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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

WWE Monday Night Raw 1/9/2012 - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

WWE Monday Night Raw 1/9/2012 - The Good, The Bad And The UglyChris Jericho is on a crazy tear, Kane is still doing the horror thing and what's a Funkasaurus? Check out what you missed on this week's WWE Monday Night Raw.
Whether it's because of the impending build-up toward WrestleMania, the company being willing to try new stuff as ratings take their inevitable football season dive, or just some type of rare alignment of the planets, Monday Night Raw has been pretty damn solid lately. This week, more awesome Jericho trolling, the much-anticipated arrival of Brodus Clay, three solid matches and mercifully, not a single Divas contest. In fact, pretty much the only thing I didn't like about the show was the Cena/Kane/Ryder/Eve angle...which unfortunately both started and ended the program.

To find out my thoughts on the above, the first batch of 2012 Hall of Fame inductees, and most importantly, who won the coveted Shitterson Match of the Night Award, keep reading as I run down the good, bad and downright ugly moments from this week's show. Then, make sure to tell everyone about the article on Twitter, share it on Facebook and come follow me onTwitter, where I babble about comic books, wrestling and devil music throughout the week. Oh, and for good measure, you also better call my mama.

Finally, if you haven't checked it out already, make sure to read my "Straight Shoot" column from last week: Straight Shoot: Chris Jericho Is A New Type of Heel, where I take a closer look at Jericho's return. And keep an eye out for this Thursday's column, as I look back at what might be the best match of 2011.

Looking for even more insight about last night's Raw? Check out Brandon Stroud's The Best and Worst of Raw over at our friends WithLeather.
WWE Raw 1/9/2012
Credit: WWE

Bad – Is Being Pro-Hate Good Motivation?

In today's world of increasingly self-aware professional wrestling, it gets harder and harder to think of decent motivations for heels, especially ones capable of getting the fans to forget that the person they're booing is just a dude pulling a paycheck. So, in a way, it's refreshing that Kane doesn't want a title, fame or even revenge - he's just stridently pro-hate, and anti-rising-above-the-same. There's even a Ron Paul joke in there somewhere if you care to find it.

An engine of senseless destruction and rage can work just fine as an antagonist as seen in pretty much every horror movie ever. But in order for the menace to come off as convincing, the villain needs to be silent, or at the very least enigmatic in what his motivations are. If Kane just emerged and attacked John Cena and/or Zack Ryder each week with limited explanation that story could be hell of compelling - the guy's a monster and he doesn't really need any motivation beyond that. But by having Kane spew out nonsensical, rambling, confusing (though well-delivered) promos each week, WWE just muddies the waters of the feud while making Kane seem like a pyromaniac therapist, which is a concept better suited for a shitty Showtime drama than pro-wrestling.
WWE Raw 1/9/2012
Credit: WWE

Bad – Ethnic Characters on Parade

This week, WWE crammed all it's hyper-ethnic characters (OK, most all of them - the black guys all came out later) into a single wackadoo tag team match. Ostensibly the match pitting Sheamus & Santino Marella against Wade Barrett & Jinder Mahal was set to promote the Royal Rumble, but that only barely came across in commentary and not at all in the match itself. Sheamus could have at least tried to toss everyone over the top rope at the end, or maybe even have some kind of issue with his partner, Santino.

Even worse than the time-killing nature of the contest, however, was the fact that we had to watch it instead of an actual tag team match. WWE is currently building some type of angle with Air Boom and Primo& Epico, with the Usos tag team also waiting in the ring. As much as I loved seeing Daniel Bryan get a win over Kofi Kingston tonight (more on that later), I would have preferred to see the World Heavyweight Champion beat someone else while Kingston appeared in action with his fake weed smoking tag team partner, Evan Bourne.
WWE Raw 1/9/2012
Credit: WWE

Good – Big Johnny

Tonight, John Laurinaitis told a worried Miz, "I'm not Little Jimmy. I'm Big Johnny." and I'm not ashamed to say that I legit LOLed. Laurinaitis is evolving into a bizarre type of authority figure heel, simultaneously cagey and bumbling. Part of what makes it all work is his off-kilter promo delivery -I can't tell if they're wacky on purpose or just because he's actually kind of confused. Either way, it's great. So great in fact, that David Otunga's coffee-slurping presence irritates me less and less.
WWE Raw 1/9/2012
Credit: WWE

