OLYMPIC GAMES

August 17 - John Armitt (pictured), the chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), has claimed that a sensible decision has been made to let the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) transform the Olympic Park venues and infrastructure for legacy use immediately after the London 2012 Games are concluded.

The original plan meant that the ODA, which built the Olympic Park and the venues on it, would be responsible for transforming the East London location for almost a year before handing it to the OPLC.

But the transfer of responsibility follows discussions between the organisations over how best to deliver the post-Games transformation works in a way that ensures value for money and avoids duplication.

The OPLC will now take the £300 million ($494 million/€341.81 million) of scope and budget from the ODA, which has also seconded its transformation team to the Legacy Company to oversee the process including the removal of temporary venues and structures on the Olympic Park, removal of Games-time elements of permanent venues and the reconfiguration of roads, bridges and other infrastructure for legacy use in a decision Armitt has called logical.

"It is clearly the most sensible thing," Armitt told insidethegames.

"The previous arrangement meant that we were going to have six to nine months and then hand the Olympic Park over to the OPLC.

"But getting the Olympic Park across to the OPLC is the logical decision because it then gives them time to do things at their pace.

"We would clearly have been focused on getting everything down and away as quickly as possible but when it comes to next year, it may not be what they decide to do from a legacy point of view.

"So they can control that programme and that is definitely what is best from a legacy point of view.

"Passing the baton for post-Games conversion works to the Olympic Park Legacy Company will also ensure value for money as there will now only be one public body responsible for the work on site after the summer of 2012, enabling the ODA to conclude its contracts and wind-up early if possible."

In addition to the transferring of responsibility, the OPLC has appointed international consultancy and construction company Mace as its project management partner to work alongside them to manage the delivery of post-Games transformation work.

Mace will initially manage two Tier One contractors to be appointed by Christmas for the North and South Park, plus existing conversion contracts such as the Aquatics Centre.

Colin Naish, the executive director of Infrastructure at the OPLC, said: "By taking on the transformation work, the Olympic Park Legacy Company can be more efficient and effective in our plans to reopen the Park after the Games and, by working closely with Mace, ensure the transformation works support our long-term vision of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park."

Mark Reynolds, the deputy chief executive of Mace, said: "We are thrilled to be one of the few companies to have been involved with the regeneration of the Olympic Park from inception, with the original master-planning and contributing to the Candidate City bid, through delivery of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games with CLM Delivery Partner [the ODA's delivery partner] and now onto delivering the legacy.

"We look forward to developing a world-class legacy with the Olympic Park Legacy Company."

The procurement process for the transformation of the Olympic Park is already underway, with a split shortlist of seven companies bidding for contracts in either the north or south areas of the 500 acre site.

This process will not be affected following the changing of responsibilities.

A total of 145 firms registered their interest following the start of procurement by the ODA in late February - 68 of these were for work in the North Park and 77 for the South Park.

The shortlist for the South Park is: Balfour Beatty Group; BAM Nuttall; Lend Lease Construction; VolkerFitzpatrick and Skanska Construction UK; while the shortlist for the North Park is: Balfour Beatty Group; BAM Nuttall; Carillion Construction; Lend Lease Construction and Skanska Construction UK.

A tender process in underway with the winning bidders expected to be announced in December 2011.

Source: www.insidethegames.biz

By Tom Degun

Source: www.inisdethegames.biz

By Tom Degun

August 13 - Frank Warren, one of Britain's most successful professional boxing promoters, has claimed that the sport at the Olympic must remain amateur despite plans from the International Boxing Association (AIBA) to move it towards professionalism after London 2012.

Earlier this month, AIBA President C K Wu unveiled a new programme entitled AIBA Professional Boxing (APB), to be launched in 2013, which will allow competitors to retain their Olympic eligibility despite boxing professionally.

Wu, who is also an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, told insidethegames that hopeful the sport's top professional stars such as Floyd Mayweather Junior, Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan will compete in the completion saying "the door is open to them" but Warren believes Olympic boxing must remain amateur.

"News this week is that professional boxing could feature at the 2016 Olympics in Rio - but I can't see how it's a good idea," Warren wrote in his column in The Sun.

"The IOC confirmed it was discussing the move with the International Amateur Boxing Association.

"But where would it leave the amateur sport?

