Olympic torch spotlights Northern Ireland coast

COLERAINE, Northern Ireland - Olympic torchbearers carried the symbolic flame of the London Games to some of Northern Ireland's most beautiful coastal attractions Monday, and then headed to two communities associated with moments of terror.

Charity fundraiser Denis Broderick carries the olympic torch across Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge near the village of Ballintoy in County Antrim, June 4, 2012.

This week's tour of Northern Ireland is putting an international spotlight on dramatically improved times in the British territory, where a cease-fire observed by most Irish Republican Army members since 1997 has allowed a lasting peace process to blossom.

But police say several small IRA factions still lurking in the background would like to disrupt the celebrations and they have deployed extra officers to suppress the threat.

In the city of Londonderry, the final destination for Monday's Olympic procession, police closed a road after spotting a potential IRA bomb at a junction near a Catholic high school. But British Army bomb disposal engineers declared it a hoax. The bomb alert took place away from the torch's planned route in a district.

And the start to Monday's torch relay provided a dream for the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, with three of the most memorable sights along the northern coast basking in rare sunshine.

Two torchbearers met in the middle of the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, a vertigo-inducing attraction that connects mainland cliffs to a tiny island, with one using her flame to light the other's torch.

Next, another torchbearer walked carefully along the Giant's Causeway, an up-and-down natural stairway composed of tens of thousands of six-sided basalt rocks that run right into the Atlantic. The carrier, 54-year-old Ironman athlete Peter Jack, said he had to concentrate not to slip or stumble on the wet, flat-topped columns of basalt. About 1,000 spectators and visitors cheered as he reached the highest rock nearest the waterline and raised the flame.

It next visited the ruins of Dunluce Castle, a cliffside residence that was abandoned after its kitchen and staff fell one night into the Atlantic. Then the day's torch relay properly began near the university town of Coleraine. The flame was loaded onto an eight-man rowing boat and ferried across the Bann, the major river of Northern Ireland that cuts the province into a predominantly British Protestant east and mostly Irish Catholic west.

The route west kept torchbearers hugging the broad-beached coast. Up ahead lay the villages of Ballykelly and Greysteel.

Londonderry planned a sold-out, 12,000-ticket street party for the torch's arrival Monday night. The torch route includes a journey across the new pedestrian Peace Bridge connecting the city's mostly Protestant east and Catholic west.

The torch travels Tuesday through more than a dozen Northern Ireland towns and villages, including Omagh. On Wednesday, it crosses the border for a circuit of Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland, before returning north for a tour of Belfast and party outside Belfast City Hall.

Charity fundraiser Denis Broderick (R) has his Olympic Torch lit by PE teacher Clare Leahy (L) on Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge near the village of Ballintoy in County Antrim, June 4, 2012.

Charity fundraiser Denis Broderick carries the olympic torch across Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge near the village of Ballintoy in County Antrim, June 4, 2012.

Charity fundraiser Denis Broderick carries the olympic torch across Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge near the village of Ballintoy in County Antrim, June 4, 2012.

( Agencies)

Olympic torch starts 5-day Northern Ireland tour

Geraldine McCann carries the Olympic torch towards Parliament Buildings in Belfast June 3, 2012. On Sunday the Olympic flame - on a five-day visit to Northern Ireland - will be carried to the Titanic Building, recently opened in Belfast's docklands to commemorate the famous liner which was built in the city and sank 100 years ago. It will then make its way through more than 60 towns and villages across Northern Ireland, carried by about 600 local people aged between 12 to 93.

BELFAST, Northern Ireland - The Olympic torch began its five-day tour of Northern Ireland with plenty of excitement and no signs of trouble Sunday as the territory's Protestants and Catholics vowed to show the world how united the community has become after four decades of conflict.

Police said they had deployed extra security measures to deter the region's small Irish Republican Army factions from trying to disrupt the event. But the Olympic torch proceeded from Belfast's Titanic Quarter to the prosperous belt of towns along the County Down coast with no unusual security evident.

