;s London Paralympic Games. Paralympic stars from around the globe will descend on Manchester on 22-26 May for what is being billed as the strongest ever line-up at the BT Paralympic World Cup, just 100 days before the biggest show on earth descends on UK shores. Athletics, wheelchair basketball, football 7-a-side and boccia are the sports being showcased at the event, with some of the biggest names in the world &#8211; including track star and BT ambassador Oscar Pistorius &#8211; due to compete. In addition to South African Pistorius, spectators will also see the Great Britain team &#8211; including wheelchair racing royalty David Weir and another BT ambassador, Hannah Cockroft &#8211; who will have the hopes of the nation on their shoulders come London a few months later. And Lord Coe believes the BT Paralympic World Cup will showcase Paralympic sport in the best possible way, with competing athletes determined to lay down a marker ahead of the forthcoming Games. The two-time Olympic gold medallist and chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee said: &#8220;The BT Paralympic World Cup has always been a fantastic event, but just seeing who&#8217;s involved this time around, it&#8217;s clear this is going to be one to remember." &#8220;The whole nation is gearing up for one of the most memorable sporting summers in history and this is a fantastic taster for what is sure to be a special time for Paralympic sport in this country." Seb Coe &#8220;For the competing athletes, the event is a fantastic opportunity to test themselves against truly world-class opposition, many of whom they&#8217;ll be competing against for podium places this summer. And for those watching, it&#8217;ll be a fantastic occasion and a chance to see to plenty of stars of the present and future. &#8220;Many present may never have watched Paralympic sport live and I&#39;m sure that all those there, and those who watch by other means, will be in awe with the skill, talent and determination on show.&#8221; The IAAF vice-president continued by saying that he expects some outstanding performances with training programmes and cycles reaching their conclusion. He added: &#8220;With the London Paralympic Games being less than 100 days away, every minute is of paramount importance to the athletes, so I expect there will be some fantastic performances in Manchester.&#8221; Meanwhile, Great Britain&#8217;s boccia international match will now be against the Czech Republic following the withdrawal of the Brazilian pair. Duncan Tunbridge, GB Boccia Operations Manager said: &#8220;As Paralympic Bronze medallists from 2008 the Czech Republic will provide a stern test for the BC4 pair and will provide them with invaluable competitive experience in front of a home crowd ahead of London 2012. Following the success of the other classifications at the Test Event, this is an opportunity for the BC4&#8217;s to demonstrate that they too are firmly on track for success in the summer.&#8221; The BT Paralympic World Cup is the largest annual international multi-sport competition in elite disability sport. BT is entering its fourth year as title sponsor, upholding its strong commitment to disability sport in the UK that stretches back over twenty years. Manchester has committed for the eighth consecutive year to hosting elite international athletes competing across Wheelchair Basketball, Athletics and Football 7-a-side. In addition, Boccia will once again be represented, with an international match being staged during the competition. The 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup will once again be broadcast by Channel 4. For more information about Channel 4&#8217;s Paralympic coverage, visit: www.channel4.com/paralympics. The BT Paralympic World Cup is sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) and supported by ParalympicsGB, BT and Manchester City Council. Tickets for the BT Paralympic World Cup are now on sale. For more information visit: www.btparalympicworldcup.com The event schedule will see the Manchester Regional Arena host all events, starting with Athletics on 22 May, followed by Wheelchair Basketball and Football 7-a-side on 23-26 May. The Boccia match will be staged on 24 May. ]]></description>
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		<title>Olympic flame still burns bright inside Mexico 1968 medallist John Carlos</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/olympic-flame-still-burns-bright-inside-mexico-1968-medallist-john-carlos/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/olympic-flame-still-burns-bright-inside-mexico-1968-medallist-john-carlos/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 13:06:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[America]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mexico]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[olympic games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Salute]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the Mexico Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the Olympics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the Sydney Olympics]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/olympic-flame-still-burns-bright-inside-mexico-1968-medallist-john-carlos/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Olympic boxing may have given the world Muhammad Ali but arguably the most famous fists in Olympic history belong to Tommie Smith and John Carlos. Left to right: Peter Norman, Tommie Smith and John Carlos all had their lives changed by the most famous Olympic protest of all time. Sprinters Smith and Carlos won gold and bronze in the 200m final at the Mexico Games in 1968, but it was what they did on the medal podium, rather than on the track, that ensured their place in Olympic history. As the American national anthem played, the pair bowed their heads and, barefoot and with beads around their necks, held up black-gloved fists, protesting against racism in the United States. To this day, it remains one of the most startling and frequently reproduced images of Olympic history, but in an exclusive interview with Metro as part of his speaking? tour of the United Kingdom to promote his autobiography 'The John Carlos Story', Carlos said it was a fairly spontaneous gesture. 'The plan didn't come about until after the semi-finals,' he said. Still raging against the machine: John Carlos in 2006 (Picture: Lee Cantelon) 'I told Tommie I was disappointed that the [planned] boycott had been called off, and I wanted to make a statement.? 'We came together, looked at the items we had, and decided in the moment just before went out how we were going to use them. 'We knew we were going to do something and that's what we came up with.' The protest was on behalf of the Olympic Project for Human Rights, a group which had initially proposed a boycott of the entire Games, which would have been supported by Dr Martin Luther King. But that idea fizzled out after Dr King's murder, and instead fate handed Carlos a chance to make an even more attention-grabbing statement. Unsurprisingly, the incident - at the first Olympic Games shown around the world in colour - was front page news around the world, and equally unsurprisingly, the athletes soon paid a price as they were thrown out of the athletes' village and the Games. 'We had hundreds of microphones in our faces but all that came out was their story not ours,' he said. 'I expected some sort of honesty in trying to give an explanation to society, but we only had the right-wing media at the time, no-one giving any opposing point of view. 'My medal doesn’t have that much value to me but the important thing is that it got me onto the victory stand to do what we wanted to do.' Aged just 23 and as one of the fastest men in the world, it may appear that Carlos was throwing away his future - but he vigorously denies the suggestion. 'What future? What future did a black man have in America then? We had none - you could count the number of successful black people on one hand.' Smith and Carlos were not the only ones to pay a price for their actions that day. Australian silver medallist Peter Norman wore a badge of support for their protest and was made to suffer when he returned home, being ostracised and even excluded from any role in the Sydney Olympics in 2000. 