London's Olympic stadium: finished

The London 2012 organising committee celebrated 1,000 days to the start of the games this weekend by dramatically announcing: “We’ve finished all building two and a half years ahead of schedule and are ready to host the games tomorrow.” The announcement, made by Lord Coe at London’s BT Tower at a ceremony to mark the countdown to the games, has surprised many, who have suggested that the Olympic stadium, swimming and cycling venues, not to mention outlying transport links, still need more than two to three years’ work.

“Yes, we thought that at first,” said Lord Coe, as fireworks went off over his shoulder at the BT Tower. “But then, to be frank, we ran out of taxpayer’s money quite quickly. As a matter of fact, we’ve just spent the last of it on this big party. Would you like some champagne? After all, you paid for it.”

To mark 1,000 days until the games, London’s BT Tower was lit up with a fireworks display, while a huge screen started the countdown to the opening ceremony.  However, budgetary concerns have meant that the committee have been forced to make a number of concessions from their original bid.

“Look, there’s no point crying over spilt milk,” Lord Coe said. “Let’s try to accentuate the positive here – this will give us the opportunity to deliver a games that is much more true to the area’s heritage, instead of some jumped-up piece of superficial nonsense sponsored by Coca-Cola and Kodak.”

Asked what this meant, Lord Coe confirmed that all primary sponsors had withdrawn from the games, but that they had been replaced by ‘exciting’ and ‘auspicious’ new sponsors, such as Mr. Patel’s Corner Shop and Abra-Kebab-Ra.

Furthermore, a London 2012 spokesperson confirmed that they were looking to source additional funding for the stadium developing by letting it as low-budget acommodation to some of the many drug-pushers in the area.

“We’re hoping that they’ll all be gone by the time the track and field events kick off in 2012, but we have to be realistic and face up to the fact that it might depend on the terms of the lease they have signed,” the spokesperson confirmed.  “Worst comes to the worst, they can take part in some of the events if we get short – I bet all those years from running away from the police have made some of them outstanding athletes.”

Meanwhile, Lord Coe has also confirmed that plans were already underway for the celebration of 500 days to the games, thought to consist of a trip to the pub, a whip-round and a curry in Brick Lane.

In three years, the opening ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympics will take global center stage.

Skeleton of the Olympic Aquatic Stadium

British Green Standard

Every contract, design and decision for the London 2012 Olympics will strive to set a new British Green Standard, a continuum that stretches from eliminating wasteful packaging to practicing environmentally smart disposal to designing an environmentally friendly Olympic Flame.

Recycling dredged materials

East London, a wasteland of underinvestment, poverty and crime, has been chosen as the site for the Olympic Park.  Construction has already transformed the complexion of this predominately immigrant community. Seemingly overnight, the Lower Lea Valley has been reconnected to London for the first time in sixty years.     Stratford Station, the debarkation point for the Olympic Park, has had a facelift. To facilitate people-moving, additional cars have been added to the DLR (Docklands Light Rail) and the platform extended to accommodate this expansion.

Stratford Station

Inside the station, a bridge has been constructed to conveniently carry passengers to a modern, not yet completed, shopping center.  As Adrian Bassett of the LOCOG noted: “As far as moving people, this area will become one of the most connected areas in London.”
Traffic from Europe will benefit from the Eurostar’s door-to-door stop at Stratford. Visitors arriving at St. Pancras Station can take advantage of a quick high-speed, 7-minute shuttle into Stratford.  Efficient train service plus bus transport, bicycle and walking paths will keep car traffic out of the Olympic Park, reducing carbon emissions.
Topping the list of sustainable goals is to limit waste and recycle 90% of all demolition materials. Canals that once moved WWII ammunition supplies from factories to transports have been clogged and unusable since the 1950’s.  Recently, British Waterways have begun a major dredging project on the canals. Once the contaminated silt is removed, it will be washed and reused elsewhere. Soon, these canals will efficiently transport supplies to the Olympic facilities.
Instead of bulldozing buildings to make room for the Olympic Park, these buildings have been disassembled then reconstructed on alternate sites, recycling materials and reducing waste.  New housing in the form of the Athletes’ Village will be sold to the public following the closing of the games, making affordable homes available to area residents.
Once completed, the Olympic Stadium will hold 80,000 visitors.

