Olympics - London 2012!

Post by **IainMcNeil** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 12:00 pm

I just heard the announcement. London is to host the 2012 Olympics, beating Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow. Great news! Maybe we'll see some of you in London!

anguille · Post by **anguille** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 12:08 pm

Surprise surprise...well done London.

ste · Post by **ste** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 12:22 pm

Tis about bloody time the UK won something,

Just have to wait for some tickets to go on sale

duncan · Post by **duncan** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 12:30 pm

Well, it's going to be (far) more expensive than Paris 2012, but I'll definitely be there...hopefully I won't be seeing the english national basketball team. My main targets are athletics and basket. See you there!!! I'll buy some CDs in Tower Records in Picadilly and take a walk down Denmark street and the guitar shops...Never know when I'm going to London next!!!

Anyway, congrats, London!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ste · Post by **ste** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:14 am

I can just imagine how rammed the transport system will be during the olympics its already at breaking point... they're going to definately need to improve things if they have any hope of getting people to the venue's on time

Redpossum · Post by **Redpossum** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:24 pm

I lived in London for a time, many years ago....like almost 30 of them!

London in the 70's was fun. The whole punk scene was just starting to really roar. I had a job in The City, rode the Tube to Moorgate station, and lived on the New King's Road. I had a crazy red-headed girlfriend from Glasgow who took me to football games at Fulham stadium, where we swilled beer with the rest of the drunk, rowdy football fans. It was a real adventure, for a young American lad. Even when I got "nicked" and beat up by the cops...

But why on earth hold something like the olympics in your capital city? As you point out, the whole traffic/transport issue is going to be a nightmare.

I think the Norwegians had the right idea when they hosted the winter olympics. They didn't try to do it in Oslo, they held it in a small town way off in the boonies, (Hammerfjord, IIRC?), in a specially-built complex, and avoided the capital-city traffic/transport ordeal.

ste · Post by **ste** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 8:11 pm

well they WERE going to have it in Manchester, but Londoner's all kicked off about us having the commonwealth and the Olympics, only option would have been Scotland perhaps, and its way too cold up there, lol

Redpossum · Post by **Redpossum** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:16 am

Winter Olympics, scots style!

What about Wales?

SMK-at-work · Post by **SMK-at-work** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:21 am

I give in - what about Wales?!

ste · Post by **ste** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:16 am

I think Wales would be too small. There are about 2 big cities in Wales Cardiff and Newport, but they have no Vellodrome, etc. So for events requiring large arena's/stadiums, they would have to prolly go to Manchester/Birmingham or London anyway. Nothing against the welsh people, alot of my favourite bands are from there, and also im 1/4 Welsh, lol

Redpossum · Post by **Redpossum** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 1:39 am

It's a crying shame you folks squandered so much money on that stupid, utterly pointless "Millenium Dome" thing.

The money would have been so much better spent on a new olympic sports complex

SMK-at-work · Post by **SMK-at-work** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 2:22 am

Don't be silly - this way they get to squander even more money!!

bodidley · Post by **bodidley** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 4:04 am

If you ask me, the whole thing sounds a bit too much like the plot to The Long Good Friday.

efthimios · Post by **efthimios** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 11:43 am

I was dissapointed when London won the 2012s. What a huge waste of money for ordinary folk (as GWB would say, well the folk word anyway) is going to be! Well, for those who wanted it, congratulations.

ste · Post by **ste** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 5:51 pm

the millennium dome was indeed the biggest waste of money, for the money they spent on that i think it was about 500million in the end, think what they could have done, ridiculous.

bodidley · Post by **bodidley** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:24 pm

Think you know about wasted money? In Boston we have a transit project that's over $12 billion overbudget. Yep, that's right $12 BILLION!!!

efthimios · Post by **efthimios** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:13 pm

bodidley wrote:Think you know about wasted money? In Boston we have a transit project that's over $12 billion overbudget. Yep, that's right $12 BILLION!!!

How large is Boston, like a million? Couldn't you just buy cars for everyone for free with that money?

bodidley · Post by **bodidley** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 7:25 am

Boston is about 600,000 people, but people living in the suburbs often drive downtown to work. It isn't a train system, it's a road system, too many cars is the problem!

One of the problems was that organized crime diverted funding, but with the money that was spent, there could have been a train system going to the boonies.

duncan · Post by **duncan** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 7:37 am

bodidley wrote:Boston is about 600,000 people, but people living in the suburbs often drive downtown to work. It isn't a train system, it's a road system, too many cars is the problem!

One of the problems was that organized crime diverted funding, but with the money that was spent, there could have been a train system going to the boonies.

But you've got the Celtics, what else do you need?

Train system it's the way to go. It's fastest. Bilbao (northern Spain) is about 500.000 and it had serious traffic problems until they improved the train system with a great suburban train (tube? metro?). Still traffic jams, but you can avoid them if you want.

ste · Post by **ste** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 9:54 am

Quality movie if you ever get the chance to see it... Celtic Pride, with Daniel Stern and Dan Ackroyd, oh and Damon Wayons... its about 2 dedicated fans that kidnap the star of the Utah Jazz so the Celtics can win in the playoff's... its fairly amusing