'Salute', a film made by Norman's nephew Matthew Norman telling the story of what happened to him after the Games, is being released in British cinemas on July 6. Tommie Smith (left) and John Carlos at Peter Norman's funeral in Australia in 2006 When he died in 2006, Smith and Carlos were pall bearers at the funeral, and Carlos seems almost more angry at the way Norman was treated than about what happened to him. 'He had a huge role - he had tremendous conviction for humanity,' said Carlos. 'He didn't raise his fist or disrespect his own or any other country, he went to the Olympics and did his job, to be the best he could be. 'I asked him if he believed in human rights, he said 'of course', so he wore a OPHR button - is that something which means you should ridicule someone or drive them to drink or a nervous breakdown?? 'All he did was stand on the victory stand and have acclaim for humanity.' As with Norman, life after Mexico has not been easy for Carlos, featuring career-ending injury, marital breakdown, the suicide of his wife and financial problems, but he has spent the last 30 years working in education and remains as politically active and motivated as ever - and has never once regretted the actions that he took 42 years ago. 'Most people in sport when they die, three weeks later their stuff is buried and they’re never mentioned,' he said. 'You can ask the average person who won the 100m in Mexico and they won’t be able to tell you, but they know who we are because of what we did. 'I’ve been recognised as a great athlete in terms of being gifted and excelling in my sport but what would I be standing for if I’d not done what I did? 'I’d be a champion but people would say 'he won a medal, he was the fastest – but what did he do with it, did he do anything else?' 'I’ve still got the fire inside, I’m wiser than I was back then, but in terms of my commitment and resolve to make the world a better place, I’m just the same as I was 44 years ago. 'The greatest thing in terms of sorrow and hurt was losing my wife or my kids enduring things at school because of who their dad was, but my wife would have had to die a thousand times and my kids suffer far more [for him to have regrets] because what I did in Mexico was far greater than my life or their life or anyone else’s life. 'The sacrifice my kids had to make in school was necessary because of the attention it brought to the plight of the human race – it was all worth it without a doubt. I wouldn’t take anything back or add nothing to it.' The John Carlos Story is published by Haymarket books, and distributed in the UK by Turnaround. Dates for his British speaking tour can be found at Haymarketbooks.org 'Salute' is released at selected cinemas from July 6 ]]></description>
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		<title>David Beckham and Princess Royal to bring Olympic torch over from Greece</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/david-beckham-and-princess-royal-to-bring-olympic-torch-over-from-greece/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/david-beckham-and-princess-royal-to-bring-olympic-torch-over-from-greece/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 10:10:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ambassador]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chloe Brown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Beckham]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dennis Coles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Georgia Higgs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London Games chief]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Londoner Beckham]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Sakinah Muhammad]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/david-beckham-and-princess-royal-to-bring-olympic-torch-over-from-greece/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ David Beckham, the Princess Royal and five youngsters from across the UK will accept the Olympic torch on behalf of the London 2012 Games on Thursday. David Beckham has been one of the faces of the London 2012 PR campaign East Londoner Beckham, who was part of the successful campaign to win the vote to bring the Games to London, is a 2012 ambassador and will attend the ceremony in Athens with other dignitaries, including former Olympian the Princess Royal, before bringing the flame over to the 2012? Olympic host city. The Princess Royal, who competed at the 1976 Games in the equestrian events, will carry the Olympic flame in a lantern off the plane when it lands on British soil, marking the start of the torch relay. Joining them at the ceremony, and helping bring the torch back, will be 17-year-old Scottish rugby player Dennis Coles, 18-year-old Northern Ireland hockey player Chloe Brown, 17-year-old Welsh athlete Sean White, and 15-year-old hockey player Georgia Higgs - representing Cornwall, where the Olympic torch relay starts - and 15-year-old athlete Sakinah Muhammad, representing East London, where the torch will be lit. 'We wanted to involve young people from across the UK in bringing home the Olympic Flame,' said London Games chief Lord Coe. 'Their stories of personal achievement and contribution to sport echo the 8,000 inspiring Torchbearer stories that will be shared from this weekend and over the next ten weeks in the build up to the start of the Games. 'Working with one of our most inspiring sportspeople is also fitting for this hugely exciting time for the London 2012 Games.' ]]></description>
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		<title>Olympian Sebastian Coe KBE launches limited edition medallion to support Team GB and ParalympicsGB</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/olympian-sebastian-coe-kbe-launches-limited-edition-medallion-to-support-team-gb-and-paralympicsgb/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/olympian-sebastian-coe-kbe-launches-limited-edition-medallion-to-support-team-gb-and-paralympicsgb/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 09:38:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandeville</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/olympian-sebastian-coe-kbe-launches-limited-edition-medallion-to-support-team-gb-and-paralympicsgb/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Olympian Sebastian Coe&#8217;s medallion made by the Royal Mint went on sale today aiming to raise funds in support of British athletes at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond. The medallion, one of 12 released to commemorate some of Britain&#8217;s greatest Olympians and Paralympians, depicts Lord Coe&#8217;s winning moment from Moscow in 1980 when he won gold in the 1,500m, the same Games in which he also claimed silver in the 800m. The collection includes: Sir Steve Redgrave CBE, Dame Kelly Holmes MBE (mil), Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE, Daley Thompson CBE, Denise Lewis OBE, James Cracknell OBE, Sir Chris Hoy MBE, Rebecca Adlington OBE, Ben Ainslie CBE, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE and Lee Pearson CBE. The medallions, which showcase 12 Great British Olympic and Paralympic winning moments from past Games, can be purchased for ?2 each from BP&#8217;s forecourts across the country. Also available from BP forecourts are limited edition medallion collection folders which can be kept as a keepsake for years to come. Sebastian Coe KBE comments: &#8220;Having my very own medallion that reminds me of such a memorable moment of my career is a great honour. It is great to be involved in a project that will help support our athletes competing at the London 2012 Games and beyond. &#8220; Andy Hunt, Chef de Mission Team GB London 2012 commented: &#8220;We are hugely proud of our Olympic and Paralympic heritage and what better way to celebrate our legends than to produce a medallion collection to honour them. We hope that everyone will seize this opportunity to start collecting the medallions and in doing so show their support for British athletes at London 2012 and beyond.&#8221; Craig Hunter, Chef de Mission of ParalympicsGB, says: &#8220;Collecting the medallions is a fantastic way for the public to get behind our athletes and be part of British sporting history this summer. Sales of the Collection will raise valuable funds for Team GB and ParalympicsGB, supporting the athletes competing in London and beyond.&#8221; All profits from the sale of the Our Greatest Team Legends Collection will directly support Team GB and ParalympicsGB to help aspiring athletes deliver their best performance at London 2012 and beyond. A new medallion is released each Wednesday to build the complete Our Greatest Team Legends Collection &#8211; one of only two official pieces of memorabilia created to support Team GB and ParalympicsGB. Every collector can play their part in supporting Our Greatest Team; for children, the collection will provide an education on our greatest Olympic and Paralympic legends and for adults a bit of nostalgia revisiting the great moments in Games history. The next medallion to be released will be Dame Kelly Homes MBE in a week&#8217;s time, on 23rd May 2012 with Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE following on 30th May. For more information about the Our Greatest Team Legends Collection and how you can start collecting the limited edition medallions, visit www.bp.com/medallions. ]]></description>
