Greek Athlete Sent Packing
A Greek Olympic team triple jumper, Voula Papachristou, was sent home on Wednesday after posting a racist joke on Twitter. She was expelled from, the country's Games team and sent back home for what the media described as a tasteless tweet about African immigrants in Greece. She offered 'heartfelt apologies for the unfortunate joke', adding: "I never wanted to offend anyone. I would like to apologise to all my friends and fellow athletes who I may have insulted or shamed," reported the media.
FCFA 850, 000 Watch the Opener
The opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games will go into history as one of the most expensive. Forty-eight hours to the event, it was practically impossible to get a ticket. Even when it was available, one needed to disburse at least FCFA 850, 000, after serious negotiations. This was the case with a member of government from an African country who flew in to watch the opening ceremony. Despite his connections and cash, he was obliged to buy at cut – throat price from a middleman.
Maximum Security at Olympic Village
In order to have an eye on each member of the Olympic family especially athletes, the organizers of London 2012 have put in place a tied security system in and out of the village. Compared to Beijing 2008, it is difficult to see an athlete out of the village without a security official. Everything has been programmed. No matter your position, your badge must be on your neck.
Protest Against Sponsorship
Despite the hilarious organization of the opening ceremony, some British are on the streets to protest against the sponsoring of the event by cooperate firms. According to the protesters, the money could have been used to create more jobs and improve health care rather than wasting in the “Trashcan”,
Empty Seats Investigations
Investigations are going on to assert why some seats at the Aquatic Stadium were empty last Saturday despite a very high demand from the public. According to an official of the local organisation committee, traffic congestion and the non-distribution of tickets bought by some companies to workers might be at the origin of the incident.