Just as during its first two weeks on British soil in England and Wales, the crowds were free to stand beside the passing torchbearer, who was flanked by four to six tracksuit-clad security staff jogging alongside. Between stops, a Northern Ireland police motorcycle unit well-accustomed to protecting VIPs from terrorist attacks sped ahead, blocking roads on the fly and ensuring that the torch convoy stuck to its ambitious schedule to reach every corner of this province of 1.7 million people by Thursday.

Sinn Fein, the Irish nationalist party that long supported IRA attacks but today helps govern Northern Ireland, said all of Ireland was excited to see the symbol of the 2012 London Games arrive. The flame will cross the border Wednesday into the Republic of Ireland to tour Dublin, a special concession to demonstrate today's exceptionally strong British-Irish relations and cooperation between the two governments on the island of Ireland.

Martin McGuinness, the Sinn Fein deputy leader of the Northern Ireland government and a former IRA commander, said both sides of the community were "exhilarated to be part of an event that's one of the greatest competitions in the world and to be part of a little bit of history."

Sunday's torch run started at dawn in the Belfast docklands where the city's most infamous export, the Titanic, was built a century ago. It headed east to Holywood, best known as the hometown of top-ranked golfer Rory McIlroy, then to the port of Bangor, the major town of a stretch of coastline known as the Gold Coast because of its affluence.

Along the sidewalks, sometimes the crowds of spectators grew to five deep in the hearts of town, but more often the torchbearer was able to wave to single groups of people cheering, whistling, hooting - or occasionally still rubbing sleep out of their eyes, bathrobes on, coffee mugs in hand.

Geraldine McCann carries the London 2012 Olympic torch leg between Newtownards and the Northern Ireland Assembly parliament buildings at Stormont, June 3, 2012.

The biggest crowd, estimated at 4,000, gathered outside Stormont Parliamentary Building, the home for Northern Ireland's power-sharing government, the cornerstone of the US-brokered peace accord here. Cancer activist Geraldine McCann, 56, received the flame and jogged up the steep slope to the Stormont hilltop with a beaming smile.

After a swing through Belfast Zoo, the torch convoy worked its way past some of the province's most spectacular scenery along the coastal road north past Ireland's best-preserved Norman castle in Carrickfergus, a series of glacier-carved forest glens, and the Giants Causeway, with its strange carpet of hexagonal rocks running down to the Atlantic waves.

As the torch passed through predominantly Protestant towns east of Belfast, the locals' loyalties were on display, with many waving British flags adorned with images of Queen Elizabeth II. Much of the torch's route in coming days goes through predominantly Irish Catholic turf, home to IRA extremists still committed to overthrowing Northern Ireland by force.

Underscoring the threat, a suspected IRA activist tossed a grenade at a police unit Saturday in Northern Ireland's second-largest city, Londonderry, where the Olympic cavalcade will spend parts of Monday and Tuesday.

The police, who were searching a property at the time, weren't injured, but their sports utility vehicle sustained heavy shrapnel damage. Officers arrested a 50-year-old man on suspicion of involvement in IRA activity in a follow-up house raid Sunday.

John Mcalpine carries the Olympic torch in front of Parliament Buildings in Belfast June 3, 2012.

In Belfast, a police deputy commander, Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay, said the Northern Ireland public would see heavy deployments of officers both along the Olympic torch routes and at events associated with the queen's Diamond Jubilee, also being celebrated this weekend. He said IRA splinter groups "will take any opportunity to cause disruption."

He said people might find roads blocked, and other unexpected security delays. "We are taking these steps to keep communities and their officers safe. We would not do this if it was not absolutely necessary to protect life," Finlay said.

Several spectators said they doubted that any IRA splinter group would seriously disrupt the torch run. They said even if Irish republican extremists tried something, Northern Ireland's people were determined to keep partying anyway.