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		<title>Having a domestic rival is a help, says pole vaulter Kate Dennison</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/having-a-domestic-rival-is-a-help-says-pole-vaulter-kate-dennison/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/having-a-domestic-rival-is-a-help-says-pole-vaulter-kate-dennison/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 07:45:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/having-a-domestic-rival-is-a-help-says-pole-vaulter-kate-dennison/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Kate Dennison claims losing the British pole vault record to 20-year-old Holly Bleasdale has provided all the motivation she needs going into London 2012. Kate Dennison says she is inspired by having a competitor on her own side (Picture: Getty) Dennison broke the national record ten times in 2009, but Bleasdale blew it out of the water with a clearance of 4.70 metres last summer, and extended the mark to 4.87m during this year’s indoor season. Dennison, 28, welcomes the rivalry, saying: ‘I think in the past maybe I have [rested on my laurels]. I jumped 4.60m three years ago and I only jumped 4.61m last year.? Holly Bleasdale is one of the country's hottest young athletics talents (Picture: Getty Images) ‘I need to step it up and hopefully competing with Holly will help me do that. It was very tough last year, but I felt like I had to deal with it [Bleasdale’s emergence] and it’s been dealt with now. It’s time to move on.’ 'The British record's great to have, but at the end of the day I'm still trying to jump personal bests and that's the way I looked at each British record, as a personal best, and hopefully I can still carry on and jump a personal best soon,' added the South African-born Commonwealth Games bronze medallist. Dennison did not complete a full indoor season as she recovered from a stress fracture of the shin, picked up at last year's world championships, but she still managed to clear 4.52m, and is hoping to get up to 4.70m by the summer. ]]></description>
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		<title>London 2012 &#8211; Yamauchi comes home for 2012</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/london-2012-yamauchi-comes-home-for-2012/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 07:22:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Team GB 2012]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/?p=1818</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Britain&#8217;s leading female marathon runner Mara Yamauchi has emigrated back to London ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games to better prepare for the event. The 37-year-old, who married a Japanese man, had been living in Japan since 2006, but she told Eurosport that a number of factors have brought them back to the UK. &#8220;I [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Fathers4Justice leader Matt O’Connor faces Olympics ban</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/fathers4justice-leader-matt-oconnor-faces-olympics-ban/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/fathers4justice-leader-matt-oconnor-faces-olympics-ban/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 07:19:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandeville</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Damien McFadden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fathers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Glenn Copus]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Labour]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leader]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt O'Connor]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Teresa Haynes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the Olympics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/fathers4justice-leader-matt-oconnor-faces-olympics-ban/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Fathers4Justice leader Matt O'Connor yesterday claimed police were trying to impose ‘Chinese-style’ restrictions to ban him from the Olympics. Fathers4justice founder Matt O'Connor says there is 'no way' he will allow himself to be banned from the Olympics (Picture: Damien McFadden) Matt O’Connor, who has tickets for one event, was told police were trying to ban him from entering the Games and going within 100m of any venue or the torch relay. Mr O’Connor, who lives 15m from the flame’s route in Andover, Hampshire, said: ‘There is absolutely no way on God’s earth I’m going to be restricted from attending.’ The restrictions are expected to be confirmed in Westminster magistrates’ court on Monday. Fathers4Justice campaigns to 'ensure fathers play a fundamental role in the parenting of their children after parents separate' and is known for scaling buildings dressed as superheroes as a means of protest. Member of Fathers for Justice stage a rooftop demonstration at the home of Dep. Labour leader, Harriet Harman (Picture: Glenn Copus) Their demonstrations have not always been successful. In 2010 Teresa Haynes dressed as Wonder Woman as part of a Fathers4Justice courtroom protest on behalf of a relative. But her attempts at getting attention failed, as she was ignored by police after staff simply used an alternative entrance to get into Oxford Crown Court for the hearing. The most fuss that she managed to cause was prompting the court staff to confiscate her loudhailer. ]]></description>
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		<title>Margaret Thatcher was &#8216;warned off&#8217; London Olympic bid in 1988</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/margaret-thatcher-was-warned-off-london-olympic-bid-in-1988/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 06:54:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandeville</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/margaret-thatcher-was-warned-off-london-olympic-bid-in-1988/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ The Olympics could have come to London at least two decades earlier but ministers feared Britain could not afford it, newly published documents reveal. Margaret Thatcher was advised that London hosting the Olympics would not make financial sense Plans to stage the 1988 Games around the London Docklands were considered but ruled out by Margaret Thatcher on Michael Heseltine’s advice. Poster for film 'The Long Good Friday' (1980) starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren The then environment minister warned the prime minister the bid would make ‘no sense’ economically. His letter of objection is in the National Archives online collection of documents covering every Olympics since 1896. Strangely enough, the idea of the Olympic Games taking place in the redeveloped East End of London was around even earlier than that, in fictional form. The 1980 John Mackenzie film The Long Good Friday, starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren, is a thriller based around a gangster's plot to build the Olympic Stadium to the then-derelict London docklands. It was voted number 21 in the British Film Institute's 100 greatest British films of the 20th century. ]]></description>
