Britain could revise its medals target for London 2012 following the team's success at the Beijing Olympics. UK Sport, which provides the funding for elite sport, originally set a target of finishing fourth. But that was achieved in Beijing, where Britain won 19 golds and 47 medals, the best haul for a century. "It would be foolish not to aspire to even greater heights, especially as the host nation," said Lord Moynihan, head of the British Olympic Association.
The BOA chairman added: "Sure, we've got to see whether or not it is feasible to move to third place. We haven't made a decision on that. "But this is not a National Organising Committee which is going to sit on its laurels, and nor are the athletes. We will want to make sure that we deliver the best for Britain in 2012, so we are going to be looking to go higher."
UK Sport will not decide upon a new target until the autumn, by which time it will have discussed the subject with each sport individually. And UK Sport director of performance Liz Nicholl added: "If you had asked me this two weeks ago, I would have said 'impossible'.
"The phrase we used was: 'fourth in the medals is the best we can hope to achieve given a nation of our size'.
"But we look at these Games and what has happened to the Russians. If they are in reach then there's no reason to constrain our ambitions. "In terms of 2012, nobody is going to be happy with the same again, but we need to be bringing that to life, probably through more medals.
"When we get back, we will be discussing 2012 targets with each of the individual sports. Then UK Sport will be setting a collective target as a result of that."
9 Feb 2009
More Britons 'to attend Olympics'
Public enthusiasm for attending the 2012 London Olympic Games has risen almost 30% following the Beijing Games, a survey for the BBC suggests. A phone poll of 1,000 adults during the closing weekend of the Beijing Games suggested that 32% would attend the London event, up from 25% in February. The poll was carried out by GFKNOP and compared with a similar survey conducted in February.
Beijing handed over to London as the host city on Sunday. Despite Team GB having its best Olympic performance in 100 years, coming fourth in the medal table and bringing back 47 medals, only 19% of respondents thought the Olympics would inspire them to participate in sport and exercise, with 79% saying it would not. This was a decrease from February's 20% of respondents who expected to be inspired to get active.
In the February and August polls the BBC asked whether respondents thought the London Games would benefit the region where they lived - at both times 73% said no and 22% said yes.
Two further questions were asked in the August poll. Twenty percent of respondents were feeling "very positive" about the London Games now that the Beijing Games were finished and 37% were "quite positive".
Seventeen percent were "very negative" or "quite negative". When asked should the government spend more or less money on the Games in 2012, 28% said more, and 33% said less, while 34% said no difference. China spent £20bn on the games, but London's mayor Boris Johnson has said he is "absolutely determined" the 2012 Olympics will cost less than the current £9.3bn budget.
Beijing handed over to London as the host city on Sunday. Despite Team GB having its best Olympic performance in 100 years, coming fourth in the medal table and bringing back 47 medals, only 19% of respondents thought the Olympics would inspire them to participate in sport and exercise, with 79% saying it would not. This was a decrease from February's 20% of respondents who expected to be inspired to get active.
In the February and August polls the BBC asked whether respondents thought the London Games would benefit the region where they lived - at both times 73% said no and 22% said yes.
Two further questions were asked in the August poll. Twenty percent of respondents were feeling "very positive" about the London Games now that the Beijing Games were finished and 37% were "quite positive".
Seventeen percent were "very negative" or "quite negative". When asked should the government spend more or less money on the Games in 2012, 28% said more, and 33% said less, while 34% said no difference. China spent £20bn on the games, but London's mayor Boris Johnson has said he is "absolutely determined" the 2012 Olympics will cost less than the current £9.3bn budget.
Uefa chief warns against GB team
Uefa general secretary David Taylor says that a British Olympic football side could be fatal for the Scottish national team's continued existence.
Great Britain's Scottish Prime Minister Gordon Brown is among those keen for a united team to compete in 2012. But Taylor said: "It is the quickest way for Scotland to disappear off the international stage." The Scottish FA, along with their Northern Irish and Welsh counterparts, have rejected a united team for London. Britain has not had a united team competing at the Olympics since 1960.
