Join the most popular community of UK swingers now
Login

The Olympics

last reply
196 replies
6.5k views
0 watchers
0 likes
This one was going to come up sooner or later wasn't it.
Personal opinion, I love to watch the olympics and stay up way too long watching the events, things I would never dream of watching outside of this event like cycling or hurdle races even mens beach volley ball (giggles).
The para olympians fill me with awe and admiration.
I just wish that we were not the hosts, I don't know the ticket allocation but I hear about many people that couldn't get tickets whilst every company with a product to sell seems to have loads to give away in competitions.
Then there is the locations, if you want to watch the football your going to be driving from London to Glasgow only stopping in Manchester and other locations on the way, providing you can make the kick off times.
I will be watching at home on TV thats for sure, but I havent seen any benefit to this area, who has seen the benefits coming from the estimated £15 billion final cost of hosting the games, I would love to hear about some benefits and where in the country those benefits are taking place.
I just think 15 billion quid could have been better spent on improving the UK and that we wont benefit in viewing them just because they are here.
It's the 'London' Olympics - nuff said. I like a bit of sport - not football but I will try to catch the Judo.
What I would prefer is that a) we don't waste my taxes hosting it and b) these sports should be supported and broadcast more than once in 4 years. We have European and international champions in sports that don't even get a mention on bbc or itv let alone shown. Pathetic - football is A sport not THE sport of the UK. And adding rugby, tennis, cricket and golf (but only the biggest championships of course) doesn't fix the problem.
I'm in training for the Wankathon
:giggle:
Seriously though The Olympics are great to watch...
I dont know of nor seen any benefits of it so far but then i dont live in or near London. So far the only experience iv had of it is masive traffic congestion yesterday when the practice for the flame relay happened. Many staff at my workplace were late to work because they were stuck behind a rolling road block and i witnessed one traffic accident on the route (just before the road was closed) which was most likely due to drivers being to busy looking at all the police, helpers and various road blocks being set up, rather than the car in front !
I probably will watch some of though, most likely the male athletics smile but i would rather our taxes not be used for it as i feel its a waste of money hosting it and there are better things the money could be spent on.
Some might say 97 daysto go
However roll on late Sunday 12th August
Quote by paddy"I'm in training for the Wankathon

:giggle:
Seriously though The Olympics are great to watch...

i always thought professionals at a sport couldn't enter the Olympics bolt
All the olympic countries should chip in and let the aussies do it every 4 yrs, they did a brill job.
Quote by Lizaleanrob
]I'm in training for the Wankathon

:giggle:
Seriously though The Olympics are great to watch...

i always thought professionals at a sport couldn't enter the Olympics bolt
Just as well there ain't a category for Forum posting!
I'm still chuckling at your reply xx
I think this olympics will inspire youngsters, entertain billions and raise the profile of the whole of GB.
That said I am already sick of it and it hasnt even started yet :lol2:
I am getting my revenge by boycotting every product with that awful logo anywhere on it - unless these are garments being worn by dirty gals in which case I just aim to remove them ASAP.
Does anyone know what the official lube of the london 2012 games is?? dunno
Quote by Big_Fraser
Does anyone know what the official lube of the london 2012 games is?? dunno

If Boris is still the Mayor, a banana skin
lol
By the way, can any one please tell us why the Motorway 'information boards' on the M6, M60 and M56 in the North West are currently displaying,
'to plan ahead for the Olympics being held in London'
type messages ?
dunno
Quote by Big_Fraser
I think this olympics will inspire youngsters, entertain billions and raise the profile of the whole of GB.
That said I am already sick of it and it hasnt even started yet :lol2:
I am getting my revenge by boycotting every product with that awful logo anywhere on it - unless these are garments being worn by dirty gals in which case I just aim to remove them ASAP.
Does anyone know what the official lube of the london 2012 games is?? dunno

I too believe the games will inspire youngsters all over the UK and it will raise the profile of the whole of GB, but I believe the British Athletes did that extremely well in the last Olympic games when they did brilliantly, far better than ever before in the Medal stakes and Medal league, they made me proud and I am sure everyone else, and it didn't cost us 15 Billion quid, some of which could have been spent on sponsoring some of our athletes and building adequate but not olympic posh facilities for thier development.
I love the Olympics, but I dont think we can afford them in the middle of all these up and down recessions, we are not the wealthy commonwealth country we once were and we need to wake up to that, we are a small Island with a small population and a crappy economy (albeit better than some similar sized countries)
Quote by MidsCouple24
I love the Olympics, but I dont think we can afford them in the middle of all these up and down recessions, we are not the wealthy commonwealth country we once were and we need to wake up to that, we are a small Island with a small population and a crappy economy (albeit better than some similar sized countries)