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		<title>London Olympics Highlights of the Week</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/london-olympics-highlights-of-the-week/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/london-olympics-highlights-of-the-week/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 00:03:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Abdelaziz Bouteflika]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Adam Gibson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alejandro Giamattei]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fernando Beltranena]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jacques Rogge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Julio Cesar Maglione]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kynan Maley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paolo Barelli]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Philip Craven]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sarah Tait]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/16/london-olympics-highlights-of-the-week/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ IOC Announces Olympic Highlights of the Week On 7 May at the Kremlin, in Moscow (Russian Federation), IOC President Jacques Rogge attended the investiture ceremony of Vladimir Putin as President of the Russian Federation. The President was accompanied by IOC members Jean-Claude Killy, Chairman of the Coordination Commission for the Sochi Games, and René Fasel, a member of the same Commission. (PRWEB) May 15, 2012 IOC ACTIVITIES PRESIDENT On 7 May at the Kremlin, in Moscow (Russian Federation), IOC President Jacques Rogge attended the investiture ceremony of Vladimir Putin as President of the Russian Federation. The President was accompanied by IOC members Jean-Claude Killy, Chairman of the Coordination Commission for the Sochi Games, and René Fasel, a member of the same Commission. Back in Lausanne, President Rogge met the following people this week: Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, President of the NOC of Senegal, and IOC members Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah and Ung Chang. On 10 May, President Rogge attended the Olympic flame-lighting ceremony for the Games in London, in front of the Temple of Hera at Olympia (Greece). Also present at this ceremony were IOC members Lambis V. Nikolaou, Denis Oswald, Craig Reedie, Alex Gilady, Gunilla Lindberg, Carlos Arthur Nuzman and José Perurena; IOC honorary member King Constantine; the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Spyros Capralos; and the Chairman of the Organising Committee for the 2012 Games, Sebastian Coe. MEMBERS Joseph S. Blatter has been awarded with the Republic of Algeria’s National Order of Merit, which was presented to him by the Minister of Youth and Sport, Hachemi Djiar, on behalf of the President of the Republic, Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Philip Craven received the “Lifetime Achievement” award at the 2012 Sport Industry Awards held in London (Great Britain). This prize was presented to him in recognition of his important contribution and commitment to British sport. COMMISSIONS On 7 May in Vidy, the International Relations Commission held a meeting. The International Olympic Truce Foundation also held its annual meeting. The following day, President Rogge greeted the members of the Sport and Environment Commission. MISCELLANEOUS On 8 May, IOC and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) signed an extension to their agreement, under the terms of which the IOC will continue to provide support to the IPC and the Paralympic Games through to 2020. The present agreement, which is in force until 2016, has thus been extended to cover the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang and the 2020 Games of the Olympiad. This summer, a special philately exhibition presented by the IOC at the British Library will give life to the history and symbolism of the Olympic Games and to personal anecdotes concerning the Games. “Olympex 2012: Olympic Collections” is an exhibition which will include stamps, postcards, letters, programmes and plans, shining a unique spotlight on past and present Olympic Games. INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS SUMMER IFS In a recent press release, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced that 478 athletes representing 64 IAAF member federations – a record – will participate, on 12 and 13 May 2012, in the World Race Walking Cup in Saransk (Russian Federation). At its meeting last weekend in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Central Board took several decisions. It this awarded the organisation of the 2013 edition of the Men’s Under-19s World Championships to the Czech Republic (27 June-7 July), while the women’s 2013 edition will take place in Lithuania (19-28 July). The last Olympic qualification boxing tournament for the 2012 Games started on 5 May in Rio de Janeiro. A total of 177 of the best boxers from 33 countries on the American continent are competing until 12 May to obtain a place among the 38 remaining for participation in the Games in London. This tournament will take place in Maracanazinho, which will host boxing at the Games in 2016. The official draw for the men’s and women’s Olympic water polo teams has taken place at the London Aquatic Centre. This draw was conducted by, among others, the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) Executive Bureau: President Julio César Maglione, Honorary Secretary Paolo Barelli, Honorary Treasurer Pipat Paniangvait and Executive Director Cornel Marculescu. The 2nd FINA World Aquatics Convention will be held in Moscow from 29 October to 1 November 2012. Its theme will be “Aquatics for all: Developing and Performing for Excellence”. The 52nd Modern Pentathlon World Championships, which will be held from 7 to 13 May in Rome (Italy), will also be a qualification event for the Games in London. More than 200 pentathletes will participate. The top three athletes who have not already qualified will all obtain direct qualification for London. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has launched a Spanish version of its website dedicated to the Olympic tennis tournament, which will be held at the Wimbledon All England Club from 28 July to 5 August 2012. See http://www.itftennis.com/olimpiadas . This website will be supported by Spanish social media initiatives on Twitter (@tenisolimpico) and Facebook (tenisolimpicoitf). NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES In the framework of the upcoming Games in London, the Albanian NOC organised, in April, various activities on the theme of “Sport and the Olympic values” in two towns in the north of the country, Kukes and Peshkopi. A great number of people from both towns got involved, in collaboration with the regional Olympic Committees. Some 700 children from six schools in Kukes took part, while in Peshkopi the main activity took place in the Palace of Sport, where 2,000 spectators watched almost 500 children perform. The Australian Olympic team’s uniform for the Opening Ceremony has recently been revealed. Seven top athletes took to the catwalk during Sydney Fashion Week. This is the first time in Australia’s Olympic history that this uniform has been revealed before the Games by the Australian NOC. The models-for-a-day were: Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Libby Trickett, basketball players Adam Gibson and Lauren Jackson, rower Sarah Tait and kayakers Naomi Flood, Murray Stewart and Kynan Maley. The NOC of Cameroon has launched an Advanced Sports Management Course (ASMC) for heads of national sports federations and administration managers of sports associations and clubs. Running for six months (May to September 2012), this course will start on 15 May at the NOC headquarters. We have just learnt that, on 25 April, the NOC of Guatemala celebrated its 65th anniversary. This ceremony was presided over by the NOC Executive Board and NOC President Sergio Arnoldo Camargo Muralles, in the presence of the members of the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organisation (CACSO) Board. Numerous awards were presented on this occasion: to NOC staff members, coaches and former presidents of sports associations and federations. As for the NOC’s Olympic Order, it was awarded to two former NOC Presidents, Fernando Beltranena and Alejandro Giamattei. ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES LONDON 2012 On 5 May, the London Olympic Stadium was officially inaugurated. Nine-year-old Niamh Clarke-Willis, from Hackney in east London, was lucky enough to be chosen to declare open the newly built venue, alongside the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) Chairman, Sebastian Coe. Clarke-Willis and Coe pushed the button that released balloons into the sky in front of the 40,000 spectators attending this opening, which consisted of laser shows and performances by former Spice Girl Mel C, rapper Chipmunk and comedian Jack Whitehall. OLYMPIC MUSEUM The Olympic Museum has become the first Swiss partner of the Google Art Project and is exhibiting over 100 of its items on the http://www.googleartproject.com website. It is thus offering to art enthusiasts and Olympic Games fans from throughout the world a virtual visit retracing more than a century of the history of the modern Games. For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team. ]]></description>