Good – New Hall of Famers

While savvy Internet wrestling news readers have known for months about WWE's plans to induct Alberto Del Rio's uncle Mil Mascaras into the promotion's Hall of Fame, tonight marked the first time that WWE programming announced names for the Class of 2012. The first name announced on television was that of Edge, and while I personally think it might be a little too soon, especially given the fact that it's becoming a habit to induct people immediately upon retiring, only a complete maniac would argue with the merit of the actual decision. The other name was actually that of a stable, The Four Horsemen, which more than anything reminded me of how shocking it is that Arn Anderson hasn't already been inducted in the Hall of Fame.

Conspicuous by his absence, however, is a name that many fans, myself included, considered a shoe-in for this year's Hall of Fame class: the late, great "Macho Man" Randy Savage. For years, rumors have persisted about Vince McMahon's hatred of Savage, with many chalking the enmity up to a sexual relationship the wrestler had with a young Stephanie McMahon, but recent years had seen things relax enough that Savage appeared in WWE toy lines and even video games. Plus, Savage's death received a huge amount of mainstream coverage this year, and have you ever known McMahon to shy away from publicity or the opportunity to sell tickets?
WWE Raw 1/9/2012
Credit: WWE

Good – A Fighting Champion

WWE has a frustrating tendency with new World Champions that typically involves booking them to get the snot kicked out of them week after week until ignobly losing the title at the end of their short run. While it couldn't be considered a win over a top-level star, I was still pleased to see Daniel Bryan go over clean this week in what was one of the best Kofi Kingston matches I've seen since his too-brief feud with Randy Orton.

Even better was the interaction that the World Heavyweight Champion had with the No. 1 contender Big Show following the match. Anyone who saw him back in his Ring of Honor days knows that Daniel Bryan can be a hell of a heel, so it's exciting to see his smarmy attitude start peeking around the corners of his underdog façade. But Big Show is also awesome as a villain, especially when he has much smaller men to toss around, and his aggressive posturing toward Bryan could be seen as hinting toward a full-on turn. Hell, WWE could turn both of them heel for all I care, just as long as they keep having matches that are as entertaining as their bout on last week's SmackDown.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Matt Hardy Talks His Problems & Improving Himself

Matt Hardy posted the following statement today…
"I have made more than my share of mistakes in life, but those mistakes have also made me into the person I am today. I can't change my past, so I won't ever deny it or attempt to hide it either. When someone compliments me, I greatly appreciate it. When someone insults me, it doesn't bother me because I know exactly how good I am and am confident in what I have to offer to others in my life now. No one's perfect-not me, not you, not anyone. We can all only try and be the best human being we can be. I understand my human defects and work on improving them every day. I've NEVER been so full of life and had so much excitement for every new day of life
Matt Hardy Talks His Problems & Improving Himself
. I've been given so much in life, it's time for me to give back. Whether you love me or despise me, God bless you all.

WWE Smackdown Results (1/6)

WWE Smackdown Results (1/6) - Teddy Long Gives Drew McIntyre A Second Chance, Daniel Bryan's First Title DefenseWWE Smackdown Results
By Bill Pritchard for RAW2RAW

January 6th, 2012
Intercontinental Championship
Booker T vs Cody Rhodes (c)

