The Prime Minister urged Londoners to remain patient as the capital’s transport system continued to creak even before the influx of a million visitors arrives for the main event.
Monday evening (23 July) transport problems marred the rehearsal for the London 2012 opening ceremony, with the partial closure of two train lines to the Olympic Stadium.
Overground services were suspended into Stratford and the Central Line was closed through Central London. There were also earlier delays on the Jubilee Line and DLR.
There were also long queues for spectators from the US and Australia who had spent thousands on tickets with CoSport, the official US-based retailer. Many had to leave the designated pick up point in Paddington Green before being able to collect their tickets.
The company blamed “distribution issues” for the delay.
Head of Hospitality and Leisure Research at accountants PwC said some mid-market hotels were struggling to fill rooms and those starting to discount “may have left it too late”.
Five-star hotel business in Park Lane, 100 per cent contracted to Locog, however, is thriving with foreign NOC members and sponsors all being well looked after.
One Derby hotel, Mickleover Court, is being investigated by The Health Protection Agency (HPA) after five members of Australia and Canada’s badminton teams fell ill with food poisoning. Norovirus was identified as the cause of the infection, the HPA said. There were reports of some disruption to events that had been scheduled to take place over the weekend, as the hotel was briefly closed as a precaution.
While transport appears to remain the Achilles heel of the Olympic logistical operation, organisers appear to have gained a grip on the security front. Sixty thousand people passed smoothly through security checks operated by the Army, before witnessing the rehearsals for the opening ceremony.
China’s 250-strong team of Olympic athletes and support staff appeared pleased with their training camp at the University of Leeds where they are preparing for the Games before heading to the Olympic Village in London.
Hao Qiang, Secretary General of the Chinese Olympic committee, said the facilities were “excellent” and thanked the University for its hospitality.
In preparation for hosting the Olympians, the University of Leeds sent two of their most experienced chefs to Beijing to learn about cooking Chinese food from the executive chef at the Chinese Olympic Committee’s headquarters.
“We want to closely replicate what the athletes would have on an average training day at their camps in Beijing,” said Matthew Davison, Olympic Programme Officer at the University.
The Chinese teams are staying at accommodation usually used for delegates who attend events at the University. Each person has a single en-suite room, and every five people share a living room with a television, s and self-catering facilities.
Richard Handscombe, Head of Sales and Marketing for Events at the University, said: “We are pleased and excited to welcome the Chinese Olympic athletes onto campus and wish them a comfortable stay as they prepare for the games later this month”.
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