"The official position of Uefa, indeed of Fifa, whose responsibility it is, is that this has to be purely a football matter and nothing to do with world of politics," said Taylor. "It is about the identity of the countries and it is a matter for the football associations. "But, when I was in Scotland and chief executive of the Scottish FA, we had a clear and firm position and I understand that is still the position - that Scotland should not take part in an Olympic GB team."
Taylor did not envisage a change of position by any of the three Celtic nations, even though there are other sports where they compete as a GB team at the Olympics and separately in other competitions. "When I was there, which was not a long time ago, those other countries had the same sort of feelings as we do," he said while stressing that he was speaking as a Scot rather than Uefa's general secretary.
"We have more than 100 years of history of competing as a separate national in football terms.
"It is not like other sports as Scotland competes as a separate entity in all international football competitions." Taylor was not swayed by assurances from Fifa that competing at the Olympics would not compromise their position. "Fifa is comprised of 208 countries and we have had situations in the past when the privileges of the British associations, one of which is to compete separately in international football tournaments, has come under attack.
"What I would say is that we should be very careful about that as it's difficult to see what guarantees can be given."
Great Britain's Scottish Prime Minister Gordon Brown is among those keen for a united team to compete in 2012. But Taylor said: "It is the quickest way for Scotland to disappear off the international stage." The Scottish FA, along with their Northern Irish and Welsh counterparts, have rejected a united team for London. Britain has not had a united team competing at the Olympics since 1960.
"The official position of Uefa, indeed of Fifa, whose responsibility it is, is that this has to be purely a football matter and nothing to do with world of politics," said Taylor. "It is about the identity of the countries and it is a matter for the football associations. "But, when I was in Scotland and chief executive of the Scottish FA, we had a clear and firm position and I understand that is still the position - that Scotland should not take part in an Olympic GB team."
Taylor did not envisage a change of position by any of the three Celtic nations, even though there are other sports where they compete as a GB team at the Olympics and separately in other competitions. "When I was there, which was not a long time ago, those other countries had the same sort of feelings as we do," he said while stressing that he was speaking as a Scot rather than Uefa's general secretary.
"We have more than 100 years of history of competing as a separate national in football terms.
"It is not like other sports as Scotland competes as a separate entity in all international football competitions." Taylor was not swayed by assurances from Fifa that competing at the Olympics would not compromise their position. "Fifa is comprised of 208 countries and we have had situations in the past when the privileges of the British associations, one of which is to compete separately in international football tournaments, has come under attack.
"What I would say is that we should be very careful about that as it's difficult to see what guarantees can be given."
Cultural Olympiad plans unveiled
A William Shakespeare festival and 12 new public works of art will form part of a 'Cultural Olympiad' planned for the run-up to the 2012 London games. Set up to showcase Britain's arts and culture, the four-year programme will comprise 500 events designed to involve and inspire people at home and abroad. Details were announced on Thursday by 2012 chief Lord Coe at the National Theatre on London's South Bank.
The scheme was a key factor in London winning the bid to host the Olympics. The Cultural Olympiad will co-ordinate the opening and closing ceremonies at the London games, as well as local and regional events. It will begin with an open weekend, to be held later this month - between 26 and 28 September - for which hundreds of events have already been planned.
One of these will include the illumination of Blackpool Tower in pink, blue, orange and green - the colours of London 2012 - at 2012 BST at 26 September.
Lord Coe, meanwhile, will take part in Martin Creed's current conceptual art piece at Tate Britain, in which runners sprint the length of the museum's sculpture galleries.
"The Cultural Olympiad will leave a legacy of cultural engagement in communities across our country," the athlete-turned-politician told reporters on Thursday.
Future projects include Film Nation, a digital film competition for young people, and Unlimited, described as a celebration of disability arts, culture and sport.
There will also be National Singing Day, held as part of the BBC-backed Sounds strand.
A World Cultural Festival will be held in 2012 itself featuring contributions from all participating countries.
"We want to welcome great artists of the world to take part," said Jude Kelly, chair of Culture, Ceremonies and Education for the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).
'Absolutely central'
It was Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic movement, who first conceived the idea of a marriage between sport and the arts.
More than £40 million has been earmarked for cultural activities across the United Kingdom.
