London 2012 Olympics

[What's Burning?]

Thought I'd start of a thread since we'll likely be talking a lot about it in the coming months. Personally I'm looking forward to the US trials in both track and swimming in June.

Usain Bolt says London 2012 can make him a 'living legend'
Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt wants to "amaze" the world at London 2012 by running 9.4 seconds for the 100m and 19 seconds for the 200m. Jamaican Bolt, 25, is the reigning Olympic champion and world-record holder over both distances, with times of 9.58secs and 19.19secs. "People are looking forward to me running 9.4, 19 seconds, anything that's amazing," Bolt told BBC Sport.

[zurich_allan]

I'm really looking forward to the Olympics, I usually watch as much of it as possible, and as a runner naturally the athletics side of the games is my favourite to follow.

I'll be able to sample a bit of the atmosphere too this year as in addition to my main job I'm also an external examiner for a University in London, and will be in London during both June and July when there will be many people there purely for the games.

[vlad]

Ahhh, Olympics...

[geetface9]

I like the olympics and all, don't get me wrong, though I do kinda hate how everybody all of a sudden thinks swimming is cool and michael phelps is cool. I hate that bandwagon SH1T. It's cool seeing the best of the best pushing the human body to its maximum, but some people take it too far and annoy the h3ll outta me during the olympics. Not you guys, just like friends and family members who can't tear themselves away from the TV when there are pressing matters to be handled. Like COME ON PEOPLE WHEN THE HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED CURLING IN YOUR LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE OLYMPICS WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO YOU NOW

i need a

[What's Burning?]

Swimming is cool, gymnastics is cool, fencing is cool, table tennis is cool. The fact that you don't get to watch it every weekend on a major network with multi-million dollar athletes that often don't deserve 1/4 of what they make is more than likely your real beef or should be.

My daughter has been swimming competitively since the age of 8, and I've seen some of the local kids wind up going to the finals in the Olympic trials or have top ten national times. Let me tell you, it's a hell of a lot easier to get into a professional football team as a second string player and have a few mediocre years than it is to make it to the finals in the Olympics trials in swimming.

[Hammer278]

I like the olympics and all, don't get me wrong, though I do kinda hate how everybody all of a sudden thinks swimming is cool and michael phelps is cool. I hate that bandwagon SH1T. It's cool seeing the best of the best pushing the human body to its maximum, but some people take it too far and annoy the h3ll outta me during the olympics. Not you guys, just like friends and family members who can't tear themselves away from the TV when there are pressing matters to be handled. Like COME ON PEOPLE WHEN THE HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED CURLING IN YOUR LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE OLYMPICS WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO YOU NOW

i need a

Imagine how it is when I feel the same about the World Cup. Every single soul is into it (even ppl not remotely interested in football otherwise) but for some reason, I just find the WC boring. Maybe I'd watch the final or semi finals but that's about it.

[What's Burning?]

Oh, and don't worry there will be no Curling in the London Olympics.

[geetface9]

I like the olympics and all, don't get me wrong, though I do kinda hate how everybody all of a sudden thinks swimming is cool and michael phelps is cool. I hate that bandwagon SH1T. It's cool seeing the best of the best pushing the human body to its maximum, but some people take it too far and annoy the h3ll outta me during the olympics. Not you guys, just like friends and family members who can't tear themselves away from the TV when there are pressing matters to be handled. Like COME ON PEOPLE WHEN THE HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED CURLING IN YOUR LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE OLYMPICS WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO YOU NOW

i need a

Imagine how it is when I feel the same about the World Cup. Every single soul is into it (even ppl not remotely interested in football otherwise) but for some reason, I just find the WC boring. Maybe I'd watch the final or semi finals but that's about it.

I feel you on that big time man. Same with the super bowl. In 2010 when the arizona cardinals went up against the steelers, I saw so many bandwagon fans I wanted to puke

[Jabberwocky]

I am waiting to hear if i get to carry the torch for a bit.

[What's Burning?]

I am waiting to hear if i get to carry the torch for a bit.

Carrying it might be dangerous, I'd say hold it up high over your head and leave your 70's Diana Ross afro wig at home.

[McLaren]

I hate the big tickets farce.it's put me right off.

Think I might use the time to clear off abroad and get away from all the

I really am starting to become like my dad and an old git

[andrew]

Waste of tax payers money. I won't be watching any of it.

I am waiting to hear if i get to carry the torch for a bit.

Go to B&Q and buy one then you can carry it whenever you like.

[zurich_allan]

Waste of tax payers money. I won't be watching any of it.

I am waiting to hear if i get to carry the torch for a bit.

Go to B&Q and buy one then you can carry it whenever you like.

Waste of tax payers money in your opinion.

I'm prepared to wait and see rather than jumping the gun, no pun intended. Most Olympic games in recent memory have actually made a profit once the dust has settled. Off the top of my head, the only summer Olympics that have definitely gone on record as having made a loss were the Athens ones. The Beijing ones claimed to have made a profit, but with the amount of propaganda likely there, who knows the reality.

Even if the games themselves come close to breaking even (also bearing in mind that not all of the funds come from the tax payer - several billion actually comes from private finance and sponsorship), which isn't actually that unlikely, it's likely that the local economy of the London region will have significantly benefited, probably seeing profits rise in many businesses within 50 miles of London. When you add in that most of the infrastructure can be either sold or leased for likely the next 20 years, I just personally don't see it as being clear cut enough to say that the games are either a waste or a benefit financially at this stage. Just my opinion of course.

[What's Burning?]

Waste of tax payers money. I won't be watching any of it.

Why stop there, might as well stop watching F1.

[andrew]

Waste of tax payers money. I won't be watching any of it.

Why stop there, might as well stop watching F1.

Why? F1 doesn't waste as much public money as the olympics. Maybe if there wasn't a recession on or it was entirely paid for out of private funds I'd be of the opinion that I couldn't care less about the ridiculous amount that is being spent on this.

So far there is a budget of £5.3 billion to cover building the venues and infrastructure for the Games, a budget of £1.7 billion for regenerating the Lower Lea Valley, a contingency fund of £2.7 billion, security and policing costs of £600 million, VAT of £800 million and elite sport and Paralympic funding of nearly £400 million. The total for the Games and the regeneration of the East London area is circa £9.345 billion!

The costs for staging the Games (£2 billion) are funded from the private sector by a combination of sponsorship, merchandising, ticketing and broadcast rights. According to Games organisers, the funding for this budget broadly breaks down as: 64% from Central Government; 23% from National Lottery; 13% from the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency. On the plus side the olympic budget has been cut by £27 million as part of the £6.2 billion cuts by the new Conservative-Liberal coalition government.