"We're not going to let that crowd of morons ruin our day. They represent zero-point-zero of the population. This is the real Northern Ireland," said Gareth Wilson, 35, standing with his wife and two sons by the roadside with cell phones in hand, each snapping pictures as the torch cavalcade passed.

( Agencies)

Olympic torch relay continues across Wales

British mountaineer Chris Bonnington holds the Olympic flame on top of Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales, in Snowdonia National Park, Wales, May 29, 2012. The flame was carried through Wales on day 11 of the Torch Relay, as part of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Beaumaris RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) lifeboat crew assist torchbearer Elen Evans as she carries the Olympic Flame accross the Menai Strait during the Olympic Torch Relay, in north Wales, May 29, 2012.

Joanne Gregory carries the London 2012 Olympic torch on a hand drawn boat across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in North Wales, May 30, 2012.

A bearer carries the London 2012 Olympic torch towards the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in North Wales, May 30, 2012.

The Olympic torch passes the birthplace of William Penny Brookes the founding father of the modern Olympics in Much Wenlock, central England, May 30, 2012. The first Wenlock Olympian games were held in 1850 for "every grade of man" and athletic events included knitting, writing, and arithmetic. Wenlock, one of the London 2012 mascots is named after the Shropshire town.

( Agencies)

Flame goes out for first time in 2012 relay

British Olympic sailor Ben Ainslee carries the Olympic torch on the first leg of its Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland tour at Lands End in Cornwall, southwest England, May 19, 2012.

LONDON - The Olympic flame went out on Monday for the first time during the torch relay around Britain ahead of the London Games because of a "malfunctioning burner", organizers said.

The torch was attached to 23-year-old David Follett's wheelchair went out on its way from Exeter to Taunton in southwest England on the third day of the 70-day relay.

The torch design had been tested at BMW's climatic center in Munich to ensure it could stay alight in all weather conditions.

"It is not uncommon for a flame to go out and this can happen for a number of reasons, for example, in extreme winds," the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) said in a statement.

Adventurer and television presenter Ben Fogle carries the Olympic lantern on a tree pruning helium balloon in a biodome at the Eden Project near St Austell in Cornwall, southwest England, May 19, 2012.

Organizers carried a mother flame in a vehicle behind the torchbearer and relit the torch in "a matter of a few minutes", a London 2012 spokesman said.

"This is something that has been practised time and time again," he said, adding that organizers thought the replacement had gone smoothly.

Monday's leg of the relay will see 113 people carry the Olympic torch over 135 miles (217 km).

Adventurer and television presenter Ben Fogle carries the Olympic lantern on a tree pruning helium balloon in a biodome at the Eden Project near St Austell in Cornwall, southwest England May 19, 2012.

(China daily)

Olympic Torch Relay begins across the UK

Torchbearers pass the Olympic flame on the beach in front of St. Michael's Mount at Marazion near Penzance in Cornwall, southwest England, May 19, 2012. Some 8000 runners are participating in the Olympic Torch Relay which will cover over 8000 miles throughout Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland over the next ten weeks before the London 2012 Olympics.

Large crowds watch as a torchbearer runs in the Olympic Torch Relay in Torquay in southwest England, May 19, 2012.

Crowds line the streets as a torchbearer poses during the Olympic Torch Relay in Porlock, southwest England, May 21, 2012.

Sarah Milner Simonds holds her torch as she prepares to run her leg of of the Olympic Torch Relay in Dunster, southwest England, May 21, 2012.

Crowds line the streets as a locally organised torch relay race is run ahead of the Olympic Torch Relay in Hatherleigh in southwest England, May 21, 2012.

Roadside spectators cheer as the Olympic Torch relay passes through Sennen on the first day of its Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland tour, in Cornwall, southwest England, May 19, 2012.

(Agencies)

US set for battle to top London medal table

DALLAS - The United States Olympic Committee's media summit wrapped up on Tuesday with no bold predictions but plenty of expectations as American athletes again look to top the medal table in London.