When London's selection as the next host of the Olympics was made in July 2005, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell described the Cultural Olympiad as "absolutely central" to the vision of what could be achieved.
The major projects announced on Thursday are:
• Artists Taking the Lead - 12 "cutting edge" commissions from artists across the UK. (These can include sculptures, symphonies, plays or films.)
• Stories of the World - a national network of exhibitions "telling new stories in new ways".
• Sounds - a four-project approach to "celebrating music as a universal language".
• Somewhereto - a project empowering young people to find somewhere to practice sport and culture "on their terms".
• Discovering Places - a project dedicated to "opening up the historic and built environment to new audiences".
• Film Nation - a programme "designed to get young people behind the camera".
• World Shakespeare Festival - a celebrate of the Bard co-ordinated by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
• Festival of Carnivals - five themed street carnivals to be held during the Olympic period.
The scheme was a key factor in London winning the bid to host the Olympics. The Cultural Olympiad will co-ordinate the opening and closing ceremonies at the London games, as well as local and regional events. It will begin with an open weekend, to be held later this month - between 26 and 28 September - for which hundreds of events have already been planned.
One of these will include the illumination of Blackpool Tower in pink, blue, orange and green - the colours of London 2012 - at 2012 BST at 26 September.
Lord Coe, meanwhile, will take part in Martin Creed's current conceptual art piece at Tate Britain, in which runners sprint the length of the museum's sculpture galleries.
"The Cultural Olympiad will leave a legacy of cultural engagement in communities across our country," the athlete-turned-politician told reporters on Thursday.
Future projects include Film Nation, a digital film competition for young people, and Unlimited, described as a celebration of disability arts, culture and sport.
There will also be National Singing Day, held as part of the BBC-backed Sounds strand.
A World Cultural Festival will be held in 2012 itself featuring contributions from all participating countries.
"We want to welcome great artists of the world to take part," said Jude Kelly, chair of Culture, Ceremonies and Education for the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).
'Absolutely central'
It was Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic movement, who first conceived the idea of a marriage between sport and the arts.
More than £40 million has been earmarked for cultural activities across the United Kingdom.
When London's selection as the next host of the Olympics was made in July 2005, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell described the Cultural Olympiad as "absolutely central" to the vision of what could be achieved.
The major projects announced on Thursday are:
• Artists Taking the Lead - 12 "cutting edge" commissions from artists across the UK. (These can include sculptures, symphonies, plays or films.)
• Stories of the World - a national network of exhibitions "telling new stories in new ways".
• Sounds - a four-project approach to "celebrating music as a universal language".
• Somewhereto - a project empowering young people to find somewhere to practice sport and culture "on their terms".
• Discovering Places - a project dedicated to "opening up the historic and built environment to new audiences".
• Film Nation - a programme "designed to get young people behind the camera".
• World Shakespeare Festival - a celebrate of the Bard co-ordinated by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
• Festival of Carnivals - five themed street carnivals to be held during the Olympic period.
Public 'fearing Olympics failure'
Nearly nine out of 10 Britons do not think the government is capable of managing the 2012 Olympics, a survey taken after the Beijing Games suggests.
The biggest concern expressed was over the cost, currently budgeted at £9.3bn.
The survey by Opinium Research found just 12% of the 2,000 people surveyed believe the Games will come in on budget or within 10%.
A government spokesman said people with "experience and expertise" were in place to "deliver a fantastic Games".
The survey suggests Great Britain's most successful Olympic Games in a century has generated an air of excitement about 2012.
Nearly two-thirds feel proud of Britain following the team's performance in Beijing and almost half now feel more excited about hosting the 2012 Games. However, 60% said that the athletes' performance has not made them feel more confident about the government. And just 21% think the Olympics will be good for Britain's international reputation - an increase from 15% before the Games.
Sporting revival
Mark Hodson, head of research at Opinium, said: "The Beijing Olympics has ignited people's enthusiasm for 2012, mostly due to the amazing success of our medal-wining athletes.
"However, people continue to have major concerns. "Nearly a third of Brits still think that the Games will not provide any long-term benefits to the UK, and taxpayers' money spent on the 2012 Olympics would be better spent on other things such as the NHS, transport and infrastructure." The research also says that the Olympics has inspired one in seven people to take up or revisit a sport.
