London 2012 gets Europe's largest free wifi zone

A landmark deal has created Europe's largest free wireless internet zone in central London.

Visitors and residents in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea will have access to free wifi on their mobile phones, laptops and tablet devices following the agreement between councils and network operator O2.

The deal, set to have the Metro wireless network up and running in time for the London 2012 Olympics this summer, is to run at no extra cost to the councils or taxpayer. The network will initially be rolled out in a limited number of areas, starting in January 2012, then throughout the boroughs in the longer term.

Philippa Roe, of Westminster City Council, said: "Next summer’s Olympic Games mean that London will be putting on the biggest show on earth and as Westminster has a starring role, visitors to London will easily be able to share their pictures and updates of the Olympic events across social networking sites."

Derek McManus, chief operating officer for O2, said: "This ground-breaking deal - the first of its kind in the UK - will see us deliver high quality connectivity across London in time for London 2012. "Our longer-term aim is to expand our footprint of O2 Wifi, which is open to everyone, and also intelligently enhance our services at street level, where people need the network the most."

A Guide to Travelling to the London 2012 Olympics

Try and plan and book your travel as early as possible.

Remember that, on the day of the event you have a ticket for you are able to use the London public transport system for free.

Allow plenty of time to get to both London and to the event you have ticket for.

Don’t forget to plan your return journey just as thoroughly as you plan your trip to London!

If you have a disability, make sure you apply for a Blue Badge; this could allow you to park right at the Olympic venues.

Think twice before driving to the Olympics. Many of the venues will only have parking spaces for drivers with disabilities.

Park-and-ride facilities will be in place to connect motorists with the main Olympics venues, but remember, they will close an hour after an event finishes.

Arriving by Air

It is expected that around 65 per cent of all overseas visitors to the London 2012 Olympics will arrive by air.

The majority of these will arrive into London Heathrow Airport, which is the official ‘host’ airport of the 2012 Games.

Arriving into Heathrow

You have the choice of ways of heading into central London:

Travelling underground on the Piccadilly Line is slower than over ground service by the Heathrow Express

Heathrow Express over ground train service – which connects the airport with Paddington Station which is nice and central, particularly if your hotel is situated in the West End.

By road, hiring a car or you also have the option of taking a taxi – these are by far the most-expensive choices. (An option for all airports)

By Coach, including those operated by National Express, into the city centre.

All options can be arranged when you arrive at Heathrow.

Arriving into London City Airport

London City Airport is the best-located for access to the 2012 Olympics.

It is situated close to the Olympic Park as well to other venues in the east of London, including the ExCel and Greenwich Park, with a newly-completed Docklands Light Railway (DLR) line connecting the terminal building with the rest of the network.

Other airports

Far fewer visitors are expected to travel to the 2012 Games via Stansted, Luton or Gatwick Airports. Nevertheless, extra coach services will be on hand to transport spectators from here to the city centre.

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Travelling to London by train

If you’re a 2012 Games event ticket holder, you are able to take advantage of special deals on rail travel to London from anywhere within the UK.

Most train operators are allowing ticket-holders for sporting events to book tickets for travel in advance of everyone else, with special fares also on offer.

These special rates apply to travel between 18 July 2012 and 14 September 2012, meaning you are able to stretch your trip to the Olympics into a longer city break in London.

For more information on train travel to the Olympics and to book special tickets in advance, go to the official National Rail website.

Olympics train tickets will offer connections to the three nearest stations to the Olympic Park, namely Stratford Regional, Stratford International and West Ham.

Additionally, train travel to other London venues is included in the cost of your event ticket and shuttle buses will be provided to whisk spectators from local stations to the venues themselves.

Eurostar

As an official sponsor of the 2012 Games, Eurostar will carry thousands of athletes, officials and media personnel to London from continental Europe over the course of the Olympics, with many benefitting from free travel.

And, while ordinary spectators won’t be getting free travel like the competitors, Eurostar is offering special rates on trains to London from its principal European hubs of Paris, Brussels and Lille. Such packages include a return journey to and from London as well as one night’s accommodation.

As well as possibly allowing you to save money in comparison to flying into London from mainland Europe, taking the train is also the more environmentally-friendly option.

For the latest news on Eurostar train services for London 2012, check out the official website.