Booker hits a shoulder block that sends Cody into the corner, and they go to lock up but Booker hits him in the stomach then whips him off the ropes and drops Cody with an elbow. Booker picks him back up and applies a headlock, but Cody fights back and hits him a few times in the corner then kicks him on the ground. Cody twists Booker's arm around and elbows him, then they try to out chop each other and Booker whips Cody off the ropes and backdrops him. Booker hits a back heel kick for two then pulls Cody in the middle and chops him, then throws him out of the ring but Cody skins the cat and flips back in the ring.
Booker sees it coming and waits until Cody turns around to clothesline him out to the floor, then Booker follows him out but Cody attacks and throws him into the barricade. Booker goes for a backslide then Cody comes back with an elbow and a top rope moonsault for a two count, then bounces off the ropes and kicks Booker in the head. He puts him in an inverted choke but Booker gets up and ducks a clothesline then hits a side slam for two and hits a spinesbuster then calls for a scissors kick. Cody gets out of the way and misses a Beautiful Disaster, then Booker connects with a scissors kick but only gets a two count. Booker goes for another scissors kick but Cody moves then ducks another kick, and jumps off the ropes and hits Beautiful Disaster to retain.
Winner - Cody Rhodes
Dustin Rhodes approaches Cody backstage and congratulates him, but Cody says there is a reason they don't talk and he knows that Dustin has nothing important to say. Cody tells his brother than he is already better than him, and pretty soon he is going to be better than their father very soon. He tells Dustin if he wants to put on his gold paint and give it one more run he can, but he will turn him from a joke to a laughing stock very quickly.
Zack Ryder is in Teddy Long's office and he says he can't be his assistant anymore since he is United States Champion and now he has to deal with Kane. He says he has someone in mind for a replacement and Drew McIntyre walks in and has Teddy backpedaling, but Zack says it's not him and points at Santino. Drew says he wants a chance but Santino says Drew was supposed to be fired last week, and they argue until Teddy says they will have a match tonight. He says Santino gets the job if he wins, and Drew might not get fired if he wins, then they leave and Aksana comes in and flirts with Teddy as we go to a commercial.
Alicia Fox is in the back asking AJ about her New Year and Daniel Bryan comes over and asks if they don't think he can beat the Big Show tonight. He says he already beat him once to win his championship, then Alicia walks away and Bryan asks how she is friends with Alicia. AJ tries to reason with him and says she was just concerned, but Bryan tells her he is going to win again, and they can go celebrate after his match then he kisses her on the forehead and walks away.
Over The Top Battle Royal
Hornswoggle vs Heath Slater

Hornswoggle kicks Slater in the leg then gets him to one knee and kicks him in the head, but Slater throws him across the ring and chokes him in the corner. Slater puts him on the top turnbuckle but Hornswoggle slaps him in the head and tries to hit a tornado DDT, but Slater tries to throw him on the apron. Hornswoggle holds on and pulls his hair to eliminate Slater, but Slater runs in and attacks him until Justin Gabriel runs out for the save and hits a 450 splash then makes sure Hornswoggle is OK.
Winner - Hornswoggle
Ted DiBiase vs Hunico (w/ Camacho)
Hunico backs Ted into the corner but Ted comes back with some punches and avoids a hurricanrana by hitting a face first slam for a two count. Hunico trips him up and snaps his arm back, then puts him in an elevated armbar but Ted makes it to his feet and counters with a Samoan Drop and a dropkick. Ted hits another dropkick and a clothesline for a two count, then goes for Dream Street but Hunico counters with a jawbreaker and ties up Ted with the Hunico Special and gets the win.
Winner - Hunico
Wade Barrett said he didn't need anyone else to come out here because he can handle a medical update on his own then tells the fans to look at how Randy Orton injured himself. They show clips of last week's Falls Count Anywhere match then Wade says the injury was a by product of the match and Orton has a herniated disc in his back. Wade says Orton's career is over, and he might try to make a comeback but he will be a shell of himself and will remain a victim of the Barrett Barrage. Wade says it's ironic that the Royal Rumble is a few weeks away, and Orton won't be able to fight in his hometown so Wade knows there is no one else standing in his way.
Sheamus makes his way out and says his uncle was like him in the fact that he talked about the good old days, but he was a normal guy who dreamed, just like Wade is dreaming of winning the Rumble. Sheamus says he is Wade's biggest threat, and he says he uncle's excuse for fantasy was that he got kicked in the head and he asks Wade his excuse for acting like an ass. Jinder Mahal interrupts them and comes to the ring and gets in Sheamus' face and slaps him, then Sheamus attacks him until Wade jumps him from behind. Wade and Jinder beat Sheamus in the corner but he comes back with some powerslams then goes for the Celtic Cross but Jinder kicks him in the stomach and Wade hits the Winds of Change and raises his arm over Sheamus before leaving. Jinder decides he isn't finished and slides back in the ring and puts Sheamus in the Camel Clutch before throwing him to the mat and leaving him laying.
Santino Marella vs Drew McIntyre
Drew shoves Santino then avoids a hiptoss but gets punched in the face a few times, then Drew sweeps Santino's legs and stomps him near the corner. Drew hits a clothesline and a snap suplex for a two count, then chokes him on the ropes until a ref calls for a break so he sets up for the Futureshock. Santino counters with a rollup for two then Drew throws him in the corner and sets him up on the top turnbuckle but Santino snaps his neck down on the post then hits the Cobra for the win.
Winner - Santino Marella
Drew finds Teddy in the back and begs with him to reconsider because Santino had to have messed with the ropes, but Teddy says he doesn't want to hear it. Teddy tells him tonight was strike two, and if he loses next week it is strike three and he is gone, then Santino comes in and does his trumpet dance while a disgusted Drew walks away.
Epico & Primo (w Rosa Mendes) vs Air Boom
Bourne avoids a backdrop and counters with a rollup then tags in Kofi and they leapfrog Epico and Kofi hits a dropkick for a two count. Primo kicks Kofi behind the referee's back then Epico makes the tag and Primo leaps over the ropes and hits a crescent kick and follows it with a slam for two. Primo puts Kofi in a headlock but he makes it to his feet and Primo whips him in the corner but Kofi hits a high cross body and struggles to tag out. He leaps and tags Bourne and he hits a leaping knee and a flying elbow, then goes up top and hits a double knee smash but Epico breaks up the pin. Rosa distracts Kofi on the floor but Bourne hits Primo and goes for up for Air Bourne, but Epico pulls his cousin out of the way and Primo slides over and makes the cover.
Winners - Epico & Primo
Matt Striker is backstage to interview Big Show and he asks how confident he is, and Show says he doesn't underestimate anyone but he is very confident. He says he knows Daniel Bryan is a good wrestler, then Bryan comes over and says he knows he is a good wrestler and someday he will be a great wrestler. Bryan says everyone throws him talent away like he didn't earn anything, but he fought for everything and he isn't a genetic freak like Show. He says if he was, he wouldn't have had to wait nine years before title reigns or have one last under a minute. Show gets pissed and puts his hand on Bryan's shoulder and asks if he is a tough guy now, then tells him he doesn't want to hurt him but this just gets Bryan pissed and he tells Show to get his hand off of him and walks away.
Natalya vs Tamina
Natalya sweeps the legs and punches Tamina a few times and screams at her and says she is messing with the wrong person, then she goes for the Sharpshooter. Tamina kicks her away then hits a cross body and a Samoan Drop then pulls Natalya in the corner and goes up top and hits a Superfly Splash for the win.
Winner - Tamina
World Heavyweight Championship
Big Show vs Daniel Bryan (c)