This is more than double the number of people who were expected to be inspired prior to this summer's Games. A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesman said: "We have in place the experience and expertise - both within government and The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and The Olympic Delivery Authority - to deliver a fantastic Games and long term legacy that will benefit millions of people for decades to come."
The biggest concern expressed was over the cost, currently budgeted at £9.3bn.
The survey by Opinium Research found just 12% of the 2,000 people surveyed believe the Games will come in on budget or within 10%.
A government spokesman said people with "experience and expertise" were in place to "deliver a fantastic Games".
The survey suggests Great Britain's most successful Olympic Games in a century has generated an air of excitement about 2012.
Nearly two-thirds feel proud of Britain following the team's performance in Beijing and almost half now feel more excited about hosting the 2012 Games. However, 60% said that the athletes' performance has not made them feel more confident about the government. And just 21% think the Olympics will be good for Britain's international reputation - an increase from 15% before the Games.
Sporting revival
Mark Hodson, head of research at Opinium, said: "The Beijing Olympics has ignited people's enthusiasm for 2012, mostly due to the amazing success of our medal-wining athletes.
"However, people continue to have major concerns. "Nearly a third of Brits still think that the Games will not provide any long-term benefits to the UK, and taxpayers' money spent on the 2012 Olympics would be better spent on other things such as the NHS, transport and infrastructure." The research also says that the Olympics has inspired one in seven people to take up or revisit a sport.
This is more than double the number of people who were expected to be inspired prior to this summer's Games. A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesman said: "We have in place the experience and expertise - both within government and The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and The Olympic Delivery Authority - to deliver a fantastic Games and long term legacy that will benefit millions of people for decades to come."
2012 bosses deny demolition plan
London 2012 bosses have denied they are seriously considering a plan to flatten the Olympic Stadium after the Games. Reports have suggested the £525m venue could be demolished and replaced by a Premier League football ground.
But the London Development Agency (LDA), the body responsible for the post-2012 use of the site, has moved quickly to play down these claims. And a spokesman for London Mayor Boris Johnson said Johnson was "not aware of any plans to demolish the stadium".
He added that the mayor remained committed to finding a viable, long-term use for all the permanent Olympic venues and wanted "athletics to be part of that legacy".
A spokesman for the LDA said "no stone had been left unturned" in exploring all the options for the Olympic venues and the drawing up of a range of possible scenarios was part and parcel of the legacy planning process.
A source close to the process told BBC Sport the leaked demolition plan was simply one of "more than 10" options currently on the table. He also strongly hinted it was the most radical - and least likely - of those choices. The favourite option remains converting the 80,000-capacity venue into a 25,000-seat stadium with an athletics track and at least one "anchor tenant", a football or rugby team capable of filling the venue on a regular basis.
A guaranteed revenue stream is crucial to the venue's future as no local or national authority wants to be responsible for the upkeep of a rarely used athletics centre - all interested parties are desperate to avoid the mistakes of previous Olympic hosts and their expensive "white elephants".
The LDA has been actively looking for an anchor tenant for over two years and is currently talking to League One club Leyton Orient, the Rugby Football League and UK Athletics, and is widely believed to have also put out feelers to rugby union sides Saracens and Wasps.
Initial talks with West Ham United about a move to Stratford collapsed early on over the issue of the athletics track and its use for international events, and Tottenham Hotspur, the other Premier League side close enough to be a realistic candidate, appear to favour redeveloping their current home.
Chelsea have also been touted as possible future tenants although there seems to be little substance to those claims as they want to stay in west London.
A spokesman for West Ham told BBC Sport the situation had not changed in regard to any possible move to the Olympic site and the club's preferred options were building a new ground at a former Parcelforce depot next to West Ham tube station or upgrading Upton Park.
That said, both West Ham and Spurs have not ruled out the Olympic option, providing a workable solution can be found to the athletics issue and, most importantly, the numbers make sense. Both are mindful of the fantastic deal Manchester City's owners were given when they were handed Eastlands after the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
But what makes a similar transition from multi-sport event centrepiece to gleaming Premier League palace far less likely in London is the unlikelihood of any government agreeing to the demolition of such an expensive and high-profile venue after just a few weeks' use.