Travelling to London by car

While driving to the 2012 Olympics may be more convenient and even cheaper than using public transport, once you get to London, your car is likely to be of limited use.

Indeed, not only are many of the key roads to the venues set to be closed off to normal traffic, but parking spaces will be severely limited.

Should you still wish to travel to the Olympics by car, then you will be able to make use of special park-and-ride facilities.

These will be provided at convenient locations close to the main venues, including the Olympic Park, ExCel and Eton Dorney. From here you will be able to catch shuttle buses to the venues.

Be aware, however, that parking spaces are limited and need to be booked in advance. Additionally, there will be no overnight parking allowed and the sites will close an hour after the last shuttle bus has arrived from the venue.

London 2012: Football tickets and fixture confirmed

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has confirmed the dates of Team GB’s group stage fixtures ahead of London 2012 Olympic Football tickets going back on sale on 29 November 2011.

The men’s team, coached by Stuart Pearce, will begin their London 2012 campaign at Old Trafford on Thursday 26 July, followed by Wembley Stadium on Sunday 29 July and their final group game will be at the Millennium Stadium on Wednesday 1 August.

The women’s team, coached by Hope Powell, will begin the tournament on Wednesday 25 July at the Millennium Stadium, followed by Saturday 28 July also at the Millennium Stadium. Their final group stage match will take place on Tuesday 31 July at Wembley Stadium.

Tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Football Tournaments will go back on sale from 11am on 29 November 2011 on a first come, first served basis at www.tickets.london2012.com or via telephone on 0844 847 2012.  In recognition of Visa's longstanding support of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, only Visa (debit, credit and prepaid) can be used to purchase tickets.

The Official Draw for the Olympic Football Tournament will take place on 24 April 2012 at Wembley Stadium.

LOCOG Director of Sport Debbie Jevans commented, ‘The prospect of Team GB taking part in the Games has captured the imagination of the public and we are pleased to be able to confirm their group stage fixtures ahead of tickets going back on sale.  With teams like Spain and Brazil already qualified and fantastic venues across the country, the Olympic Football Tournaments promise to be a great family day out at the Olympic Games next summer.’

Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics said:  ‘I am really looking forward to watching Team GB men’s and women’s football teams compete in 2012, and there are no greater football venues anywhere than our host stadiums.  There are still tickets left, so I encourage everyone to try and get one and support the team in 2012.’

Team GB Chef de Mission Andy Hunt said, ‘We are delighted that the group fixtures for Team GB in both men’s and women’s football will allow fans from throughout the United Kingdom to experience the spirit and energy of the Olympic Games while showing their support for Team GB.’

There are more than 1.5 million Football tickets still available across all sessions, with limited availability at matches taking place at Wembley.

Fixtures:

Men's team:

Thursday July 26, Old Trafford

Sunday July 29, Wembley Stadium

Wednesday Aug 1, Millennium Stadium

Women's team:

Wednesday July 25, Millennium Stadium

Saturday July 28, Millennium Stadium

Tuesday July 31, Wembley Stadium

Football at London 2012: Egypt withdraw as tournament hosts

Egypt have cancelled plans to host the inaugural African Under-23 Championship due to security concerns, just six weeks before the tournament is due to begin.

The competition is designed to decide the continent's representatives at next year's London Olympics but the clash of dates with planned Parliamentary elections on November 28 have sparked safety fears.

Algeria, Egypt, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and former Olympic gold medal winners Nigeria are the nations in contention for places at London 2012.

The top three finishers will secure a place at the men's football tournament at the Games, with the fourth-placed side playing off against an Asian country for potential qualification.

The Confederation of African Football's Heba Abdallah said: "We received an official letter from the Egyptian federation, and it has been a day only, so nothing has been confirmed on the new hosts for the tournament.

"Nigeria and Algeria were initially interested in hosting the tournament, and as it stands, we don't know if they are still interested in hosting at short notice. We will be waiting for a reply from both countries. At the moment, we are hoping so."

NBA pre-season cancelled

The NBA cancelled the remainder of pre-season games on Tuesday and will wipe out the first two weeks of the regular season if there is no labour agreement by Monday.

Four weeks before the scheduled November 1 start of the 2011-2012 campaign, the latest negotiations broke off between NBA players and club owners on Tuesday with all 114 pre-season games wiped out.