London 2012 Olympic Stadium

At the conclusion of the games, the lightweight top section will be dismantled and the steel reused in future construction.  What will remain is a 25,000-seat legacy stadium for track and field.
Often, super structures define the Olympics, like Beijing’s Bird Nest Stadium. A more important legacy is how the games influence the people. The games inspire young people to set “I want to do this” sports goals. To facilitate the dreams of the youth, London is planning a new sports college, which will occupy a section of the Olympic Park. Loughborough University, one of the leading UK sports colleges, has expressed interest in operations, making this a winning team of state-of-the art facilities combined with experienced management.
For the people, Olympics 2012 means jobs and business opportunities, not just for the next three years, but for a lifetime.  The expertise gained from skills learned today can be taken worldwide to other events and other Olympics teaching the world eco-friendly standards developed for 2012.
The London 2012 Olympics might not have all the Wow affect of Beijing, but the legacy that will emerge will be a cooperative exchange between the environment and our responsibility for environmental stewardship.

by Tony Grew

A member of the House of Lords has said he is delighted that the 40th anniversary of the murder of 11 Israeli athletes during the Munich Olympics will be remembered at the Games in London in 2012.

Lord Janner told the House:

“The Jewish Committee for the London Games is delighted that Mayor Boris Johnson has pledged to mark this tragedy at the 2012 Games, and the committee is very grateful that the noble Lord (Lord Coe) has agreed to this being done.”

The athletes were taken hostage at the Olympic village in Munich in 1972 and later murdered by Black September, a militant group with ties to Yasser Arafat’s Fatah Palestinian terrorist group.

Lord Janner was speaking during a debate on the 2012 Olympics initiated by Lord Coe, chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).

Lord Coe told peers that January was the halfway point from winning the bid to the Olympic opening ceremony.

“We are on track to deliver a compact Games with swift and safe transport and we are building new permanent structures only where there is a long-term and sustainable legacy,” he said.

“All our venues in the Olympic park are on, or even ahead of, schedule and being delivered within the public sector budget set by the Government three years ago.

“Let me give noble Lords an insight into the scale of these operations.

“They include: athlete services, accommodation, catering and transport for 10,500 Olympians, 4,000 Paralympians and 15,000 officials and coaches; venue operations such as security and waste removal at 40 venues;

“Spectator services and ticketing for 9 million people who will come to watch the Games; press and broadcast operations, ranging from results services to internet platforms for the 20,000 accredited journalists; workforce services to recruit, train and clothe thousands of staff and up to 70,000 volunteers;

“A Cultural Olympiad and education programme enabling thousands of community organisations, schools and local authority colleges to be inspired by and engaged in the Games; and our creative teams are working hard to choreograph ceremonies that reflect the best of the United Kingdom.”

Lord Jopling asked why Lord Coe had not mentioned security problems at the Games.

“Is it not a fact that the vicious people around the world who plan terrorist attacks must regard the London Olympics as one of the prime future potential targets?” he asked.

“Why has he not said anything about those preparations?”

Lord Coe said security is discussed regularly by the Olympic board and there is an Olympic Security Directorate under the direction of the Home Secretary.

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale said there are ongoing arguments among the national bodies about two sports: shooting and the equestrian events.

“There is serious concern among those bodies about the venues chosen for those events,” he said.

“Shooting at Woolwich and the equestrian events at Greenwich may provide fantastic televisual locations but both have serious safety issues and little or no perceivable construction or sporting legacies—something stressed in our bid.

“Shooting around its national home at Bisley and equestrian events at, for example, Badminton, would have left far better legacies and provided better facilities for competitors and spectators, arguably at lesser cost.”

Making her maiden speech, Baroness Campbell of Loughborough, the chair of UK Sport, praised Lord Coe.

“I am sure that his outstanding leadership from those early days in Singapore will continue to deliver a very successful Games in London in three years’ time,” she said.

“When we achieved our finest results for 100 years in Beijing—fourth in the Olympics and second in the Paralympics Games—it was heralded as a great success.

“The Olympics and Paralympics arena is a theatre of dreams.

“It is a place where ordinary people battle against all sorts of odds and, through hard work and perseverance, achieve their dreams.

