The Olympics

The Olympics

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News, information and stories about the Olympic Games in Athens 2004 and the Olympics in general up until 2007.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Over Budget and Overdue

In another example of the gross mismanagement and incompetence that is plaguing the organisation and planning of the 2012 London Olympics, the new plans for a "slimmed-down" Olympic aquatics centre have been unveiled that show a budget overrun of £25M and a completion date that is three years late.

When the designs were first submitted last year, Tessa Jowell, the Olympics minister, reportedly claimed that "a change in the specification had almost doubled the costs, which is simply unacceptable".

Despite that attempt to rein in the costs, the budget is still going to overrun by £25M.

To add to the Olympics misery Jack Lemley, the Olympics chief who resigned over the spiralling costs, accused Jowell of "mud slinging". This is based on reports that Jowell, whose husband faces criminal trial in Italy, secretly told MPs that Lemley was too sick to continue in his job.

Jowell had allegedly said that he had suffered a stroke and that he "fell asleep in meetings".

Lemley was in fact being treated for an irregular heartbeat, just like Tony Blair's "minor problem" in 2004.

When he resigned, Lemley said:

"The costs are going to go up on an exponential basis and I'm just not going to be part of that."

Jowell, needless to say has let it be known, via a spokesman, that she disputes Lemley's claim:

"We are not aware that she had any conversations in which she said what you are describing."

Politicians are not fit to run a brothel, let alone organise a multi billion pound event such as the Olympics.

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