US Olympic Swimmer Natalie Coughlin is embraced by First Lady Michelle Obama as she takes the stage at the US Olympic Committee Media Summit at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas May 14, 2012.

The United States has led the Summer Games medal count since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and while the USOC was reluctant to put a number on their goal for the 2012 Games the target remains the same - top spot.

China and Russia pose a serious threat to US domination of the medal table but American athletes made it clear throughout the three-day summit in Dallas that they will not be conceding first place without a fight.

"The US will always be favorites," US women's soccer player Lauren Cheney said. "I look at the USA, not just soccer, I look at Team USA from track, gymnastics from anything. You see the American flag I feel like you get labeled a favourite.

"A target is always going to be on our backs. We do embrace it."

The USOC used the summit to introduce over 500 members of the media to many of the athletes they expect to carry US medal hopes at the July 27-Aug. 12 Games.

Some of the faces were familiar but most were anonymous names competing in obscure sports who will try to seize their moment in the London Olympic spotlight.

Swimmer Michael Phelps, the winner of a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was one of the athletes who needed no introduction.

Phelps is poised to once again take center stage in London as he looks to add to his haul of 16 medals, needing just three more to move past Soviet gymnast Larysa Latynina as the most successful Olympian of all-time.

A secretive Phelps and longtime coach Bob Bowman were summit headliners in Dallas but refused to offer even the slightest insight into their London game plan.



Synchronized swimming duet of Mary Killman and Maria Koroleva perform their routine during a demonstration at the US Olympic Committee Media Summit in Dallas, Texas, May 13, 2012.

Inspiring narratives

"Bob and I have plans and he is the only person that has really helped achieve my goals," explained Phelps. "My mom doesn't even know my goals. She isn't jumping in the pool and training with me.

"We've been working together as a team for so long, we've never shared our goals."

Despite being one of the most successful Olympians, Phelps must earn his ticket to London like every other athlete and will be part of the US swim trials in Nebraska from June 25-July 2.

Athletics and gymnastics team trials will also be taking place over the same period as the US team, estimated at 525 athletes, takes shape.

The summit offered glimpses into some of the compelling storylines these athletes will write as they chase Olympic glory.

Judo's Kayla Harrison, a victim of sexual abuse by a coach, Vietnam-born badminton player Howard Bach and wrestler Jordan Burroughs, who has not lost a match since 2009, are all world champions in their respective sports with inspiring narratives.



2010 world champion Kayla Harrison is thrown onto the mat by 2008 Olympian Travis Stevens during a judo demonstration at the US Olympic Committee Media Summit in Dallas, Texas May 13, 2012.

Michelle Obama, who will lead the US delegation to the opening ceremony for the London Olympics, also made a brief appearance at the summit to offer athletes a pep talk and to launch a program aimed at getting children active.

"One of my happiest memories center around watching the Olympic Games on TV when I was a little girl," the US first lady said. "Like so many others I was awed and inspired by those athletes ... I would dream that maybe one day, if I worked hard enough, I too could achieve something great.

"So when I'm sitting in that stadium in London cheering on Team USA ... I'll be thinking of the power of the Games to truly inspire a generation and how our Olympic and Paralympic athletes can serve as role models."



Hyleas Fountain, silver medallist for the Heptathlon event in the 2008 Olympics, demonstrates her stride for the media and guests during the US Olympic Committee Media Summit in Dallas, Texas May 13, 2012.

(Agencies)

Olympic Flame at Acropolis on handover eve

ATHENS - The Olympic Flame for the 2012 London Games was welcomed with great enthusiasm in Athens, as it reached the Acropolis hill on Wednesday, finishing its long trip across Greece on the eve of the handover ceremony.



A cauldron with the Olympic Flame is seen atop the Athens Acropolis after a Torch relay ceremony May 16, 2012.