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		<title>Photos of the week: Paralympic Games in the spotlight</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/photos-of-the-week-paralympic-games-in-the-spotlight/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/photos-of-the-week-paralympic-games-in-the-spotlight/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 19:22:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photos of the week]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/?p=3377</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Find out what has been going on at London 2012 this week&#8230; The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) announced an exciting new concept for the Paralympic Torch Relay to lead the UK into the start of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The Paralympic Torch Relay programme will include four separate ceremonies in each nation of [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Auntie knows best: Beeb team&#8217;s pick of the London 2012 Olympic Games</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/auntie-knows-best-beeb-teams-pick-of-the-london-2012-olympic-games/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 19:19:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Latest News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accessories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andy Murray]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Athletics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cycling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[festival]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[HAZEL IRVINE]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[martial-arts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matthew Nash]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nataliya Dobrynska]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Olympics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ryan Lochte]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Swimming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tennis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[weather]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[ As the BBC launches its ‘Digital Olympics’, with up to 24 live streams in high definition and 2,500 hours of coverage via the BBC Sport website, Metro’s Olympics correspondent Matthew Nash spoke to members of the presenting team about the sporting events they are looking forward to seeing in London. Denise Lewis is looking forward to seeing Jessica Ennis compete (Picture: Getty) DENISE LEWIS , former Olympic heptathlon champion and athletics commentator ‘The heptathlon should be very interesting. If Jessica Ennis can use the energy from the 80,000 crowd in the Olympic Stadium, she has a great shot at gold. Nataliya Dobrynska, the world indoor champion, can be unpredictable and Jess’ other main rival, Tatyana Chernova, is great and improving all the time. The pressure is enormous but Jess knows that. I think she thrives on it.’ JAKE HUMPHREY ‘I’m lucky I get to cover the cycling, which is great because I get to work with Chris Boardman, who was a hero of mine when he won gold in 1992. I was a club cyclist – a very bad club cyclist. The cycling will be excellent but we have less medal prospects because new rules have been brought in to stop countries like us from dominating. For example, only Chris Hoy or Jason Kenny can be selected for one event now.’ SUE BARKER ‘It would be fantastic if Andy Murray could make it to the tennis final at Wimbledon. There will be an unbelievable atmosphere every day at the tournament as the tickets have all gone to sports fans. It’ll have a different feel to Wimbledon itself a few weeks earlier, and Andy would be so proud to win a medal.’ BILL TURNBULL ‘I discovered weightlifting while staying up late to watch some of the Beijing Olympics. Because of the different platforms now, you can learn so much about a sport like that – something you knew nothing about before – and really get into it. There are so many sports you can find yourself? getting into.’ HAZEL IRVINE ‘I’m tipping Ryan Lochte to? possibly eclipse Michael Phelps in the swimming, he’s unbelievable right now. There’s also a young American swimmer called Missy Franklin who is certainly one to watch out for in the pool. I’d take a Murray-Federer final in the tennis, too.’ CHRIS HOLLINS ‘There’s something nice about seeing athletes you’ve met and spoken to in the past, like a Phillips Idowu or a Beth Tweddle, have their big moment with the world watching on. You’ve watched their journey and you hope they see it through and go on to achieve success.’ ]]></description>
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		<title>BPA selected 11 Wheelchair Rugby players to compete in &#8216;Murderball&#8217; for ParalympicsGB at London 2012</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/bpa-selected-11-wheelchair-rugby-players-to-compete-in-murderball-for-paralympicsgb-at-london-2012/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 16:43:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandeville</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Britain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bulbul Hussain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Connor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Anthony]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jonny Coggan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kylie Grimes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mandip Sehmi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Myles Pearson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/bpa-selected-11-wheelchair-rugby-players-to-compete-in-murderball-for-paralympicsgb-at-london-2012/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ The British Paralympic Association today announced the 11 players who have been selected to compete for ParalympicsGB in Wheelchair Rugby, a Paralympic-specific sport known originally as &#8216;Murderball&#8217; because it is an aggressive, full-contact sport. Out to avenge two successive fourth-place finishes at the last two Paralympic Games will be Andy Barrow, Ross Morrison and Jonny Coggan, all of whom competed at both the Athens and the Beijing Games. The team also includes a further two players, Mandip Sehmi and Bulbul Hussain, who featured in the team that missed out on a medal in Beijing. As part of the plan to ensure the team are in the mix for medals this time around, GB Wheelchair Rugby have recruited and developed new talent, which has resulted in six athletes making their Paralympic debut for London: team captain Steve Brown, Myles Pearson, David Anthony, Mike Kerr, Aaron Phipps and Kylie Grimes. The development process has included sending five players on a 10-week intensive training camp in the USA where the players were put through their paces, training with some of the best international athletes in the world. Four of those players have been selected: Anthony; Brown; Pearson and Phipps. &#8220;We are definitely looking for a medal out of this Paralympic Games&#8221;, said GBWR Chief Executive David Pond. &#8220;The team has finished agonisingly close at the last two Games, despite securing strong results including three successive European golds in 2003, 2005 and 2007. So after Beijing we took some of our best young and promising talent out to the 2009 European Championships where we finished fourth and the 2010 World Championships where we finished fifth. We also put five of the most promising athletes through an intensive training camp where they competed against some of the best American players, which we knew would make our players tougher, faster and fitter. &#8220;These players prove more exciting each day and they now have the experience they need to compete at the highest level at the Paralympic Games." David Pond "We demonstrated this at the 2011 European Championships where we won silver. We are now in a position where we are confident that the team we have nominated to the BPA is one that can win a medal this time around.