West Ham’s Olympic Stadium bargain is another example of the public sector’s poor planning hitting the taxpayer August 7, 2015 If it wasn’t so costly, it would almost be funny. One, a prototypical English big man up front with a tendency to not be nearly as good in the air as he should be. The second, a £700m gleaming structure in the heart of the new jewel of East London, Queen Elizabeth Park. [...]
Beijing beats Almaty bid to host 2022 Winter Olympics – despite lack of snow July 31, 2015 Beijing will become the first city to host both the summer and winter Olympic Games, after beating a bid from Kazakhstan's Almaty to the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. Read more: Almost no-one is interested in hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics A small majority of the 84 voting members of the International Olympic [...]
London’s Olympic Park is wrapping the world’s longest tunnel slide around its Orbit Tower July 28, 2015 The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in North-East London has confirmed it is going ahead with plans to build the world's tallest and longest tunnel slide. Almost 180m in length and extending 76m above ground, the giant helter-skelter will be wrapped around the ArcelorMittal Orbit Tower, which was designed by Turner-Prize winning artist Anish Kapoor in [...]
How a City property favourite is helping surfing become an Olympic sport July 27, 2015 It's not often one of the world's largest real estate consultancies can legitimately say it's had a hand in creating an Olympic sport – but Colliers International could be about to, after it advised on the feasibility and sustainability of a "Wavegarden" surf lagoon, part of the International Surf Association's (ISA) attempt at becoming an [...]
Olympic medallist and entrepreneur Hannah MacLeod talks Rio 2016 and mining magnesium July 5, 2015 Sitting down for an interview wasn’t easy for Hannah MacLeod. Not because she is busy (though she is), but because she’s currently suffering from “a couple of broken ribs”. The Olympic Bronze medallist shrugs it off – it “comes with the job” – but playing hockey for Great Britain isn’t the only one she has. [...]
Resilience and revival: 7/7 bombings and London’s bid for the Olympics 10 years on July 5, 2015 Today is the tenth anniversary of London winning the competition to host the 2012 Olympics. Tomorrow is the tenth anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on the capital in recent times, when 52 people were killed and 770 injured by bombs on the underground and a bus. From the pinnacle of celebration to the depths [...]
7/7 London bombings 10th anniversary – Tessa Jowell: “We defied the odds to win the Olympics. Just 24 hours later, euphoria gave way to disaster and despair” July 3, 2015 On the morning of Thursday 7 July 2005 three bombs were activated at around 8:50 a.m. on underground trains just outside Liverpool Street and Edgware Road stations, and on another travelling between King's Cross and Russell Square. An hour later, there was a fourth explosion on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square. In total [...]
BBC loses Olympic broadcast rights as Eurosport signs £922m deal June 29, 2015 The BBC has lost the rights to televise the Olympic Games after US broadcasting firm Discovery Communications signed an exclusive £920m deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Read more: Paris and Budapest to bid for 2024 Olympic Games Discovery, the parent company of Eurosport, has won pan-European broadcast rights for the Olympics in the 2018-2024 [...]
Olympic medallist Sir Chris Hoy is joining forces with Pure Gym June 24, 2015 OLYMPIC Gold medal winner Sir Chris Hoy has joined forces with Pure Gym after investing an undisclosed sum in the fast-growing budget fitness chain. The cyclist and six-time Gold medal winner, who retired two years ago, has agreed to join the group as an ambassador and special adviser to help improve customer experience, Pure Gym [...]
European Games: Olympic champion Nicola Adams out to make history again in Baku June 24, 2015 Boxer Nicola Adams has vowed to claim another piece of sporting history when she competes in the women’s flyweight final of the European Games today in Baku, Azerbaijan. Adams, 32, became the first female boxing champion in Olympic history when she won gold at London 2012, and the Leeds fighter is aiming to repeat [...]