Big Show runs after Bryan and tries to corner him but Bryan gets away and says he is too slow, but Show catches him in the corner and slaps him in the chest. He picks up Bryan by his head and shakes him, then throws Bryan out to the floor and Bryan sits up and looks scared as we go to a break. When we return, Bryan kicks him a few times but Show throws him back outside and Show goes after him but Bryan slides back in. He hits a baseball slide then throws Show into the steps and follows it with a running dropkick from the apron. (Cont'd...)
Big Show makes it to his feet at seven and gets back in the ring, and blocks a kick from Bryan and chops him but Bryan comes right back with some kicks. Show powers out of a pin attempt and throws him in the corner but Bryan hits a middle rope dropkick and gets thrown from the ring again. Bryan tries to gather himself but Show grabs him by the head and pulls him in but Bryan snaps his head off the ropes and tries to go up top. Show counters and hits a clothesline, then Bryan runs the ropes but Show clotheslines him again and gets a two count.
Bryan counters a chokeslam attempt with a guillotine choke, then Show tries to power out of it but Bryan counters into the LeBell Lock. Show fights out of it and throws Bryan backwards, then winds up for the Knockout Punch but Bryan rolls outside and Mark Henry yells at him from commentary. Bryan yells back and says he already got knocked out, and Henry throws him to the ground and the ref calls for the disqualification. Bryan gets up and takes his title and celebrates around ringside, while Henry shakes his head and he and Show argue at ringside while Bryan runs up the ramp and kisses his title and raises his arms.
Winner (by disqualification) - Daniel Bryan

Dream WWE vs TNA Matches

WWE vs TNA Ofcourse we all talk all the time about WWE vs TNA knowing it won't happen in the near future. I know it won't happen anytime but a man can dream right. I've always believed that WWE had a better product but TNA has the better wrestlers/matches. TNA stars wrestle on Fast-Forward but the product is very dry.