"Over the years, sports such as tennis have been introduced to the Olympics, even though Roger Federer and co would prefer to win Wimbledon than a gold medal.

"Pro boxers have world titles to aim for - and their side of the sport is completely different to the amateur set-up."

The new format will see amateur boxers compete without head guards while being scored by three judges but Warren said that this fact is irrelevant in comparing professional and amateur boxers.

"Even without the headguards, it's two different styles," he wrote.

"Will only 'novice' pros with a certain amount of fights be allowed to compete or can we expect to see Floyd Mayweather (pictured) and Manny Pacquiao pulling on a vest and headgears?

"There could be a few amateurs running for cover if that's the case.

"I know the proposals haven't gone down too well with members of the ABA (Amateur Boxing Association), even though plans are afoot to allow some professionals to fight in amateur competitions in the next few years.

"The IOC says that it encourages the participation of the best athletes - but boxing already works as an Olympic sport and it's supposed to be about the best amateur athletes.

"For London 2012, tickets were oversubscribed - boxing is always an event the public get behind.

"Audley Harrison, Amir Khan and James DeGale became household names after getting on the podium at Sydney [in 2000], Athens [in 2004] and Beijing [in 2008].

"In the past, Cubans and Eastern Europeans led the way in amateur boxing because their fighters had huge funding programmes and weren't allowed to turn pro.

"The gap has narrowed though with the collapse of the Soviet Union, and more funds available in Western Europe, especially in the UK.

"I'm all for innovation and trying to improve a product.

"But as far as amateur boxing goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Source: www.insidethegames.biz

By Duncan Mackay at Olimpiyatevi in Istanbul

August 13 - Istanbul hope that a successful bid for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics will be a "platform for change" Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said here today as he provided more details of their bid.

Erdogan received a standing ovation from a specially selected crowd of politicians, sports administrators, Olympic officials and international media as he laid out Istanbul's plans, claiming that they "learned our lessons" from its previous bids.

Istanbul mounted four consecutive failed bids, for the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

In their last unsuccessful campaign Istanbul did not even make it onto the shortlist for 2012, which was won by London.

But their chances are considered to be stronger for this contest and Erdogan, a former Mayor of Istanbul, has already signalled that he is prepared to offer unprecedented support to this latest bid.

"We have listened and we have learned valuable lessons from our earlier bidding experience," he said.

"Committed to delivering solutions to the issues that were previously raised by the IOC (International Olympic Committee), we have invested heavily in increasing and improving our sporting facilities, as well as developing youth participation in sport at both mass and elite level.

"Recently we have successfully hosted international events such as the basketball World Championships in 2010, as well as the European Youth Olympic Festival in Trabzon in July of this year."

Turkey mounted a strong challenge for the 2016 European Football Championships, only losing to France by one vote in the election last year.

They had been pondering another bid to host Euro 2020 but following discussions between Erdogan and leading sports officials they have now decided to concentrate on the Olympics and Paralympics.

The bid will come on the back of the recent trend of major events being awarded to developing countries, including the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics to Rio de Janeiro and the 2018 FIFA World Cup to Russia.

"Whilst we are historically significant city that divides two continents, our world today is global," said Erdogan.

"It is not about east or west, north or south.

"It is about much more.

"It's about providing the opportunity for people to share and understand different cultures and religions from around the world.

"It's about creating good will and acceptance.

"It's about new regions of the world becoming a strong part of our world and helping us all to prosper.

"The Olympic Movement has the power to influence the course of the world and Istanbul wants to be the platform for change.

"We can be the bridge that unites the world."

The centrepiece of Istanbul's bid will be the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, which was built in 2003 and hosted the 2005 Champions League final between Liverpool and AC Milan (pictured).

Erdogan claimed that most of the facilities needed to host the Olympics were already in place while Istanbul's rapidly improving infrastructure will be ready by 2020.

"The investment needed to stage an Olympics...we are talking pennies," he claimed.

Istanbul join a field which also includes Madrid, Rome and Tokyo.

Unlike their rivals, Erdogan claims that Turkey has weathered the worldwide economic crisis without major problems.

"In a time of global economic downturn, we maintain our position as one of the fastest growing economies throughout the world," he said, claiming that the Turkish economy had grown by 11 per cent in the first quarter of this year.

"We will provide the strength, stability and secure foundation that is needed to guarantee and deliver the IOC's institutional and operational requirements.