&#8221; The selection of Aaron Phipps &#8211; a player classified as a &#8216;high-pointer&#8217; - is a particular strength this time around, as it will be the first time ever Britain has fielded a high-pointer at Paralympic level. &#8220;The selection of Aaron is important to us and a very definite part of our strategy&#8221;, commented Tom O&#8217;Connor, Head Coach for the team. &#8220;All of the top nations have high-point players and indeed Australia&#8217;s high-pointer Ryley Batt is considered one of the best players in the world. "Having Aaron on the team means that we have the potential to take on players like Ryley and that can make the crucial difference between winning and losing a game.&#8221; David Pond Wheelchair Rugby is a mixed team sport, and Kylie Grimes becomes only the second female athlete ever to be selected to the ParalympicsGB wheelchair rugby team, following Josie Pearson who competed in Beijing. ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Craig Hunter congratulated the players today, saying: &#8220;I&#8217;d like to welcome these 11 athletes to ParalympicsGB. These players have worked incredibly hard and shown huge dedication in order to reach this point and I am delighted that we can now announce their selection." Craig Hunter &#8220;Wheelchair Rugby is a tough, fast game played with no fear and plenty of clashes and it&#8217;s certainly not for the faint-hearted! It&#8217;s undoubtedly one of the sports that the British public has taken to and tickets to see the sport at London 2012 are already sold out, which is fantastic. I look forward to seeing the team compete for a place on the podium in just over 100 days&#8217; time &#8221; The selected players include Steve Brown and Mandip Sehmi who featured in the Channel 4 programme Inside Incredible Athletes, while Mandip, David Anthony and Myles Pearson, all featured in Channel 4&#8217;s programme Best of British. Today&#8217;s announcement brings the current number of athletes selected to ParalympicsGB to 119, with a total team size of 121. ]]></description>
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		<title>British female boxers move step closer to London with wins in China</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/british-female-boxers-move-step-closer-to-london-with-wins-in-china/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/british-female-boxers-move-step-closer-to-london-with-wins-in-china/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 15:43:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boxing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ingrid Egner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nicola Adams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Norway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sandra Brugger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Switzerland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[venezuela]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[ The British female boxing trio of Nicola Adams, Natasha Jonas and Savannah Marshall are close to qualifying for the Olympics after winning their fights in the World Championships in China and securing places in the quarter-finals of the competition. Team GB's Savannah Marshall (blue) celebrates her win over Claressa Shields of the United States (Picture: Getty) Flyweight Adams won her contest against Venezuela's Karlha Magliocco 20-7, lightweight Jonas bested her opponent India's Laishram Devi, winning 25-22 and middleweight Marshall completed the British victory with a 13-2 win over Norway's Lotte Lien. 'It was tough. Everybody wants to win and qualify,' said Adams, who along with Marshall, should qualify if they win their quarter-final matches against India's Mary Kom and China's Jinzi Li, respectively. Switzerland's Sandra Brugger (red) fights against Natasha Jonas (Picture: Getty) Talking about her upcoming fight, Adams added: 'I'm the underdog so I've got nothing to lose. 'I've got the tools to do it (win) and I'll give it everything.' Jonas will take on Norway's Ingrid Egner and should she and the other British girls win they may qualify depending on how many European fighters go through to the semi-finals. At the moment only the highest finishing three Europeans in each weight class qualify for the Olympic Games in London. ]]></description>
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		<title>Australian to wear &#8216;mankini&#8217; at Olympics opening after losing bet</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/australian-to-wear-mankini-at-olympics-opening-after-losing-bet/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 14:41:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Latest News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accessories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[australian]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Australian Olympic shooter Russell Mark faces the prospect of being humiliated in front of over a billion people at the London Olympics 2012 opening ceremony? after he agreed to wear a Borat style 'mankini' following a lost bet. Russell Mark will don a Borat style 'mankini' similar to the one this man is wearing (Picture: AFP/Getty) Mark agreed to don the skimpy outfit as a forfeit should Melbourne-based Carlton lose to St. Kilda in the Australian Football League. It was a long shot but unfortunately for the Olympic gold medallist,? Carlton suffered a shock four-goal defeat and condemned Mark to eternal embarrassment (should he actually be allowed by officials to go ahead with it). 'Oh, I must've been intoxicated. Carlton promise so much and just deliver so little. It kills me,' the 48-year-old told a local radio station. Exposed: Russell Mark (Picture: Reuters) 'Anyway, a lot of people would think a mankini might look better than the uniform they've nominated for us, so I don't know if it's such a bad thing.' The revealing swimsuit was made famous by British comedy star Sacha Baron Cohen, who wore it in the 2006 hit film Borat. The not so flattering outfit would provide a striking image at the Olympics, especially if set against the green blazers and white slacks his Australian teammates will be wearing. An Australian Olympic Committee spokesman wasn't enthusiastic about the idea of Mark wearing a mankini. 'Age is the problem here. Russell is no spring chicken, his days of being a model are long gone, and we don't think it would be a good look for the team to have Russell in a mankini,' the spokesman told local media. 'Besides, this will be his sixth Olympics and he is a chance to be named as flag bearer. Imagine the flag bearer out in front of our team in a mankini. And a big, butch shooter at that. 'As we all know the London weather is fickle and we would not want him to catch cold.' ]]></description>