Matches:
Eric Young vs Santino Marella
These are the two stars that play the on-screen goofball/comedian role. They both are super over with the crowd and they both are very good in the ring which would make for entertaining television.

Kazarian vs Dolph Ziggler
I would say the only difference between these two are the hair color. They both have the same annoying high pitched voice. They both cut great promos and they both are great in the ring. I love Dolph's in ring work its so unique and violent. Kazarian has always been a very smart wrestler in my opinion. Would love to see this matchup.

Robbie E vs Zack Ryder
The two jersey shore gimmicks. Interesting to see how a soldout crowd would react to this match. They both aren't anything special in the ring but I feel Zack has Robbie E's number.

Rob Terry vs Mason Ryan
They hail from the same area. They both are freakishly huge monsters. They both are pretty green as far as wrestling but Mason Ryan has more of the look. Obviously WWE weren't too interested in Rob Terry because he had a small snint with FCW a while back. I would love to see the two young beasts go at it for entertainment purposes.

Rey Mysterio vs Amazing Red
I dont know too much about wrestling outside of TNA and WWE but I heard that these two wrestled before. Well I haven't seen it but I would absolutely love to. These two are exciting to watch and would definitely draw.

Sting vs The Undertaker
I guess this wasn't hard to predict. These two are very similar and I'm sure this match would be off the charts. Lately Sting's ringwork has been slipping but I feel the Undertaker has proven time in and time out that he still can deliver big time matches even though he's lost a couple steps as well. It's what the people wanna see.

Kurt Angle vs John Cena
I know that everyone wants to see Swagger vs Angle but I think the WWE dropped the ball on Swagger so bad that this wouldn't even be entertaining. If they kept Swagger in the hunt and in the mainevent mix then I would love to see this match. Point blank, Cena's first match was against Angle. They had mutual respect but clearly disliked eachother. They had alot of backstage heat amongst eachother but had one of the most memorable feuds ever. They worked matches as heels and even vise versa. I loved when heel Cena was feuding with face Kurt. They've crossed paths alot and to Cena even beat Angle to become number 1 contender for his first WWE Championship. They have history and alot of animosity and I wanna see them work again. I wanna see how Kurt can handle an established Cena in the ring. I wanna see how crisp Cena moves will be against the Gold-Medalist himself.

Cm Punk vs AJ Styles
This would be the most exciting match on any card hands down. Cm Punk should be the face of this company as well as Styles is the face of TNA. This would be one of the greatest matches ever.

Jeff Jarrett vs Triple H
I always wondered what kind of star Jeff Jarrett could've been if Triple H wasn't playing backstage politics. I'm not sure if Triple H ever stepped on Jarrett's toes but they always reminded me of eachother back in the day. The founder of TNA vs the Successor of McMahon.

Ezekiel Jackson vs Samoa Joe
These two animals would put on a hellava match. Very physical which is what we ask for.

Kofi Kingston vs The pope
I would have to say this is a race thing. I think they are the most exciting African American wrestlers today. I definitely feel they are both future World Champions is they are booked right. Pope was the most exciting wrestler in TNA. Had the fans on his wing and got pinfall victories over all of the top stars. He was in the title picture and they dropped him. If they would've gave him a title run instead of Jeff Hardy then we wouldn't have to watch 90-second ppv mainevents.
As far as Kofi. He;s the next big thing but the WWE traps him in this stupid gimmick. What more can he do. The crowd gets louder and louder everytime he comes out as if they are begging Vince to push this guy. He deserves it.
I would love to see the two most under-used wrestlers from both companies go head to head.

Randy Orton vs Ken Anderson
BACKSTAGE POLITICS AT ITS FINEST. WOuld love to see these two go head to head considering how Orton got Kennedy fired from the WWE. They both are established stars and can draw huge. This would rock.

The MCMG & Beer Money vs Daniel Bryan, John Morrison, Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel
This match would be huge if handled right.