I certainly agree that there are better things we could be doing with that cash right now, I dont think we would be bidding to host the games in the current economic conditions.
But we bid and won when times were better (even then many people were questioning the financial sense!) and now we are holding them I would like to see the country come together and support the event.
If there is one thing us brits will get medals for its complaining about things we cant do anything about!!
(Hows the weather down there? :lol2smile
That is right we moan, we moan about things we can't do anything about in the hope that people will think twice about other such events in the future and because as Brits we like to moan, but at the end of the day we will come together and support our athletes as we always do.
'to plan ahead for the Olympics being held in London'
well the council have made plans.
since the last 2 months parking has gone up 3 times the norm. 8 pounds fpr 3 hours now was 2 pounds befor....no parking in side st as permits only..
Bodes well..................
the Greeks lit the flame for the London 2012 torch relay (refuse to call it the UK Olmpics) .......
and then it blew out

rotflmao
Apart from being on TV the Olympics means less than f*ck all to most of the millions who live in GB in my opinion. Let's be honest you had to be at a certain financial level to even think about bidding for the tickets for crying out loud. Mind you it seems from the amount of corporate tickets being given out as prizes for this or that competition (for the cost of a £1 phone call of course)that the companies were the first thought by the organisers when it came to ticket sales.
I really admire the Olympians for what they do. its extraordinary, but the Olympics? I don't give a flying f*ck for the self serving big business ideal it has become.
Being very cynical probably but I think the only benefits we will see is a huge return for those who have invested money to start. Here in South Wales I don't expect it to make one jot of difference to me or many other parts of the country!
Already been touched on but I'm fed up of seeing all the companies claiming to be the official Olympic supplier of this that and the other...don't think I've seen Durex yet!!!!
Smooth1
So we've been fed the message that the London Olympics is on time and on budget (yeah right, which version), now comes the news from organisers Locog that each Olympic relay torche costs £495 to make, however torchbearers were told in March that they will have to pay £199 if they want to keep the torch as a souvenir of their special day.
Fair enough.
Now we hear that Dozens of Olympic torches are for sale online as torchbearers are prepared to part with their 'prized' relay memento, with a torch selling for the Invictus Trust charity attracted at least 82 bids, exceeding £60,000. (With one apparently selling on eBay for £153,100.
Bad enough that we've all had to fund the 'London' Olympics, now we are giving away circa £300 to all those carrying the flame so that they can sell them on as well. (At a £1 per metre each carries the torch that's some 'donation')
banghead
Quote by Smooth2
Being very cynical probably but I think the only benefits we will see is a huge return for those who have invested money to start. Here in South Wales I don't expect it to make one jot of difference to me or many other parts of the country!
Already been touched on but I'm fed up of seeing all the companies claiming to be the official Olympic supplier of this that and the other...don't think I've seen Durex yet!!!!
Smooth1

Nope those that have invested a money will hope to see a return, some will see a massive return but some will not have to invest much to see a good return, corporate tickets will be sold for huge profits, as below the torchbearers can sell thier torches for vast profits, people will make money out of unoficial souvieneers, people in London where accommodation won't be as readily available as in other Cities where events are taking place will rent thier homes out for weeks in the same way they do for Wimbledon, people near events will be able to sell ice cream and tea for those walking towards the venues, now I am not saying any of this is right or wrong but I am saying that a lot of individuals near to event venues can make a few bob for themselves.
In the past I had a B+B in Farnborough Hants, when the airshow was on I could make double the money on my rooms and they would be booked 2 years in advance by corporate companies, one of my single rooms for example was permanently booked out for the airshow period (business and public opening) to a well known helicopter manufacturer to accommodate the guy that stood outside thier hospitality suite making sure the right people went in and the wrong people didn't. As a taxi driver back then I left the BnB to my wife to run whilst I made 6 times more each week than we normally made and remember these events provide an opportunity to earn more for longer than the actual event, there is all the setting up and dismantling etc.
But the final bill to host the Olympics is estimated to be a true cost to the taxpayer of approxiately 15 Billion quid, I really don't see the taxpayer getting much of that back into the public coffers and see a limited number of amateurs making some money, a lot of businesses making a few bob and some vast amounts made in specific areas mostly in the capital
I really don't care for the politics of the games, where it's hosted, who is hosting, what it's doing for one area and not another, what countries are attending, what are not, how much it cost the British tax payer etc etc et fecking ctera.
It's here, it's happening, Ill be watching some of it and hoping the UK does well as I did in Beijing and as i will when it's in Rio.
Quote by HnS
So we've been fed the message that the London Olympics is on time and on budget (yeah right, which version), now comes the news from organisers Locog that each Olympic relay torche costs £495 to make, however torchbearers were told in March that they will have to pay £199 if they want to keep the torch as a souvenir of their special day.
Fair enough.
Now we hear that Dozens of Olympic torches are for sale online as torchbearers are prepared to part with their 'prized' relay memento, with a torch selling for the Invictus Trust charity attracted at least 82 bids, exceeding £60,000. (With one apparently selling on eBay for £153,100.
Bad enough that we've all had to fund the 'London' Olympics, now we are giving away circa £300 to all those carrying the flame so that they can sell them on as well. (At a £1 per metre each carries the torch that's some 'donation')
banghead