“It is their journey, not the medal, which inspires us all. UK Sport is building a world-class system that will give us great pride as we see our athletes achieve in 2012.

“I hope that beyond 2012 we begin to appreciate that our elite sportsmen and women are not just about national pride but about setting an example for every young person in this country to achieve their personal best, whatever their circumstances and however difficult their journey.”

Lord St John of Bletso was concened with legacy.

“London 2012 will certainly provide 16 days of outstanding sport, yet the Olympics will be judged in London as an unqualified success only if the event leaves a clear and measurable legacy for this great city,” he said.

“Part of the legacy will clearly be the physical infrastructure, but an important element of it should be created in the hearts and minds of Londoners who are exposed to the benefits of sport and healthy living.”

Health was also an issue raised by Baroness Gould of Potternewton.

“As chair of the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV, my concern is that there is adequate sexual health provision,” she told the House.

“Evidence from the Sydney Games shows us to expect a big increase in demand for sexual health services with a corresponding increase in sexually related diseases, mainly among casual workers, making it important that prevention and health promotion services are in place now.

“There is clear evidence from other Games of a correlation between major sporting events and an increase in human trafficking.

“Britain is a Mecca for the low-risk, high-profit industry of human trafficking which centres upon London.

“The Olympics is expected to have a major impact on the sex industry across London and the south-east, if not further afield.”

Mansfield’s double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington has won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award.At 19 years old, the swimmer won the 400 metres and 800 metres freestyle in Beijing to become Britain’s first female Olympic swimming champion in 48 years and the nation’s most successful swimmer in 100 years.

Adlington, who picked up the coveted award at a London ceremony, said: “It is a real honour to win this award. It’s quite awe-inspiring when you realise who the 46 members of the Laureus Academy who voted actually are.

“To be recognised by the likes of British legends such as Sir Ian Botham, Sir Bobby Charlton, Lord Coe, Daley Thompson, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, swimmers Mark Spitz and Dawn Fraser is incredible.

“It’s a unique award, made even more flattering when you look at the names of the other sportsmen and women who were nominated, not to mention the previous three winners – Lewis Hamilton, Amelie Mauresmo and Rafael Nadal. The last year has been a fantastic experience and I hope my journey towards London 2012 is equally as enjoyable. Thank you so much.”

Adlington also swam 8 mins 14.10 secs in the 800m freestyle wiping more than two seconds off Janet Evans’s 19-year-old world record – set when Adlington was just six months old.

London 2012 chairman Lord Coe, after joining Dame Kelly Holmes to present Adlington with her award, said: “Her arrival on the scene as an Olympic champion at 19 was dramatic and refreshing and she thoroughly deserves this award.”

But there was also disappointment for British Paralympic cyclist Darren Kenny who lost out to Brazilian swimmer Daniel Dias for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award.

Kenny, 39, of Dorset, won four golds and a silver in Beijing, but Diaz won nine medals including four gold, four silver and one bronze.

Dias began swimming only when he was 16, and learned all four swimming styles in just two months.

Via: Business Scotsman

By Michael MacLeod GRUMPY gallery bosses have hit out at a plan to show major sporting events live on a jumbo screen on their doorstep. The massive 280ft TV screens will appear across the country in the run up to London’s 2012 Games, showing highlights of Chris Hoy’s Olympic triple gold glory among the clips. But the plan has been branded “wholly inappropriate” by officials at Edinburgh’s National Gallery of Scotland, who moaned that the screen will spoil the capital’s views. The BBC have offered £1million to Edinburgh City Council to lease the screen for ten years, and the council have earmarked two possible sites – the other being opposite the Sheraton Hotel in Festival Square. Olympics bosses want 60 screens at Live Sites, across the UK, with London 2012 Chair Sebastian Coe backing them as “a fantastic idea.” Glasgow’s St Enoch Centre is expected to have one of the 26-metre-high screens incorporated into its redevelopment, while Manchester’s screen is installed on the side of a Grade-one listed building. But the plan for Scotland’s capital sparked fury from directors of the National Gallery, who are worried it will clash with its surroundings. They said: “The Mound site has some of the finest architecture in Edinburgh and features some of the best city views anywhere in Scotland. “It would be wholly inappropriate to site a giant TV screen at this location.” A council insider said they wanted the screen up before Scotland’s football world cup qualifier with Iceland on April 1, so fans could see the action from Glasgow’s Hampden live in Edinburgh. They added: “The race is really on now, because if the gallery’s objection is upheld, Ministers will get involved and we’ll miss the chance to show what could be a vital game.” But after scouring the city for over a year and ruling out sites including one end of Princes Street, council bosses are anxious not to miss the April 30 deadline to accept the BBC’s offer. Now councillors in the city will decide on the merits of the giant TVs, with Ministers making the final decision if the gallery’s complaint is upheld. As well as football, major sporting fixtures are planned for the screen including Six Nations rugby matches and tennis hero Andy Murray’s Wimbledon showdowns, raising the possibility of Edinburgh’s iconic Mound being renamed Murray Mound. The Mound precinct recently got a £30 refurbishment as part of the £30 million Playfair project to link the gallery’s two buildings. Lord Coe said: “The Live Sites are a fantastic example of a project created because of London 2012, but one with a life well beyond the Games.” A spokesman for the council said: “We are aware of the gallery’s objection, but the Mound is our preferred option.”

