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legends Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe could potentially go
head-to-head in the men’s 200m freestyle, with Tom Daley
hoping to compete for his first medal of the Games in the
10m synchronised platform diving final.
London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe said: ‘they’re the
greatest tickets on earth for the greatest show on earth. This
is a really big moment, a huge moment’.
Those people who are not a resident of the UK or a
designated European country need to apply for tickets via
their National Olympic Committee (NOC) or their appointed
Authorised Ticket Reseller (ATR). A full contact list for all
NOCs and ATRs can be found on the ticket eligibility page of
the London 2012 website.
Construction Milestones to 27 July 2011
The Olympic DeliveryAuthority (ODA) has set out in advance
the milestones it plans to achieve for the different phases of
the project, so it can be transparent and accountable for the
significant public investment in the construction project. The
following 10 milestones were set in July 2010 for completion
by 27 July 2011, one year from the opening of the games.
The 10 milestones are:
1. Construction of the Olympic Stadium will be complete and the
venue ready to be handed over.
2. Construction of the Aquatics Centre will be complete and the
venue ready to be handed over.
3. Construction of the Velodrome will be complete and the venue
ready to be handed over.
4. Construction of the International Broadcast Centre/Main Press
Centre (IBC/MPC) will be complete and ready for occupation
by the Olympic Broadcasting Service and the London 2012
Organising Committee.
5. Construction of the Handball and Basketball Arenas will be
complete and the venues ready to be handed over.
6. Construction of the Lee Valley White Water Centre will be
complete and the venue handed over to Lee Valley Regional
Park Authority.
7. Construction work on Eton Manor and Royal Artillery Barracks
will be underway and on track to be completed as planned in
spring 2012.
8. The external structure of the Olympic Village will be finished with
the internal fit out complete in most of the blocks.
9. Construction of all permanent bridges will be complete. All utilities
will be operational. Landscaping will be well advanced across
the Park.
10. Construction work at Stratford Regional Station will be complete,
with Londoners already benefiting from hundreds of millions
of pounds of additional investment across London’s transport
system.
So far, in addition to the main stadium and velodrome, the 12,000-seat
Basketball Arena and 7,000 seat Handball Arena have been finished. With
the wave-shaped Aquatics Centre steel roof structure in place, roof covering
work is well underway. The concrete dive pool and two 50m competition and
training pools have also been dug out, lined and tested. Construction has been
finished on the Lee Valley White Water Centre, the first brand new London
2012 venue to be completed.
Sports Injuries
put Strain on
South Africa
An article recently published in the South African
Medical Journal (SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. vol.100
no.4 Cape Town Apr. 2010) which studied rugby-
related spinal cord injuries (SCIs) concluded
that whilst they are uncommon, each burdens
an already strained health care system and
contributes to early life loss. It added ”SouthAfrica
is a developing country with limited resources,
so sports injuries in this country may not be a
government priority.”
Whilst South Africans have a well deserved
reputation for being sports fanatics and take part in
many different sports on a daily basis there is little
tailored insurance cover available to provide for
those inevitable accidents. This means that many
amateur and professional sports people are not
only seriously financially disadvantaged but also
struggling to find suitable specialist treatment.
Now South African insurance specialists,
Guardrisk, have developed a sports product for
professionals and amateurs. These new products
are aimed at sports clubs, associations, bodies
and even individual sportsmen and women.
David Honeyman of Guardrisk explained, “There is
a need to provide high levels of disability insurance
for children and adults who participate in contact
sports. The cost of looking after a disabled child
or adult is extremely high and can potentially ruin
a family financially if adequate insurance covers
are not in place.”
“The cost of modifying a home and vehicle to
accommodate someone in a wheelchair, and
ongoing costs for physiotherapy and rehabilitation,
are prohibitive.”
“Disability cover is available at a monthly cost of
R
6
per R100 000 cover and will not be restricted
to sports injuries only. Our cover for disability is
extended to include any bodily injury, and includes
motor vehicle accidents, assault, injuries at home,
snake bites etc.”