Yeah that pissed me off when I heard it today rolleyes
With 8000 made, its costing us shed loads :roll:
The only thing we can cling on to is that at least they were made in the UK and not abroad!
i dont care about the games and will not be watching any of it.
im planning to be away training when the games are on so my mind and concentration will be elsewhere.
So London landlords are kicking people out of thier homes so that they can rent them out during the Olympics knowing that they will make a killing then still be able to get the normal Londoners to rent again after the event.
Housing Association tennants are renting out thier homes at £1500 per week during the games (about 2 months including the set up, training and dismantling time) because they are targetting the properties towards the admin and and competitors more than the viewing public.
1 bedroom flats are being offered at £2000 per week complete with blood/urnine stained bedding, rising damp, cracked sanitary utilities in bathrooms (and mould).
BnB's and hotels that are well under par are charging 5 star prices per night.
Touts are selling tickets at extortionate prices on the black market (including a lawyer selling tickets purchased for £1500 at the discount price of £50,000 (4 tickets)).
The huge boost to the UK economy that we were told would come from hosting the Olympics has failed to materialize so far and the Bank of England boss is now saying that the olympics will only make a small significance to our reccession.
London the Plc will probably end up losing money as a result of the Olympics says the BoE boss.
£6000 a month for housing association flats, £25,000 for £1500 tickets, Budget hotels charging £650 a night, Rip Off 2012 not London 2012 I think and I also think that these scams are only the tip of the iceberg, I really feel sorry for those that have had tenancy agreements cancelled and are being made homeless so that Landlords can grab the cash then expect (and get) tennants back after the games finish.
Now if you want to join the rip off and live in or near Stratford upon Avon, here is a legal scam for you to try, advertise your house for rent "for the olympics" just put on the website (e-bay) will do) that you live in Stratford and your starting price should be £1500 a week, you will have no problem finding tennants.
Why Stratford on Avon, because those foreigners (especially Chinese, Koreans and Americans will think you are talking about Stratford in London, a stone's throw from Wembley I believe, no honest they will, I, many years ago worked as a taxi driver in Stafford (Staffordshire) and without fail one of the drivers each week would get someone getting off the train asking to be taken to Ann Hathaways cottage or Shakespears house, after hitting the M6 some would ask how far it was, by the time you hit the M5 they would all have asked but they all paid the huge fare when they realised the mistake they had made even those you told before you pulled off the rank would still want you to take them to Stratfor.
From a business point of view the Olympics will be crippling for us
We are only able to take our lorries in to London between midnight and 5am ( approx)
Any courier deliveries have to be collected 2 hours earlier and london deliveries have to go by UPS at an additional £5 per item ( A cost we cannot forward on )
I personally live close to the cycling events and our Nursery is based by the water /rafting events
The route in is via M25.. It is possible we may have to close down or as near as during the main month
Although July to Aug is a dry period in our trade it will still amount to long delays and £1000s of pounds of lost revenue...
On a plus the plants for Westfield Cross and the Stadiums were provided by ourselves which will be a bonus when we get paid !!!!
Sadly many local / refuse/ delivery type companies will be financialy hit if their clientale are not public/ tourist based
ff its only a few weeks ... May book a holiday ;))
Quote by MidsCouple24
So London landlords are kicking people out of thier homes so that they can rent them out during the Olympics knowing that they will make a killing then still be able to get the normal Londoners to rent again after the event.
Housing Association tennants are renting out thier homes at £1500 per week during the games (about 2 months including the set up, training and dismantling time) because they are targetting the properties towards the admin and and competitors more than the viewing public.
1 bedroom flats are being offered at £2000 per week complete with blood/urnine stained bedding, rising damp, cracked sanitary utilities in bathrooms (and mould).
BnB's and hotels that are well under par are charging 5 star prices per night.
Touts are selling tickets at extortionate prices on the black market (including a lawyer selling tickets purchased for £1500 at the discount price of £50,000 (4 tickets)).
The huge boost to the UK economy that we were told would come from hosting the Olympics has failed to materialize so far and the Bank of England boss is now saying that the olympics will only make a small significance to our reccession.
London the Plc will probably end up losing money as a result of the Olympics says the BoE boss.
£6000 a month for housing association flats, £25,000 for £1500 tickets, Budget hotels charging £650 a night, Rip Off 2012 not London 2012 I think and I also think that these scams are only the tip of the iceberg, I really feel sorry for those that have had tenancy agreements cancelled and are being made homeless so that Landlords can grab the cash then expect (and get) tennants back after the games finish.
Now if you want to join the rip off and live in or near Stratford upon Avon, here is a legal scam for you to try, advertise your house for rent "for the olympics" just put on the website (e-bay) will do) that you live in Stratford and your starting price should be £1500 a week, you will have no problem finding tennants.
Why Stratford on Avon, because those foreigners (especially Chinese, Koreans and Americans will think you are talking about Stratford in London, a stone's throw from Wembley I believe, no honest they will, I, many years ago worked as a taxi driver in Stafford (Staffordshire) and without fail one of the drivers each week would get someone getting off the train asking to be taken to Ann Hathaways cottage or Shakespears house, after hitting the M6 some would ask how far it was, by the time you hit the M5 they would all have asked but they all paid the huge fare when they realised the mistake they had made even those you told before you pulled off the rank would still want you to take them to Stratfor.