London 2012's organisers would also be vehemently opposed to any dilution of the athletics legacy in Stratford as that was promised to the International Olympic Committee in the bid for the Games.
But the London Development Agency (LDA), the body responsible for the post-2012 use of the site, has moved quickly to play down these claims. And a spokesman for London Mayor Boris Johnson said Johnson was "not aware of any plans to demolish the stadium".
He added that the mayor remained committed to finding a viable, long-term use for all the permanent Olympic venues and wanted "athletics to be part of that legacy".
A spokesman for the LDA said "no stone had been left unturned" in exploring all the options for the Olympic venues and the drawing up of a range of possible scenarios was part and parcel of the legacy planning process.
A source close to the process told BBC Sport the leaked demolition plan was simply one of "more than 10" options currently on the table. He also strongly hinted it was the most radical - and least likely - of those choices. The favourite option remains converting the 80,000-capacity venue into a 25,000-seat stadium with an athletics track and at least one "anchor tenant", a football or rugby team capable of filling the venue on a regular basis.
A guaranteed revenue stream is crucial to the venue's future as no local or national authority wants to be responsible for the upkeep of a rarely used athletics centre - all interested parties are desperate to avoid the mistakes of previous Olympic hosts and their expensive "white elephants".
The LDA has been actively looking for an anchor tenant for over two years and is currently talking to League One club Leyton Orient, the Rugby Football League and UK Athletics, and is widely believed to have also put out feelers to rugby union sides Saracens and Wasps.
Initial talks with West Ham United about a move to Stratford collapsed early on over the issue of the athletics track and its use for international events, and Tottenham Hotspur, the other Premier League side close enough to be a realistic candidate, appear to favour redeveloping their current home.
Chelsea have also been touted as possible future tenants although there seems to be little substance to those claims as they want to stay in west London.
A spokesman for West Ham told BBC Sport the situation had not changed in regard to any possible move to the Olympic site and the club's preferred options were building a new ground at a former Parcelforce depot next to West Ham tube station or upgrading Upton Park.
That said, both West Ham and Spurs have not ruled out the Olympic option, providing a workable solution can be found to the athletics issue and, most importantly, the numbers make sense. Both are mindful of the fantastic deal Manchester City's owners were given when they were handed Eastlands after the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
But what makes a similar transition from multi-sport event centrepiece to gleaming Premier League palace far less likely in London is the unlikelihood of any government agreeing to the demolition of such an expensive and high-profile venue after just a few weeks' use.
London 2012's organisers would also be vehemently opposed to any dilution of the athletics legacy in Stratford as that was promised to the International Olympic Committee in the bid for the Games.
Plans for 2012 VeloPark unveiled
Triple Beijing gold medal-winning cyclist Chris Hoy has helped unveil plans for the VeloPark for London's 2012 Olympic Games.
The VeloPark will include a 6,000-seat velodrome to host the cycling events as well as a BMX circuit.
After the games, a road cycle circuit and mountain bike course will be added, so the park can be used by everyone.
A planning application will be submitted later this month with construction work due to start in 2009.
The VeloPark designs have been developed following consultation with British Cycling and local cycling groups.
After the games, the park will be linked into cycle routes across London, connecting the whole of the city with the new facilities.Hoy said: "Becoming Olympic champion simply wouldn't have been possible without the local cycling facilities I used when I was growing up, so I'm delighted to help launch the designs of the London 2012 VeloPark which will provide first-class facilities for cyclists of all ages and abilities".
Olympics minister Tessa Jowell added: "The designs meet the challenging brief to provide not only a first-class games venue, but also a springboard in legacy for future British Olympians and will make a valuable contribution to increasing sport participation from grassroots to elite level."
The launch of the latest plans for the London 2012 VeloPark follows the opening of the Redbridge Cycling Centre last month. The £4.5m facility was built by the London Development Agency (LDA) for community and competition use to replace the former Eastway Cycle Circuit which made way for the site of the London 2012 VeloPark. Hoy was joined by Locog chairman Lord Coe and London Mayor Boris Johnson for the unveiling of the plans.
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