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		<title>Civil servants in London &#8216;can work from home&#8217; during 2012 Olympics</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/civil-servants-in-london-can-work-from-home-during-2012-olympics/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/civil-servants-in-london-can-work-from-home-during-2012-olympics/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 12:28:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandeville</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2012 Olympics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Services Association]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[government spokesman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[olympic games]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[spokesman]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Thousands of London civil servants will be allowed to stay at home to work in order to deal with increased congestion during the London 2012 Olympics, the government has announced. Thousands of London civil servants may work from home during Olympics (Picture: PA) The government employees are being encouraged to change their work and travel patterns during the summer event in order to ease the strain. Working from home is just one of the measures being suggested to lessen the burden on the London transport network, which is expected to have to deal with one million extra journeys. A government spokesman denied staff were being forced to work from home and said this was just one of a number of options available. He said: 'We are encouraging staff to plan ahead and consider different work and travel patterns just as other London business and organisations intend to work differently during the Games. 'This might include walking or cycling, changing their route of travel to and from work or re-timing their working day to avoid the busiest periods. 'We need to do this because during the Games we are expecting London's transport networks to be much busier than usual. 'Working from home is one option, but only one option. Staff will be expected to work just as hard and for the same amount of hours as if they were in the office. A spokesman for the Public and Commercial Services union added: 'It's a flexible working arrangement for civil servants that, as far as we can see, is a sensible measure." The plan has been received negatively by some business groups who feel seven weeks is too long to have government workers operating on a disrupted work pattern. A spokesman for the Business Services Association said: 'We would encourage ministers and Whitehall to apply themselves as energetically as the private sector is to driving the economy forward, Olympic Games or no Olympic Games.' ]]></description>
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		<title>London 2012 Olympic hopeful Ben Ainslie leading at Finn Gold Cup</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/london-2012-olympic-hopeful-ben-ainslie-leading-at-finn-gold-cup/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/london-2012-olympic-hopeful-ben-ainslie-leading-at-finn-gold-cup/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 11:38:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Latest News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ainslie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[down-the-right]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[during-the-finn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[finn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[morgan-asset]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Olympic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[olympic-torch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Olympics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[race]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[went-the-wrong]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/london-2012-olympic-hopeful-ben-ainslie-leading-at-finn-gold-cup/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Ben Ainslie was at the top of the rankings after winning the first race on day two at the J.P Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth. Ben Ainslie won the first race of day two (Picture: PA) British sailors lead the way at the Cornwall event with Ainslie in first place, Ed Wright in second and Andrew Mills making up the top three. 'It was really tough out there,' Ainslie said on completion of the race. 'It was quite windy, a lot of rain and low visibility so it was a difficult day for everyone and a real challenge. 'In the first race a front came through with quite a big wind shift to the right hand side, and made it a little bit difficult, but that's part of the challenge of sailing in these conditions. Ben Ainslie (right) competes during the Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth (Picture: PA) 'In the second race I went the wrong way, there was a big clump down the right hand side and also the wind shifted a little bit to the right. 'It was a difficult run but I managed to contain the loss and then catch up with the rest of the race so I overall I'm happy with my day. 'It was great racing out there despite difficult conditions.' The event finishes on Saturday, at which time the competitors will take part in the Olympic Torch relay, which is due to pass through Cornwall. ]]></description>
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		<title>Injury forces Nick Leavey to admit London 2012 Olympics 4x400m defeat</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/injury-forces-nick-leavey-to-admit-london-2012-olympics-4x400m-defeat/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/injury-forces-nick-leavey-to-admit-london-2012-olympics-4x400m-defeat/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 11:25:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2012 Olympics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BBC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BBC Radio Kent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Canterbury]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Great Britain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[injury]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nick Leavey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[runner]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/injury-forces-nick-leavey-to-admit-london-2012-olympics-4x400m-defeat/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Nick Leavey has conceded his hopes of securing a place in the London 2012 Olympic 4x400m relay team, following a hamstring injury. Nick Leavey is out of the London 2012 Olympics (Picture: Getty) The Canterbury runner finally succumbed to hamstring problems that have been troubling him for a while. 'Realistically, I will not be ready to race at the trials or even race this season,' he told BBC Radio Kent. 'It's been a pretty difficult year. Knowing I definitely won't be going is heart-breaking, to be honest.' Following last year's impressive silver medal with the Great Britain 4x400 team at the European Indoor Championships in Paris, Leavey believed he was fast enough to make it into the London 2012 team. He added: 'Based on the last couple of years, if you run a mid-to-high 45 second time - a 45.6 or a 45.8 - I think that would get you in the team. 'It's a lot quicker than I had run but I think I was capable of hitting those sort of times.' But now, not only is he looking at missing the Games, he also faces the possibility of having to retire from running. Leavey said: 'Realistically, If I don't race this season, that's two years without competing. 'I don't know if I have the time or resources to come back from that. I'll probably have another couple of courses of injections and see what happens. 'Running has been my life for the last 10 years so I don't know what I'll do. It's all up in the air.' ]]></description>
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		<title>Tonia Couch and Sarah Barrow hope bronze leads to London 2012 success</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/tonia-couch-and-sarah-barrow-hope-bronze-leads-to-london-2012-success/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/tonia-couch-and-sarah-barrow-hope-bronze-leads-to-london-2012-success/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 09:49:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mandeville</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/tonia-couch-and-sarah-barrow-hope-bronze-leads-to-london-2012-success/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Women's synchro pair Tonia Couch and Sarah Barrow hope their bronze medal at the London World Cup in February can lead them to Olympic success. Tonia Couch hopes to take her current form into the Olympics (Picture: Getty) The duo are at the European championships in Eindhoven this week and will hope to continue their recent good form. Before February the pair had not finished on the podium, coming fourth at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and at the World Championships in 2011. Couch said: ‘It was good to get on that podium – now we can take that into the Olympics.’ 'It definitely gave us that extra bit of belief we needed after the World Champs. 'We showed we were close but to do it was important.' The tandem also finished third in the World Series competition in Tijuana, Mexico last month. Sarah Barrow added:'I felt we had shown throughout the series that we were consistent and threatening in the synchro. 'We deserved to get the bronze medal on merit – we'd put in a lot of hard work which paid off – and that was gratifying. We did it only two points outside of our personal best. 'Hopefully, we can keep this run going – there's no reason why we can't – as long as we stay injury-free and keep training hard.' ]]></description>
