Aaron Cook “the only choice” for the British Olympic taekwondo squad in London 2012: Sir Steve Redgrave

LONDON (Tue, May 29) - Sir Steve Redgrave has called for Aaron Cook to be selected for the British Olympic taekwondo squad, describing the world No 1 as “the only choice” for London 2012. 

Aaron Cook “the only choice” for the British Olympic taekwondo squad in London 2012: Sir Steve Redgrave

 

The endorsement of Britain’s most decorated Olympian comes as Cook awaits the outcome of a British Olympic Association hearing on Tuesday that could decide his participation in the Games.

Cook has been controversially omitted from the four-member squad nominated by GB Taekwondo despite an appeal, and has called on the BOA to overturn that decision.

A BOA panel will meet on Tuesday to examine the reasons for Cook’s omission, and has the power to reject the athlete nominated instead, Lutalo Muhammad.

Cook, who competed in the Beijing Olympics aged just 17, is the European champion and will be officially named as world No 1 on Friday.

Muhammad is also a European Champion but not at -80kg and is 93rd in the Olympic rankings. While he has beaten Cook this season and is promising, he has less experience in the -80kg category.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/taekwondo/9296139/London-2012-Olympics-Aaron-Cook-is-the-only-choice-for-GB-taekwondo-team-says-Sir-Steve-Redgrave.html

SOURCE:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/taekwondo/9296139/London-2012-Olympics-Aaron-Cook-is-the-only-choice-for-GB-taekwondo-team-says-Sir-Steve-Redgrave.html

 

Watch VIDEO: Niamh Clarke-Willis, 9-year-old schoolgirl, opens Olympics stadium along with Sebastian Coe

London (Sun, May 06) – The Olympic stadium to be used for the 2012 London Olympics Games was formally opened on Saturday by a 9-year-old schoolgirl who lives down the road. The stadium was opened 82 days (2,012 hours) ahead of the scheduled kick off of the event in July 27.

Niamh Clarke-Willis, 9-year-old schoolgirl, opens Olympics stadium along with Sebastian Coe

 Niamh Clarke-Willis from east London stood along Lord Sebastian Coe on stage during a unique event at the venue where she pressed a button, releasing 1,000 white balloons into the sky.

Over 40,000 spectators watched as a flow of white balloons exactly 2,012 hours before the Games begin. Capping off an evening of music, comedy and fun sports events, Paralympic gold medal-winning archer Danielle Brown shot arrows at spinning targets to select the name of a youngster in the audience to open the east London stadium. Niamh Clarke-Willis emerged as the lucky one to join the Lord Coe on the stage.

Coe, himself an Olympic gold medallist, said it felt "barely believable" to be opening the stadium, adding: "I'm just so grateful to everybody who's come here tonight to help us celebrate this moment in history."

"The seven years have just flown by," he said. "Tonight is only the start of the story. We want thousands of young people to be inspired to take up sport. We hope that for a few of them it will be the start of their journey."

Saturday's event, named "2012 Hours to Go: An Evening of Athletics and Entertainment", allowed organisers to test the Olympic Park's airport-style security checks.

It was also a major test of London's transport system ahead of the Games as the Underground train network's Jubilee line, which serves the stadium, was further crammed with football fans leaving the FA Cup final in north London.

The crowds at the stadium watched as Olympic rowing champion Steve Redgrave and "Downton Abbey" actor Hugh Bonneville joined other celebrities and sport stars in a series of fun contests to test out the running track.

Former Spice Girl Melanie C and comedian Jack Whitehall performed, while the Military Wives, a group of British soldiers' wives whose charity single topped the charts last Christmas, led a rendition of the national anthem.

Earlier, students had tested out the stadium as part of the British Universities and Colleges Sport championships.

Watch the glimpses of the event in the video clip below:

Report Tags: London, London Olympics, London Olympics 2012, 2012 London Olympics, London Olympics Stadium, olympics Stadium, Video, Youtube, Niamh Clarke-Willis, Sebastian Coe

Hiroshi Hoketsu to compete in 2012 London Olympics at the age of 71: Japanese Equestrian Federation (JEF)

TOKYO, Japan (sat, Mar. 03) – There are no age boundaries for those who keep themselves actively ‘alive’ and world is full of such stories when elderly people set examples for their youngsters in every walk of life.

