Just weeks before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) selects the host city for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, the 2012 bid officials are going all out to make sure London is the winner.
Reports say Prime Minister Tony Blair will launch a series of special events next month, and may even make it to Singapore for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) vote on July 6, despite hosting the G8 summit in Gleneagles at the same time.
Downing Street called it “a symbol of his commitment to the bid – and his total support for the excellent bid team, who he feels have done a superb job”. A spokesman for Blair added, “we are going for this hell for leather”.
The government is drawing up a timetable of events to plug the Olympic bid running through June, but details are being kept under wraps to avoid giving away tactics to rival cities, reports the Evening Standard.
But London 2012 has unveiled a series of conferences based on its cultural program for the Games. The events, which take place in Glasgow, Cardiff and London, will form part of the London 2012 FriendShip Week festival between June 20-25.
London’s plans for the Games include hosting a World Cultural Fair in the city, bringing diverse communities from all over the globe “to share in the celebrations surrounding the Games”.
Jude Kelly, Chair of Culture and Education at London 2012, said, “the World Cultural Fair re-affirms the original aspirations of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Movement to create the Olympic Games as a tool for learning about other nations and civilizations”.
Meanwhile London 2012 announced Friday that it has passed the two million mark of registered supporters, surpassing its original target of one million set last December. Bid head Sebastian Coe said, “this is a fantastic milestone to reach. It demonstrates the high level of support for our campaign and that it is growing all the time. As we go into the final stages of our campaign every single person can do their bit to help us win the bid by showing their support”.
But now one of London 2012’s promotions is running into problems. Operators of the London Eye were locked in talks with the owners of the site of the giant wheel amid fears that a 1,500 per cent raise in rent could jeopardize the attraction’s future.
The large wheel is being used to promote London’s bid, and Conservatives said Friday that any problems with the 450-high Eye could harm London’s chances of hosting the 2012 Games. If the increased rent is not paid by July 1, they say the Eye will have to close.
The Eye was opened in 2000 and has become a symbol of London.
Culture secretary Tessa Jowell was to meet with the company Friday. She said she will monitor the situation closely, adding, “I am absolutely determined that this does not escalate out of control”.
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Theresa May, said the situation could harm London’s bid for the 2012 Games. She said, “the Eye is a prominent feature in all of the London Olympic bid promotional activities, yet as the same time its future is in jeopardy. What sort of message does this send to the Olympic Committee”.