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		<title>Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton in &#8216;best shape&#8217; ahead of London 2012</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/olympic-champion-victoria-pendleton-in-best-shape-ahead-of-london-2012/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/olympic-champion-victoria-pendleton-in-best-shape-ahead-of-london-2012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 08:59:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Wenlock</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Latest News]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[festival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[game]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[sprinter]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Victoria Pendleton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[weather]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/olympic-champion-victoria-pendleton-in-best-shape-ahead-of-london-2012/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Cycling Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton insists she is in the best shape of her life ahead of London 2012. Confident: Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton thinks she is in the best shape of her life (Picture: PA) The sprinter says a rigorous two-year training plan has left her in peak physical condition and she is counting down the days until the start of the Games. ‘I took a two-year training programme to build up to the Olympics and I’m really pleased with the way it’s panned out,’ she said. ‘I think I’m in the best form I’ve ever been in at this stage. I don’t think I could get any fitter. I’m feeling really positive, I just want to get out there.’ 'What I have got to do now is keep my form and fitness together until August. 'It's a very careful balancing act, not doing too much, not 'showing off' in the gym and putting on extra weights. 'It will mainly be about people around me keeping tabs on what I am doing – which is what they are already doing.' ]]></description>
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		<title>GB hockey player Matt Daly handed chance to prove Olympic fitness</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/gb-hockey-player-matt-daly-handed-chance-to-prove-olympic-fitness/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/gb-hockey-player-matt-daly-handed-chance-to-prove-olympic-fitness/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 08:32:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[coach]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Hockey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Lee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[knee injury]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Matt Daly]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Surbiton forward Matt Daly has been named in the GB hockey squad for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia. Matt Daly will get a chance to prove his fiitness (Picture: Getty) The 28-year-old has not played competitively for six months because of a knee injury. Coach Jason Lee was eager to give Daly every chance to prove his fitness for the Olympics and this tournament is the last chance he will have to do so in a competition environment. He said: ‘It is great that Matt is back and potentially available for selection.’ 'Someone with his goalscoring ability and history in international hockey should be very competitive if fit and able to come into form over the next couple of months. 'I'm sure he will be rusty to start with as he has only been back working with a stick and ball for a week after many months out. 'It is likely that the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup will be used to complete the Olympic selection process, although our focus whilst there will be entirely on the team's performance and the attempt to win the tournament.' ]]></description>
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		<title>London 2012 secures Rio Tinto as sponsor</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/london-2012-secures-rio-tinto-as-sponsor/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/15/london-2012-secures-rio-tinto-as-sponsor/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 07:25:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Latest News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chris Townsend]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LOCOG Commercial Director]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[official]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Organising Committee]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://londonolympics-2012.net/?p=1730</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The London 2012 Organising Committee today announced Rio Tinto as their 40th domestic sponsor for next year&#8217;s Olympic and Paralympic Games. Rio Tinto will provide the gold, silver and copper to produce 4,700 medals for the London 2012 Games. The company, a leading international mining group headquartered in London, will become the Official Mining and [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Victoria Pendleton and Jamie Oliver lace up for Samsung Hope Relay</title>
		<link>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/14/victoria-pendleton-and-jamie-oliver-lace-up-for-samsung-hope-relay/</link>
		<comments>http://londonolympics-2012.net/2012/05/14/victoria-pendleton-and-jamie-oliver-lace-up-for-samsung-hope-relay/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 20:45:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tony</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[advertising billboards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Beckham]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GBP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jamie Oliver]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kids Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London’s City Hall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mark Cavendish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Samsung]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Victoria Pendleton]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[ Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver launched a charity initiative that donates £1 for every mile walked, ran, or cycled by fundraisers. Support: Victoria Pendleton launches the Hope Relay (Picture: Gretel Ensignia) The pair backed the Samsung Hope Relay, in which participants create an animated avatar on a mobile app and track their total distances using GPS. Users could have their avatars displayed on the side of the Olympic Torch Relay coach during its tour around Britain, or on Samsung advertising billboards. ‘It’s a nice, obvious contribution from the public,’ Pendleton said. ‘You don’t have to do much, we’re not asking you to donate your money, we’re just asking you to donate your legs for a little bit.’ Children’s charities – including London-based Kids Company, International Inspiration and a cause decided by Games bosses – will be the main beneficiaries. The initiative could expand to 20 countries. Meanwhile, reigning Olympic champion Pendleton admitted she was affected by criticism from fellow rider Mark Cavendish she has committed too much time to advertising rather than training. Speaking at the Hope Relay launch at London’s City Hall, which included a video message from David Beckham, the 31-year-old added: ‘It’s been difficult at times but I’ve been very picky with what I’ve been involved in. I could’ve done a lot more but chose not to.’ The Hope Relay app can be downloaded from the Google Play store, Apple app store or by texting 61116 and following the link. It runs until August 12. ]]></description>
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