A world capital no doubt, but London is already hobbled with teething issues one after another with barely days left for the Olympics. HT gives you a view of the concerns…
Insecure
Safety of the global sporting community and the locals has been the common theme for major events since the Palestine terror strike at the 1972 Munich Games. The British hosts had even confirmed that six sites will host surface-to-air missiles for Olympic security, including on the rooftops of two east London apartment blocks. But the government and the organisers have gone into a tizzy following an embarrassing security shortcoming. G4S, the private security managers, extracted a whopping £57m fee no doubt, but have failed to provide the required number of personnel. Left with no other option, army personnel, many of them just back from Afghanistan duty, and police have been drafted in to fill the gap. Rahul Nanda, head of Indian security firm, Topsgrup, which provides security for IPL, has even offered to fly in over 2,000 trained and English-speaking men on chartered flights from India to guard the Olympic sites.
Jam session
Athletes arriving in London this week have faced nightmarish traffic jams, exposing a lack of preparation unbecoming of a world city.
Jam session
Athletes arriving in London this week have faced nightmarish traffic jams, exposing a lack of preparation unbecoming of a world city.
The Games buses were stuck in traffic for hours and drivers lost their way to the Olympic village, again suggesting poor training and unprofessional approach. Throwing open the dedicated Games lane, instead of easing the flow of traffic, has only worsened the problem. Stuck in a Games bus for hours on the way to the athletes' village, a frustrated US athlete resorted to angry tweets that he was desperate to use the toilet.
The authorities have been shaken by the prospect of traffic chaos to such an extent they have snipped part of the opening ceremony on July 27 fearing stampede-like situations on the overburdened transport system. That means the show being put together by Danny Boyle of Slumdog Millionaire fame, which also involves AR Rehman's score, can't really run to Bollywood scale. A bike stunt has taken the hit as a result.
Not that Boyle's rural Britain theme has earned wholesome praise!
Landing troubles
The Heathrow airport, where long queues can be seen even during normal days, is bursting at its seams as the worst fears of the visitors is coming true. Passengers landing at the premier airport could face more harrowing time after a union representing passport officials decided to go on strike.
The strike a day before the games start threatens delays at airports for thousands of visitors. The Public and Commercial Services union said its members, including passport officials, would strike on July 26 and then refuse to work any overtime from July 27 to Aug. 20 in a dispute over job cuts and pay.
It would be a public relations disaster for the British government in what appears a masterstroke to ensure the demands are met. Airport passport desks around London have struggled to cope in recent months and some passengers have had to queue for several hours to get through immigration checks at Heathrow because of the shortage of staff.
Insensitive deal
Forget the final week palpitations, the organisers have faced international ire for several months for roping in major IOC sponsor Dow Chemical to provide the fabric wrap for the main stadium. Amnesty International have demanded the organisers apologise for choosing the company despite its strong links to Union Carbide, which was responsible for the lethal gas leak in Bhopal in 1984 that killed an estimated 15,000 people.
Despite strong protests from India as well as NGOs around the world, the organisers have refused to dump Dow, which bought Union Carbide 16 years after the disaster. The company says it is not responsible for the catastrophe, a stand the organisers have endorsed. The London Assembly slammed the IOC and LOCOG for entering into the deal with Dow and passed a motion that it has damaged reputation of the Games.
Transport strikes
In an ideal world the cab drivers would look for extra business during the Olympics, but London taxi drivers are obviously not a happy lot, further damaging the image of the city and the games. The cabbies blocked traffic to protest the dedicated Olympic route network to transport the games community, after the taxis were banned from them during the Games.
The special lane is a key aspect to beat traffic chaos, and worked successfully in Delhi during the Commonwealth Games, where officials took a practical stand by allowing traffic when a games bus was not coming that way. However, more than 200 black taxis blocked traffic in parliament square in central London this week for being barred from the lanes between 6 am and midnight. Their complaint?
People using the taxis were getting off because of traffic jams due to the lane being blocked. The cab drivers are also complaining that the Olympic road network is confusing for drivers due to poor signs. The organisers are hoping and praying the drivers would be familiar with the routes before the games actually kick off. Now, let's wait until the traffic lane system gets fully operational on July 25.
The parched village
The flow of athletes into the village is still pretty much a trickle, but there could be serious trouble when it turns into a torrent! Talk of first world efficiency, there is concern the participants may be left without running water in some quarters!
Parts of the village were without water after delays in installing pipes. The cafe in the village's shopping area was closed for several hours on Wednesday. The cafe staff told athletes trying to enter that there were "water restrictions". Organisers admitted that a "couple of water pipes and connections" were slightly late being installed and are still being checked before being operational. This would be the last thing the 17,000-odd athletes and officials at the Games would like to face. Some journalists also faced difficulties. Large water tankers have been spotted going into the village.
Rumbling in the sky
Thursday's mottled skies - black, white, grey and even patches of blue - over the Olympic Park were a relief from the monochromatic gloom that has left Londoners suffering through the wettest summer on record. Both Wimbledon and this summer's British Grand Prix were victims of inclement weather, the London Games is expected to face a similar deluge.
The events at greatest risk are the ones such as beach volleyball, show jumping, rowing and sailing, which are held at open air venues. To combat this, LOCOG has a few contingencies in store. The grass in Greenwich Park has been treated for three years to ensure it is better able to cope with any downpour during equestrian events. In addition, there are five alternative venues for sailing. But it still remains to be seen whether the Games can beat the weather gods.