NBA Commissioner David Stern and Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver made the announcement after owners and players met for about four hours but came no closer to ending the lockout.

Bargaining committees failed in a last-ditch bid to solve a shutdown over financial issues that have lasted for 96 days, since owners locked out players after a prior deal ended July 1.

"By Monday we will have no choice but to cancel the first two weeks of the season," Stern said.

NBA owners had previously called off pre-season training camps and wiped out 43 pre-season games through to October 15.

With Tuesday bringing two more lost weeks of exhibitions, Stern estimated the NBA has already lost $US200 million ($A210 million).

"We're looking down the barrel of losing regular-season games," Stern said. "There's an extraordinary hit coming to the owners and the players."

Billy Hunter, executive director of the NBA players association, said talks might not resume for a month or two.

If true, it would most likely mean no NBA games until next year at the earliest, he said.

What will be gone by Monday, if Stern makes good on his threat and talks do not make a surprise resumption, are the first two weeks of the NBA season, the first games lost to a financial dispute since the 1998-99 NBA season.

Stern said talks collapsed after players showed no interest in a possible 50-50 split of basketball-related revenues. Players had received 57 per cent of such income in the previous contract.

Owners wanted a hard salary cap rather than the current exemption-filled system and a greater share of revenues from what last season was a $US3.8 billion ($A4billion) business.

They claim losses of $US300 million ($A315 million) last season, saying only eight of 30 teams made a profit.

London 2012 athletics track inaugurated

The athletics track at London's Olympic Stadium, which will host next year's games, was inaugurated on Monday.

The red synthetic rubber track, made by an Italian firm, was tested by several athletes including middle-distance runner Hannah England, who won a 1500m silver medal at the recent world championships.

"It's a great moment," said organising committee president Sebastian Coe, himself a former elite middle-distance runner.

"The Olympic Stadium is starting to take shape and people now have a glimpse of how it will look in less than 10 months."

The 80,000-capacity stadium, situated in London's East End, is expected to have cost £486 million ($753m) to build when completed.

It will host the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2012 Games, on July 27 and August 12.

Wang Meng expelled from team for drunken brawl

China’s most decorated Winter Olympic athlete has been expelled from the national team for a drunken brawl with an official, throwing the successful short track speed skating program into disarray.

Wang Meng went out drinking and failed to return to the team hotel before a curfew, China’s sports governing body said in a statement released late Thursday. When she was confronted by the team manager, she assaulted her, it said.

The 26-year-old Wang was expelled from the national team and banned from international competitions because her conduct “has violated the team’s disciplines and jeopardized the sport’s image,” China’s General Administration of Sport said in the statement.

Wang, who won three golds at the Vancouver Games last year, and one gold, a silver and a bronze at Turin, Italy, in 2006, had been suspended since the incident during a summer training camp in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao on July 24.

State-run Xinhua News Agency said Wang punched team manager Wang Chunlu after being criticized for failing to meet a curfew after a night out with five other teammates.

China’s General Administration of Sport said Wang and male speed skater Liu Xianwei assaulted the team manager and damaged hotel property. Liu was also expelled for his role in the incident.

The other four squad members—Zhou Yang, Liu Qiuhong, Han Jialiang and Liang Wenhao—were allowed to keep training with the national team.

At the time, Xinhua reported that Wang accidentally cut her hands on glass and needed dozens of stitches after the incident.

In a video posted on the website of China News Service, an angry Wang, her arms in bandages, was shown amid a throng of reporters at the Winter Sports Management Center on Thursday night.

It was unclear what she had been asked, but Wang was shown insisting that she be quoted verbatim on TV and threatening to hold a news conference if she wasn’t quoted in full.

“Can you not report the voice from the heart of an ordinary person? … To report the voice from the heart of an ordinary person,” she said. “I am no longer an athlete. I have been expelled.”

Xinhua said Wang is famous for her fiery temper and it is not the first time she has landed herself in trouble.

She was expelled from the national team for six months in 2007 after criticizing her coach’s tactics at the Asian Winter Games, Xinhua said.

In June, Wang and her teammates reportedly clashed with security guards who accused them of making too much noise during a night out in the southwestern Chinese city of Lijiang. That incident led to the 10 p.m. curfew being imposed during last month’s summer training camp.

Source: AP