A couple of weekend quiz questions. 

In an earlier post, I asked readers if they could name members of the Lords who had won medals in Olympic Games.  The two most obvious names were quickly offered: Lord Coe (Seb Coe) a multiple Gold medallist in  athletics and Lord Moynihan (Colin Moynihan) a Silver medallist in rowing.  However, the list is not exhaustive.  There is another Gold medallist sitting  in the House.  Any offers?  If it helps, he sits on the Conservative benches.  And it’s not me.

The other question, much easier to answer: which peer is a Nobel Prize Winner?

The Campaign for an English Parliament has handily printed off Lord Coe’s outburst regarding his attempts to create a British National Football Team at the 2012 Olympics.

(Its just as well because the online version of The London Paper it seems has removed the story. If anyone has the printed edition its on Page 5.)

The key quote is:

But he said the BOA, which selects teams for the Games, has decided to press ahead with a football squad despite the opposition.

When asked last night about the opposition from the Welsh and Scots, Coe replied bluntly: “F*** em!”

Thanks, Seb!

How much are the Scots and Welsh taxpayers paying into the London Olympics bid again?

As I mentioned in a previous post, a joint GB football team would endanger the survival of all the Home Nation football teams. That’s precisely why Lord Coe’s plans have met with such opposition.

Lord Coe also confirmed that Alex Ferguson, the current Manchester United manager, has assured him he will be managing the side.

The London Paper reports that Lord Coe has obviously now changed Ferguson’s mind on the matter, who was initially reluctant.

He might be even more reluctant now.

As for Sebastian Coe? Can’t say I’m surprised. I always preferred Ovett anyway.

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It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t write a piece on the Olympics, which is taking place as we speak. Beijing must surely be the place to be at the moment! Just imagine, 10,000 athletes from 220 countries all in one city for 17 days. Can you imagine what this means for China?

Can you imagine the potential for confusion! One of the things that makes this Olympics distinct is that there haven’t been any people moaning or complaining about this, that, and the other. Or is it that we, simply, haven’t heard anything as a result of China’s preoccupation to screen any information about what happens there?

What’s been interesting is the effort put in by LOCOG officials and spokesman including Lord Coe and Mayor Boris in trying to manage the world’s expectations of the 2012 London Olympics. Yes, we all know that the amount of money being spent in China far surpasses anything anyone has or will ever spend on such an event. However, what I believe they must focus on is ensuring that in the run up to 2012, they become more accessible, representative, and open to recognising that the presence of the many diverse cultures in Britain, are our strongest hand in our deck of cards.

I’m certain that you’ll find a representative community from each of the 220 countries already in London. Let’s use the the next four years to learn from them on what it’ll take to ensure that those visiting us have the most amazing experience.

Let’s look at our strongest features – our media, our diversity, our history – let’s make them work for us.

It’s great news that England is going to bid for the 2018 football World Cup. There was unseemly haste today to close the door on a UK bid which I think was a bit sad given the quality of the stadia and fan support in Scotland and Wales. But at last our sporting associations and the Gov are starting to believe in the benefits of such major events coming to the UK. First benefit – we wouldn’t have to qualify (and indirectly that would justify the FA’s decision to appoint McClaren as team manger). But jokes aside it is a good thing even though it will be extremely tough to win the decision with expected competition from Australia (the best ever-hosted Olympics under their belt), China (amazing stadia and proven Olympics -maybe!), Russia (huge resources and surely their turn to host something big), US (always put on a good revenue-delivering show and football still needs to establish a foothold post Beckham), Neths/Belgium joint bid (the perfect location for such a description!).