Greek world champion in high jump Dimitris Chondrokoukis lit the cauldron on the sacred hill that will host the Olympic Light overnight, sending the world the messages of the Olympic ideals.

The ignition of the cauldron in front of the Parthenon temple marked the end of the seventh day of the Torch Relay that had started from the city of Lamia, about 200 kilometres north of Athens and crossed Piraeus port, before reaching Athens.

Veteran Olympic champions, such as Niki Bacoyanni (high jump 1996 Atlanta Olympics), and other athletes, as well as members of the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC), were among torchbearers at the finish line of the Greek leg of the Torch Relay that started last Thursday at Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympics 2,500 years ago.

On Thursday (May 17), the handover ceremony of the Sacred Flame that was lit in a touching ritual ceremony at Olympia on May 10, will take place at the Panathenaic Stadium, where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896.

The ceremony will be attended by Greek President Karolos Papoulias and Princess Anne of the United Kingdom, who has participated in the Games in the past, in equestrian, said a press release of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.



Britain's Princess Anne is surrounded by security officers as she walks atop Athens' Acropolis to attend an Olympic Flame ceremony May 16, 2012.

According to Greek media, soccer star David Beckham will be standing next to Princess Anne, along five children from the UK when HOC President, Spyros Capralos, will hand her the Flame.

The last torchbearers, according to HOC, will be the Greek Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting Pyrros Dimas and the Chinese Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics Li Ning, who lit the cauldron in the Bird's Nest at the 2008 Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony.

The Olympic Flame will depart for London on Friday morning from Athens "Eleftherios Venizelos" airport, according to the press release, to start the second leg of the Torch Relay across the host country until returning to the British capital for the launch of the Olympics on July 27.



Torchbearer Dimitrios Chondrokoukis, a Greek high jump athlete, lights a cauldron with the Olympic Flame atop the Athens Acropolis, May 16, 2012.

(Xinhua)

London Olympics motto: Inspire a generation

LONDON - The motto of the London Olympic Games - Inspire a Generation - was unveiled by the London Olympics organizing committee (LOCOG) on Wednesday as they celebrate 100 days to go to the Olympic Games.

It is "reflecting the promise made when London bid for the Games, the motto will appear on branding and publications in the run-up to and during, the Games," LOCOG said in a statement before a press conference for the 100 days countdown to the opening of the Games.

LOCOG president Sebastian Coe and CEO Paul Deighton will be present at the press conference to be held at London's Kew Garden later.

UK ready to welcome the world

260 Guardsmen from the Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots and Welsh Guards pose for a photograph as they form the number 100, to mark 100 days to go to the London 2012 Olympic Games, on Horse Guards Parade in central London April 16, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Millions of people around the UK get ready to welcome the world to London, said the LOCOG.

"Among those getting ready are a total of 70,000 volunteers, already a significant way through the million hours of training they will receive ahead of the eight million hours of volunteering they will deliver," said LOCOG on the website.

According to LOCOG, a recent survey shows more than eight million people are willing to line the streets and cheer the thousands of community heroes carrying the Olympic Flame around the UK.

Two million school children are learning about the value of the Games as well as the cultures of the countries and regions that send their athletes to compete in London.

Meanwhile eight millions Olympic and Paralympic tickets will be sold to British local sports fans in order to help forge a hospitable and jubilant atmosphere as the quadrennial sports galas get underway.

(china daily)

London 2012 shops in John Lewis stores expand nationwide

London 2012 merchandise is now available in even more towns and cities across the UK with John Lewis launching London 2012 shops in all its full line department stores.

Merchandise for London 2012 is expected to raise over £80 million towards the cost of funding the Games.

Twenty-seven new London 2012 shops will showcase up to 3,000 London 2012 products and give customers across the UK access to official Olympic and Paralympic merchandise.

As an official provider to the Games, the retailer has also dedicated space to London 2012 merchandise in all its ‘at home’ shops.

London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) Chair Seb Coe said: 'These new London 2012 shops are a great opportunity for people across the UK to show their support for the London 2012 Games and for Team GB and Paralympics GB.'