"We are confident that the same forward thinking characteristic that is driving our economy will be potrayed within the organisational committee that will lead this bid.

"Our most siginficant focus towards the Games is on our youth and the inspirations that will drive them.

"Given that the average age in Turkey is 29, we want to leave a lasting legacy that will instil values from the Olympic Movement into the youth of today; not only in our own country, but throughout younger generations in all countries, throughout all religions and cultures."

Uğur Erdener, the President of the Turkish National Olympic Committee and a member of the IOC, was thrilled with the level of support the bid is already receiving.

"We are delighted that the whole country is rallying behind this remarkable event, and with support from the President of the Republic [Abdullah Gul], our Prime Minister, all our Government and our great nation, we fully believe that we are in line to become one of the strongest contenders for this bid," he said.

There could also be bids from Doha and Durban but Erdogan is confident that Istanbul have everything in place to be successful.

"Istanbul is ready," he said.

The host city will be chosen by the IOC at its Session in Buenos Aires on September 7, 2013.

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

By Julia Kollewe

London's Olympic Village has been sold to the Qatari ruling family's property company in a deal that leaves UK taxpayers £275m out of pocket.
Qatari Diar, the oil-rich state's investment arm, and UK property developer Delancey Estates teamed up to buy the athletes' village next to the Olympic Park in east London for £557m.
After the 2012 Olympic Games, the village will be converted into a neighbourhood with 2,818 homes, including 1,000 family homeswith three or four bedrooms. The rest of the properties range from studio flats to five-bedroom apartments. The area will also include a schoolwith 1,800 places for children aged three to 19, shops, bars, clinics and parks.
The Olympic Delivery Authority, which sold the site, had already sold 1,379 of the residences in the 11 blocks of the athletes' village to Triathlon Homes for £268m in 2009. They will become affordable housing such as shared ownership or socially rented apartments.
Qatari Diar and Delancey plan to turn the bulk of their share of the residences – 1,439 properties – into private rental accommodation, rather than selling them. They say this will create the first UK private sector residential fund of more than 1,000 homes to be owned and directly managed as an investment.
At the moment, the apartments in the village do not have kitchens as athletes will eat at dining halls. They will be fitted out for long-term residential use after the games when kitchens will be added and new floors put in. The first tenants are due to move in in late 2013.
The joint venture also acquired six adjacent development plots with the potential for a further 2,000 new homes. The deal includes a profit-share that should provide income to the public sector in future.
Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, hailed the sale as a "fantastic deal that will give taxpayers a great return and shows how we are securing a legacy from London's Games". The village cost £1.1bn to build, but the ODA insisted it never expected to recoup building costs. "It was an entirely empty site, it didn't have any infrastructure, roads or parks. There was always going to be a public sector contribution to help put those in," said a spokesman.
He added: "We weren't just looking for the highest bidder, but for the best owner with long-term commitment." He said the ODA supported the property investors' plans to turn most of the residences into rental accommodation.
Jamie Ritblat, chief executive of Delancey, said: "This acquisition reflects the first truly great residential investment opportunity in the UK; offering the chance to break the mould and create a sustainable leasing model to provide first class accommodation for those who see the chance to rent long-term, as the way forward."
The ODA had to dip into the Olympic contingency fund and use £324m of public funds after a private developer, Lend Lease, failed to put forward a funding package in 2009 due to the financial crisis. That money will now be repaid to the Olympic budget out of the village sale proceeds – this has been uncertain during the economic downturn.
Qatari Diar already owns the Chelsea Barracks site, which it bought from the Ministry of Defence in 2007, and it will redevelop the US embassy in Grosvenor Square, London, as well as the Shell Centre on the South Bank.
The Qatari property developer has been embroiled in a high-profile row over the £3bn Chelsea Barracks scheme, which recently received the green light two years after Prince Charles intervened over plans for the 13-acre site. In June 2009, the developer withdrew its planning application after the Prince of Wales wrote to its chairman, the prime minister of Qatar, saying his "heart sank" when he saw the modernist design by Lord Rogers.
Qatari Diar's then-partner, the CPC Group owned by the Monaco-based property developer Christian Candy, launched a high court action to claim £81m in compensation after the scheme's collapse. The architects behind the revised plans are Dixon Jones, Squire and Partners and Kim Wilkie.