So are you condemming Rip Off Britain or actively supporting it? dunno
Not really condeming it, people are only following the example of the Government that uses the same tactics to earn extra income via tax dodges, expenses and the like, so can we expect anything else ?
Not really condoning thier actions either, everyone has to live within thier own moral code, I only hope they have thought about the consequences too, selling tickets is illegal and sub letting your council/housing association property could lead to you being evicted, getting a conviction for selling tickets would seriously damage a lawyers credibility and job, would I make a buck if I could, sometimes yes, sometimes no, I would consider the situation, in my business I could double my prices for New Years Eve, or charge more on busy party nights, I don't, I will not charge a penny extra, on NYE I lay on a free buffet and wine so actually earn less, my own tactical change is to reserve my rooms to people who have stayed with us previously, ie look after my regulars.
I was merely bringing a situation to the attention of others.
it's a total money making rinse, everyone is trying to make money off the back of it, and as usual, it is the common man that pays for. The food prices at the venues are a total joke. However, I am still excited about going - Gymnastics tickets. Who else is going?
Quote by DeeDan
it's a total money making rinse, everyone is trying to make money off the back of it, and as usual, it is the common man that pays for. The food prices at the venues are a total joke. However, I am still excited about going - Gymnastics tickets. Who else is going?

Especially since entering stadiums will be treated the same as boarding a plane in as much as you will only be permitted 100ml of fluid and a small amount of food (if the jobs worth on the gate thinks you've got too much for your party of people then it will be either bin it or you won't go in....)
Ticket prices are way beyond the reach of the average working man....
I would have loved to take my daughter to see a part of it but there's no way I could afford it..
I'll never see another one here and at almost 15 she MAY do but it's very doubtful ....
yes and this smug arse in every photo opportunity. talk about a man so up his own posterior.

he has ended up alright and a lord to boot, not bad for someone who just ran around a track now is it? :twisted:
the olympics has proven just like so many other things, Wimbledon included, that the money peeple will get the best seats for free, while the peasants that stand in line for hours to get in and have paid huge wads of money that they have worked hard for, settle for second best.
you only had to look at the tennis at the weekend and see the so called celebs in the best seats for free,,,cameron and boris a swell. no doubt the same will be with the opening ceremony and the 100 meter final etc. i find it abhorrent that peeple already with money can also take away the pleasure from the average hard working person who would love to be able to go to the olympics.
a cheap con trick by Coe and company, with Londoners picking up the tab for to weeks of fun, for the next 30 years through our taxes, coe will then slither back under his rock when the olympics is over.