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Boxing their way to Olympic gold

Two female boxers compete during training in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. The two are preparing for the London Olympic Games in July this year. File photo Nov 4, 2012.

A female boxer shows her injured hands from training in Ningbo, Zhejiang province , Nov 4, 2012.

A boxer relaxes at the gym after training in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, Nov 4, 2012.

A female boxer cools her injured face from training in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, Nov 4, 2012.

(CFP)

London puts rings on Thames to mark 150 days to go

LONDON - Mayor Boris Johnson promised Londoners a "summer like no other" after sending a giant set of Olympic rings down the River Thames on Tuesday and announcing a programme of free cultural events throughout the Games.

Olympic rings mounted on a barge pass under Tower Bridge during a promotional event on the River Thames in London, Feb 28, 2012.

With 150 days to go before the July 27 Olympic opening ceremony, Johnson watched from the riverside as a tug pulled a barge with the five coloured rings through the open Tower Bridge while schoolchildren waved flags and a steel band played.

The Rings on the River, standing 11 meters high and 25 meters wide, were due to travel down to the Thames barrier, past Canary Wharf and Greenwich, before returning to the 19th century bridge next to the Tower of London.

They then go into storage to re-emerge during Games' time as part of the 'Look and Feel' of London 2012.

"In Games time you are not only going to be able to watch them, but when they dock at various points you are going to be able to mount bicycles and churn your legs and by some miraculous procedure several jets of water will come up around those fantastic rings," beamed Johnson, as renowned for his love of cycling as for his boyish exuberance.

"The serious point is that, I suppose, with 150 days to go, it shows that London's preparations are very far advanced and that these Olympics are on time and on budget."

Britain's Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson said earlier that the country was likely to have money left over from the 9.3 billion pounds ($14.73 billion) in public funds earmarked for the Games.

"We're on time, we're on budget and in fact we've got about half a billion pounds left in the budget," said Johnson. "But it's absolutely vital that we work very hard now to deliver all the programs.

"Today we are also announcing a lot of our cultural events. There are going to be Shakespeare performances popping up across London, opera taking place in London's canals, all sorts of events and they are going to be free to everybody."

Olympic rings mounted on a barge are manoeuvred to pass under Tower Bridge during a promotional event on the River Thames in London, Feb 28, 2012.

The events will include London's biggest ever outdoor arts festival and free events to be held in every borough of the capital from July 21 to Sept 9.

There will be a floating opera inspired by Edward Lear's 'The Owl and the Pussy Cat' and, staged on the canals, a series of free events called "Secrets: Hidden London" to encourage visitors and residents to see the city in a different light.

"Wherever you are you will feel a part of the 2012 celebrations and experience a summer like no other in one of the most exciting cities on Earth," said Johnson.

Olympic rings, mounted on a barge, pass the Tower of London as they move east along the Thames river to celebrate 150 days until the games begin, in London, Feb 28, 2012.

Yeomen Warders, also known as Beefeaters, are seen through Olympic rings mounted on a barge, as it is positioned in front of the Tower of London on the River Thames in London, Feb 28, 2012.

(Agencies)

Olympic test events go ahead amid London riots

The Olympic Stadium (bottom L) and the Aquatics Centre (bottom R), two of the venues for the 2012 London Olympics, is seen as smoke continues to rise from a Sony Warehouse, which was destroyed by arsonists in Enfield, in north London, August 9, 2011.



LONDON - As London reeled from three days of rioting and looting, 1012 Olympic organizers sought to maintain a business-as-usual attitude Tuesday, going ahead with a series of events to prepare for the 2012 Games that London will be hosting a year from now.



A women's beach volleyball tournament began as scheduled at Horse Guards Parade, with players in bikinis competing on a specially made sand court a short distance from Prime Minister David Cameron's 10 Downing Street residence.