So as someone who is a mad football fan, who watched the 1966 final by himself and cried at the end of it and who was involved with the Euro ‘96 event here and as a Premier Partner backer for the 2012 Bid I can honestly say I’m all for it. This is the way to help pay off new Wembley early. But I was a little amused by the feature in the Daily Telegraph today about the so-called dream team to lead the WC Bid.

I don’t know if you saw it but there was a lot of referencing to the 2012 Bid formation – high-profile sports personality backed up by smart business leader; the Coe-Mills model. But I have to tell you it wasn’t such a classic model with 2012. London won the right to contest as a short-listed candidate city under the American business-woman Barbara Cassani. Lord Coe was brought in latterly to head the challenge once it became apparent that out of the 5 short-listed cities London was a distant 3rd in the IOC rankings. From someone who was there as a worried backer I have to tell you Coe’s first appearances as face of the Bid were horribly wooden. He is a bit of a cold fish too. Although undoubtedly well-connected he needed melding into the role. Mills was a brilliant real leader (backed up by a massively personally-committed, supportive and influential PM in the end) who wisely left the ultimate highly-visual steps to a polished and inspired Coe.

To simply say do exactly the same is surely too simple. The event is entirely different, as is the context, the sport, the politics, the history – almost everything. The Daily Telegraph’s team is flawed even now. They talk about Coe again. Let him get on with the Games; he’s got no football credibility. Gary Lineker as lead sports personality. Are you serious? Sir Bobby again. He was part of two failed Manchester bids for the Olympics etc – lovely character but not the A team. David Beckham; was influential in Singapore but has his time come and gone? Another decent member of the support team. Prince William, ok if he really commits but I suspect family duties will be taking a fuller role by then. Brian Barwick/Geoff Thompson FA representatives – it’s not the glitter twins is it? John Barnes because ‘he’d be highly popular in the Caribbean’. Is that Daily Tel speak for only black guy we can have in the team? So f*cking patronising. Bill Kenwright – bit too luvvie? Michael Grade – would he be lobbying for ITV to get the TV rights? Karren Brady – token woman? But now you’re talking. She’d charm the pants of those FIFA stuffed shirts. Richard Caborn – ok but a bit t’Yorkshire.

Tongue-in-cheek they’ve suggested a back up team of Vinnie Jones (it wasn’t exactly the beautiful game he played), Ozzie Osborne (yep – our expert on relaxants no doubt), Al Murray (first class entertainment officer and his views on women, the French, Germans bound to have a positive impact), Boris Johnston (he’d be too busy shagging the delegates wives), Hugh Grant (ditto) and Sir Elton John (could actually work).

So who would I have? Top of my head:

from football: Arsene Wenger, Ian Wright, Gordon Banks, Wayne Rooney, Faye White (capt of women’s national team), Teddy Sheringham, DB I guess

from FA: as few as poss

from business: Peter Erskine (O2), David Dein, David Gill, Karren Brady

from politics: Tony Blair, Paddy Ashdown, Richard Caborn, Oona King

from the world of celebrity: Kate Middleton, Jamie Oliver, Simon Cowell, Dawn French
from the world of sport: Freddy Flintoff, Will Greenwood, Lawrence Dallaglio, Monty Panasar, Mark Ramprakash, Lewis Hamilton, Zara Philipps

And maybe a man of the people with lots of marketing experience and involvement in major events /Bids, a passionate fan and observer English football, of indeterminate years though sporting a dramatic ‘we don’t care’ hair style, of considerable physical stature and the ability to handle (if not lead) all that late-night schmoozing. God knows where they’ll find such a man….

