Bradley Associates lays-out London Olympic Games Finale

http://bradley-associates.info/2012/08/11/bradley-associates-lays-out-london-olympic-games-finale/

 

London is gearing up for the final events of the London Olympics ahead of Sunday night’s closing ceremony. Crowds are expected to line the streets over the weekend to watch the walking races and men’s marathon as athletics concludes in the Olympic Stadium.

A number of extra closing ceremony tickets could be made available before Sunday’s spectacular, Orgizer Locog said. Sunday, the final day of the Games, will see athletes compete for 15 gold medals in events including mountain biking, boxing and basketball. The final weekend of the Games is expected to be bathed in sunshine, with forecasters predicting temperatures of up to 26C.

Team GB is seeking to boost their best medal haul for 104 years, but failed to secure wins in BMX finals on Friday. Shanaze Reade finished sixth in the women’s final and Liam Phillips fell in the men’s race. Britain has so far won 54 medals, including 25 gold. With two days of competition still remaining, the team has already eclipsed its Beijing Olympics total of 19 golds and registered the best medal haul since the 1908 London Olympics.

Thousands of spectators are expected on the streets of central London to watch the walking races and men’s marathon, which are free to attend, and set to take place on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

The action in the Olympic stadium will end on Saturday with Team GB’s Mo Farah competing in the 5,000m final and Jamaica’s Usain Bolt attempting to win a third gold medal when he runs in the 4x100m relay.

The president of the International Olympics Committee has described London as “a city partying” and said the kindness of British people had helped deliver more than anyone expected at the Games.

Jacques Rogge said the success was “very reassuring for the future of sport”. Sailing pairs Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell, plus Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark both won silver in the men’s and women’s 470 medal races. Great Britain’s women’s hockey team earned bronze by beating New Zealand 3-1.

Boxer Anthony Ogogo had to settle for bronze after losing his middleweight semi-final to Brazil’s Esquiva Falcao Florentino but GB’s Luke Campbell will fight the Republic of Ireland’s John Joe Nevin in the bantamweight final.

Taekwondo’s Lutalo Muhammad won bronze. Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba failed in her bid to make history by becoming the first female athlete to defend both long distance racing titles. She took silver in the women’s 5,000m title, which she adds to her 10,000m crown

The owner of a family-run south London furniture store burned down in the 2011 riots has been invited to the Olympics Games closing ceremony. Maurice Reeves, 81, who owns House of Reeves Furniture, was invited by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced a cycling weekend as part of the Olympic legacy, to be held in London on 3 and 4 August 2013. The aim is to encourage people to get fit and commute by bike.

The mayor of Rio de Janeiro has congratulated London for putting on “the greatest Games ever” and revealed details of the city’s plans for 2016. Events will be held in four areas and the Maracana stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held, is being redeveloped.

Earlier, Labour Leader Ed Miliband backed calls for political consensus to get more children involved in sport after the Olympics. He said he agreed with Dame Tessa Jowell, former Labour Olympics minister, who has appealed for a non-partisan 10-year plan to build on the legacy of the Games.

 

The government has insisted that it is committed to building on Britain’s Olympic success.Prime Minister David Cameron said it was time for a “change of culture” in schools to promote competitive sport, rather than setting targets for the number of hours of physical education completed.

He said there was a need to hold people who are responsible for education policy to account to “capitalise” on the inspiration provided by the Games.

Locog’s director of communications Jackie Brock-Doyle said organizers will know whether more closing ceremony tickets will be available for sale when the set is moved into the stadium on Saturday night.

The ceremony’s musical director, David Arnold, has said the spectacle would reflect Great Britain as a whole.

The composer, who has written music for Bond films, said it would be based around 30 classic pieces of British music.

George Michael has already confirmed his participation and the Spice Girls and Tinie Tempah are among acts reported to be performing.

Sailors Stuart Bithell, left, and Luke Patience won silver. On Monday, Heathrow is expected to see one of it’s busiest-ever days when thousands of athletes and officials leave the UK after the end of the Games.

A guard of honor made up of Heathrow volunteers will applaud athletes as they pass through a specially-constructed Games terminal. The site will be decommissioned after three days and returned to its original use as a staff car park.

Meanwhile, reports suggest the Olympics have prompted a rush of marriage proposals.

The venue for Olympic Park big screens is believed to have seen 25 proposals since the Games began.