But organizers decided to use two courts instead of one for Tuesday's 12 matches so that play could finish 90 minutes early, allowing spectators and staff to leave before dark.



FIVB Beach Volleyball Director Angelo Squeo consulted with high-ranking London Olympic organizers and police before taking the decision. Squeo, who was on site during the Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Atlanta Games, said he "will do whatever to not even risk putting in danger anybody here."



The competition, which runs through Sunday, is a test event for the Olympic tournament that will be played at the same iconic venue next year.



Other scheduled test events this week include a cycling road race that will go through the streets of London on Sunday and a marathon swimming competition at Hyde Park on Saturday. The world badminton championship are taking place at the Olympic venue of Wembley Arena in north London.



Olympic men's badminton champion Lin Dan of China said he took some precautions amid the unrest. "I just aimed not to go along the street too much," he said through an interpreter. "It was all right."



A wave of violence and looting has raged across London, as authorities struggled to contain the country's worst unrest since race riots set the capital ablaze in the 1980s. More than 400 arrests have been made so far.



The image of the host city has been tarnished by the images broadcast around the world of buildings and vehicles in flames and looters running amok.



"A lot of detailed work has taken place regarding security plans for the games and we will continue to review them together with the Met Police and the Home Office over the coming year," LOCOG, the local organizing committee, said in a statement.



Olympic security officials said they are confident of their plans and have already taken public disorder into account as a potential risk.



"What is absolutely clear is that we are committed to the games being delivered in safety and security, for athletes, spectators and the wider public."



Mayor Boris Johnson said he felt "ashamed" at the violence and the damage to London's image around the world.



"In less than 12 months we will welcome the world to a great summer games in the greatest city on earth - and by then we must all hope that we will look back on these events as a bad dream," he said in a column in the London Evening Standard. "It can be done. But it will be hard, and we will have our work cut out."



British Olympic Association spokesman Darryl Seibel expressed confidence the games would pass off safely.



"It makes an Olympic Games and a Paralympic Games all the more important," he said on Sky TV. "We need a reason to come together. What better city to do it in than London. This is not a reflection of London, this is a reflection of the world we live in today."



Hundreds of Olympic delegates from around the world were gathering Tuesday at a luxury hotel in Park Lane, near Hyde Park, to check on logistical preparations for the games. The chefs de mission, or team leaders, from more than 200 national Olympic committees were scheduled to tour the venues on Wednesday.



The IOC reiterated its confidence in security planning for London. "Security at the Olympic Games is a top priority for the IOC," spokesman Mark Adams told the AP. "While we are not responsible for security, we're happy with how local organizers are dealing with the issue and we are confident they will do a good job."



UK Prime Minister Cameron cut short his summer vacation in Italy and returned to London to deal with the crisis. He recalled Parliament from its summer recess and said 16,000 officers would be on the streets of the capital Tuesday night - almost tripling the number on the streets Monday night.



Britain was already preparing a massive security operation for the Olympics, but most of the attention has been on the threat of international terrorism. About 12,000 police officers will be on duty each day of the games, which have a security budget of at least $770 million.

The O2 arena (bottom R), one of the venues for the 2012 London Olympics, is seen as smoke continues to rise from a Sony Warehouse, which was destroyed by arsonists in Enfield, in north London, August 9, 2011.

The 2012 Olympic Stadium is seen at sunset in London, August 9, 2011.



(Agencies)

One year to go to 2012 olympic Games

People gather around the stage at the One Year to Go ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics countdown event in Trafalgar Square, London on July 27, 2011.

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (L) and London Mayor Boris Johnson chat during the London 2012 Olympic Games one year countdown at an Olympic event in Trafalgar Square in central London July 27, 2011.

A spectator celebrates during the London 2012 Olympic Games one year countdown at an Olympic event in Trafalgar Square in central London July 27, 2011.

Former Olympic gold medallists Kelly Holmes and Sebastian Coe, the Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee, hold up the newly designed medals for the London 2012 Olympic Games, at an Olympic event in Trafalgar Square in central London July 27, 2011.