Hiroshi Hoketsu to compete in 2012 London Olympics at the age of 71

 The recent example is a Japanese rider Hiroshi Hoketsu, who will turn 71 at the end of March. According to the Japanese Equestrian Federation (JEF); Hoketsu has earned a place in 2012 London Olympics by standing number one in the International Equestrian Federation's individual dressage rankings for Asia-Oceania.

 Hoketsu, was also the oldest contestant at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with 67 years and 4 months of age, Hailed as the "hope of old men," He has already participated in two Olympics, 44 years apart.

The Japanese rider, based in Germany, topped the rankings after winning an event at an international dressage meeting in France on Thursday He was not available for comment straightaway. 

Hoketsu finished 40^th in show-jumping at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and in 2008 at Beijing he placed ninth in team dressage and 35^th in individual dressage. He was also selected as a replacement for the 1984 Los Angeles Games but did not participate, and had to pull out from the 1988 Seoul Olympics when his horse had a quarantine problem.

Read more about this aspiring Japanese rider below:

AFP

Gold Medallist Dame Kelly Holmes' Charity Trust to Get Support from Pippa Middleton

LONDON, UK (Jan. 08) – Pippa Middleton is set to lend her hand for the charity of the former British Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes in the run up to the 2012 London Olympics, the double gold medallist said in an interview published Saturday.

Gold Medallist Dame Kelly Holmes' Charity Trust to Get Support from Pippa Middleton

Kate Midlleton’s younger sister will help improve the profile of the ‘Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust’, which guides young underprivileged sportsmen, in the months leading up to this year's Olympics scheduled in July.

Dame Kelly talking to Daily Telegraph said, “Pippa is going to be doing something for my own charity leading up to the Games. I'm not really supposed to talk about it yet, so I can't tell you anymore.”

Pippa Middleton, the sporty and active figure, has participated in quite a few events and road races during last few months and is reportedly in the running to join Dame Kelly, while the Duchess of Cambridge, Princes William and Prince Harry as an official ambassador for the Games.

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All about Middletons 

2012 Olympics Event Won't Help Britain to Boost Tourism: VisitBritain, UK Tourist Authority

LONDON, UK (Dec. 20) – Despite of the two biggest events in decades to be hosted by the Britain; the country is not expecting any increase in the number of tourists visiting next year, the UK tourist authority said on Tuesday.

2012 Olympics Event Won't Help Britain to Boost Tourism

According to VisitBritain; the events like Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and 2012 Olympic Games in the months of June and July-August respectively will adorn the UK calendar in next year, but neither of these big moments will produce a large boom in tourists from abroad.

The UK tourist authority has estimated that 30.7 million tourists will head to Britain next year, approximately the same number who have recorded as visiting over the last 12 months.

The authority puts this projected stagnation down to the Olympics being as much a turn-off for some would-be tourists as they are a reason to travel for others.

The government has already announced a £100million marketing fund to bring in tourists over the next four years – although the economic benefit of next year’s 30.7million visitors is expected to be just £17.6million.

American Athlete LaShawn Merritt Won Appeal against an International Olympic Committee Doping Law

LaShawn Merritt can defend his Olympic 400m title at London 2012 after winning an appeal against an International Olympic Committee doping law.

LaShawn Merritt was penalized by 2-year ban, later reduced by 3 months

The IOC's rule had barred any athlete who has received a doping suspension of more than six months from competing in the next Games.

The American, 25, believed it went beyond World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) sanctions of a maximum two-year ban.

The outcome could force British chiefs to re-think their regulations.

 

Source of this news report given below: 

 

BBC News

London 2012 Olympics - - Representatives from more than 200 countries to attend the Chef de Missions seminar amidst London riots

London 2012 Olympics: Chef de Missions seminar amidst London riots

LONDON (August 9) - The riots, ignited from Tottenham (north London) on Saturday (August 6) night after police shot dead Mark Duggan on Thursday night in an apparent gunfight, have spread across London on Tuesday night.

Riots spread in Croydon, Peckham and Lewisham in the south of the city, while gangs of looters roamed the streets of Hackney in the east, Clapham in the south, Camden in the north and Ealing in the west.

Rioting could hardly have come at a worse time for London 2012 with representatives from nearly 200 countries in the capital to attend the Chef de Missions seminar to discuss preparations for next year.

Rioters not only set different buildings on fire but also looting spree was reported in the areas hit by the worst rioting in the capital in years.

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MAD NEWS