London 2012: Already controversial
The background
Three days in and the Olympics has seen its first medal-winners, not to mention new world records. But the first days of London 2012 are also attracting attention for the wrong reasons – such as empty seats and food shortages.
Are these just teething troubles or a sign of worse to come?
Unhealthy, pricey food and large queues
There have been reports of food shortages at several events, including the dressage at Greenwich Park and football at Old Trafford. Some commentators branded the range of dishes and snacks poor, with an emphasis on fatty, sugary foods. For example, the nosh on offer at the Olympic Park is “great”, said Tom Rowley in The Telegraph — “if you want fatty British pub food for far more than you would pay at your local”.
Empty seats anger fans
London 2012 officials are reportedly taking urgent measures to deal with the problem of empty seats at Olympics events – including bussing in soldiers to fill in the gaps. Many of the unused tickets apparently belong to corporate sponsors, media or members of the ‘Olympic family’. Yahoo’s Eurosport blog was sceptical that the organising committee can do anything to make up for the mistake: “Just as Olympians don’t get second chances (alright, repechage excepted) when it comes to their hopes of winning medals, there is no way of salvaging the thousands — for it is already that many — of empty seats which could have been filled in the opening couple of days by fans.”
Opening ceremony a ‘socialist’ event?
Danny Boyle’s widely acclaimed opening ceremony to the Olympics 2012 attracted criticism from some Conservatives for the perceived political messages. Tory MP Adrian Burley, who hit the headlines in 2011 for attending a Nazi-themed stag party, branded the event “leftie multi-cultural crap” on Twitter.
Thank God the athletes have arrived! Now we can move on from leftie multi-cultural crap. Bring back red arrows, Shakespeare and the Stones!
— Aidan Burley MP (@AidanBurleyMP) July 27, 2012
Olympic flame extinguished
The Olympic flame, which is traditionally supposed to burn for the duration of the Games, was extinguished after the opening ceremony so the cauldron could be moved, reported The Telegraph. And that’s not the only cauldron-controversy: “The final position of the cauldron has already attracted some criticism after it was disclosed it would not be visible outside the stadium.”
Police lose keys to Wembley stadium
Police searching Wembley stadium ahead of the Games lost a set of internal keys, forcing officials to change the locks. “Other officers attended the scene to help look for the missing keys but in vain,” said The Guardian.
More on the Olympics
- Britons finally enjoying Olympics?
- North Korean flag row opens Games
- From pregnant shooters to moth attacks, the weird world of London 2012
- Top five crazy Games stories