A group of young Chinese from Guangzhou, China joins the celebrating crowd in the London 2012 one year countdown event in Central London.

[China Daily]

London 2012 unveils Olympic medals

The London 2012 Olympic Games medals are displayed during a news conference in London July 27, 2011.

LONDON - The London Olympic medals were unveiled on Wednesday while the city was celebrating the mark of one year to go until the opening ceremony of the 2012 Games.

The Olympic medals, designed by British artist David Watkins, were unveiled to the world tonight by the British Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise and the LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe in the presence of IOC President Jacques Rogge and Coordination Commission Chairman Denis Oswald at a special ceremony in Trafalgar Square, central London.

Rogge said, "It is the pinnacle of a sporting career to become an Olympic champion but I am confident that receiving one of these medals will make it all the more special in London next year."

The Olympic medals' circular form is a metaphor for the world. The front of the medal always depicts the same imagery at the summer Games - the Greek Goddess of Victory, Nike, stepping out of the depiction of the Parthenon to arrive in the host city.

On the reverse of the medals, the dished background suggests a bowl similar to the design of an amphitheatre.

The core emblem is an architectural expression, a metaphor for the modern city, or as a geological metaphor as a tough crystalline growth which is deliberately jewel like.

The grid brings both a pulling together and sense of outreach on the design - an image of radiating energy that represents the athletes' achievements and effort.

The River Thames is a symbol for London and also suggests a fluttering baroque ribbon and adds a sense of celebration.

The square is the final balancing motif of the design, opposing the overall circularity of the design and emphasizing its focus on the centre and reinforcing the sense of "place" as in a map inset.

The sport and discipline of the medal-winning athletes will be engraved on the rim of every medal.

Coe hoped that seeing the design of the medals will be a source of inspiration for the thousands of athletes around the world who are counting down the year before they compete at the Games.

In 2012, more than 2,100 Olympic medals will be presented in 302 Olympic victory ceremonies in more than 30 venues over 16 days of competition.

The medals will go into production later this year at Royal Mint's headquarters in Llantrisant, South Wales.

Britain's Olympic triple jump gold medalist Jonathan Edwards, poses for a photograph with a gold medal designed for the London 2012 Olympic Games following a news conference in London July 27, 2011.

(Xinhua)

'Super Dan' focused on London 2012

China's badminton star, Lin Dan, gets ready to shave during a Gillette press conference in Beijing. As one of the nation's most popular sports figures, Lin is a big attraction for different commercials.

BEIJING - The handsome face and muscular figure of Lin Dan make him an ideal candidate for the big screen.

However, the Chinese badminton superstar says any speculation about a career in the entertainment industry will have to wait until his on-court career ends.

"Right now, I'm just focused on the 2012 Olympic Games. I will not think about the possibility (of acting) as long as I'm still able to play the sport," said 27-year-old Lin during a press conference on Sunday organized by razor brand Gillette.

The reigning Olympic and world champion is determined to hold on until the 2012 London Olympics, even though he achieved a grand slam by winning the Asian Games in Guangzhou.

"I will try my best and hold on to play at the 2012 Olympic Games," said Lin, who won the MVP Award at the Asian Games thanks to his men's singles title and his overwhelming popularity with fans and the media.

"I know it will be a tough two years. I know rising stars and old foes will come up and pose bigger threats during my preparation. But I'm ready to accept the challenge," 'Super Dan' said.

The Asiad title was the only major crown missing from Lin's glittering resume, which includes one Olympic title and three consecutive world crowns.

He said the pressure going into the Asiad was even greater than that at the 2008 Beijing Games.

"I know lots of people expected me to pick up the title. There was big pressure on me," said Lin, who was upset by Malaysia's Hidayat Taufik in the Doha final four years ago. "So when I did it, I felt more excited than when I won the Olympic title."

(China Daily)