Hello.

pp

ps sure you can come up with lots of better suggestions

6 months ago I wrote a rant on the London 2012 Olympics, I have re-published today following a fantastic “Dispatches” on Channel 4 tonight. It exposes Lord Coe, Chairman of the British Olympic comittee and his involvement in a company currently contracted to build parts of the Olympic Village at huge cost. These costs are being funded by The Lottery and public funding and going straight to Lord Coe and his cronies at their Monaco (tax free) headquarters. As the costs spiral out of control, curreently £ 9 billion, never have I been so proud to be British. I hope Sebastian Coe as he was looks at the picture at the top of the page and feels a pang of guilt from what he was and what he represented to what he is now and represents. Bollocks!

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Tony Blairs Legacy: Volume 1 “The Olympics”

March 24th, 2007

Imagine if you will the following scenario. You’ve secured your next job but theres still a chance of nailing that big order, the one all your colleagues have been chasing. You know that when you you announce that you’re leaving that slimey Scot who slags you off behind your back will ooze his way into your chair. So lets leave a time bomb ticking, you know that order will bring in half a million quid, you also know it will end up costing 5 million quid, but you’ll be long gone, secure in the knowledge that you got the glory but left a mess. A great big steaming pile of shit for your slimey Scottish freind to clear up.

Welcome to the 2012 Olympics, perhaps the biggest pile of shit ever left for a colleague to clear up. (Ok I accept that maybe Chamberlain left Churchill a bigger steaming German turd to sort out but you get my point). You know that Tony Blair has only ever thought of Tony Blair but on this occasion I genuinely believe that he had Gordon uppermost in his thinking. “Right everything is fucked up, things haven’t only got better, but Gordon deserves something special. I know get Lord Seb on the phone I’ve got a plan” And so the Olympic bid swung into action, by some creative accounting, a suitable slum that needed “regenerating”, a few sporting icons blinded by Balir bullshit and the Spanish Olympic commitee chairman mistaking London for Paris and the bid was won.

We all sucked air through our teeth at £ 4 billion but it was the Olympics, the good old East End would have a fresh start, it was a chance for British kids to succeed and we beat the fucking French. (Sound of squealing breaks at this point)……………..

Cost: We now stand at £ 15 billion and rising, how can a two week sports event cost £ 15 billion. Where is the money coming from? Lottery, congestion charging, taxes, prostitution, the NHS, defence? 15 fucking billion pounds, have that Gordon ! You’d best start shovelling boy because it will end up nearer £ 30 billion, remember you heard it here first. The contractors will smell the panic as 2012 approaches and costs will spiral out of control. Gordon had better find an enormous khasi to flush this titanic sized floater away.

The East End: Yes it needed redevelopment but did it need the Olympics? No it did not, what happens when the party leaves town. It will be he biggest hangover of all time. Just look at Atlanta, Athens, Seoul, Moscow, Los Angeles they all took years to recover if they ever have. The only Olympic City to get away with it was Barcelona. Walthamstow is not Barcelona, there will not be endless tourists to visit when the last gold medal is handed out. There’s no Gaudi Cathedral in Leyton to bring in the punters, no Los Ramblers for the stag / hen weekenders and no Mediterranean Olympic harbour to attract the real money. Sorry Gordon there’s a great big skidmark that will not wash off however hard you scrub.

Give the kids a chance: What chance? What kids? Not kids that are educated in Blairs comprehensives, no competitive sport, playing fields sold off for immigrant housing, no after school activities, the nanny state, coaches scared of coaching because of paedophile paranoia. You wanker Blair you spend 10 years crucifying sport in this country then win the fucking Olympics AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!

The Medal table: China 150 gold, USA 100 gold, Germany 50 gold, UK 1 gold won by a Somalian on a dodgy passport in the fucking 5 kilometre walk.

Two weeksof sport, 30 billion pounds, years of recovery, years of debt, a fucking olympic village in Walford. The most imaginative Eastenders writer couldn’t make it up. Surely Tony you could have just resigned and had dump in your office before you left for Gordon to find. This is almost criminal in it’s disregard of the consequences. Failing that you could have just sacked the Scottish Nationalist prick and saved us all the hassle.

Yours in sport you arsehole.

I was just glancing at the BBC News website and found this story. So it looks like Mike Read is likely to throw his ‘hat in the ring.’ I’m not sure what to think. The Tories certainly need a high profile candidate in 2008, but surely someone with some political experience is needed? Lord Coe and Lord Stevens have apparently both turned it down, however is it people like them, with some clout, who we should be considering?