Kane vs Abyss
Do I need to Explain? lol

The Beautiful People vs Lay-Cool
I think all four of them have been very immature regarding their situation. Beautiful People need to realize that the wrestling business has recycled and stole many gimmicks. SHut up and deal with it. Lay-Cool mainly Layla needs to shut the hell up and dont respond adn consider it as paying homage to the original beautiful people.

Brutus Magnus, Desmond Wolfe & Doug Williams vs Sheamus, Drew McCintyre & Wade Barrett
This is what you call a show-stealer. This would draw huge.

Edge & Christian vs The Hardy's vs The Dudleys
ONE MORE TIME IN A TLC

The Miz vs RVD
Just a card filler. When people question the Miz's in ring ability, he always delivers. RVD is amazing as well.

Vince McMahon W/Bret Hart vs Hulk Hogan W/Bischoff...Special Guest Referee - Steve Austin in a FULL ROSTER LUMBERJACK MATCH
The Mainevent of the night. This is the biggest dream match. The two would face off for control of both companies. No in all seriousness this is the pinacle of wrestling right here. Vince created the Hogan character. They played politics on eachother for years until Hogan turn his back a second time on McMahon. This would be epic. Stone Cold as the ref with Bret Hart on Vince side. Bischoff prissy self on Hulk's side. Wouldn't be much of a wrestling match but seeing those two in the samering would deliver. Steve Austin hates Hogan. Bret Hart hates both Hogan and Eazy-E. AWWW MAN IF DREAMS CAME TRUE lol.

Thanks guys and leave your opinion. Tell me some of yout dream matches and we can have a friendly debate. God Bless. Check out some of my youtube links.

Why do MMA fans love to hate on WWE?

MMA Vs WWE Fanson Raw2Raw Blog. It felt equal parts strange and obligatory, when the MMA world suffered a momentary conniption fit at the news that Chael Sonnen will have current WWE champion CM Punk escort him to the cage later this month during the UFC’s second live network television broadcast.

Strange, because on the surface it’s such a non-story: Minor celebrity walks attention-seeking MMA fighter to the Octagon for high-profile bout. Big deal. Makes sense.

CM Punk
Moses Robinson/Getty ImagesReacting negatively to CM Punk is obligatory, because that's how MMA fans react to pro wrestlers.

After all, Punk (real name: Phil Brooks) is a noted MMA enthusiast and Sonnen’s Jan. 28 title eliminator against Mark Munoz will go down in the WWE star’s hometown of Chicago, where he enjoys enormous popularity. If involving Brooks in such a shoestring way brings a few more eyeballs to the UFC’s next show on Fox and by extension to Sonnen, then it’s pretty easy to see why both fight company and fighter would want him there.

However, the uproar the news caused among some fans also seemed totally fitting -- and, honestly, a little tired at this point -- since hating professional wrestling remains one of the American MMA community’s favorite pastimes.

In truth, this kind of celebrity intrusion is actually commonplace in our sport and Brooks’ part in Sonnen’s entrance would be a complete nonissue, were he anything other than a pro wrestler.

Nobody cared when actor Kevin James cornered Jason Miller during his bout at the TUF 14 finale in December. Few even blink anymore when a 39-year-old Shaquille O’Neal routinely implies he wants to fight in the Octagon. One of MMA’s most beloved and most respected analysts is a stand-up comedian and former sitcom actor, yet many fans have come to take Joe Rogan’s word as gospel.

But professional wrestling’s current “it” performer plans to walk from the locker room with an MMA fighter? My, how typically controversial.
Brock Lesnar
Cliff Welch/Icon SMI The world didn't exactly stand still when Brock Lesnar joined the UFC ranks.

If the well-documented online consensus is anything to go on, most MMA fans either despise pro wrestling’s “fakeness” or care so little about “sports entertainment” that they feel compelled to remind the rest of us about it every single time the topic comes up. As everyone knows, the best way to prove you don’t care about something is to take the time to type out a message about it and then hit “Post” in order to share that indifference with the world.

Exactly why some MMA fans harbor such disdain for pro wrestling, and why they delight so much in shouting it to the world is another matter entirely. Certainly, there is a fair amount of crossover between the two fan bases. A good chunk of current MMA fans were likely once pro wrestling fans and perhaps now they’re embarrassed about it -- though I’m not sure why.

Additionally, many fans keep MMA close to their hearts and have come to feel protective of it after years of defending it against mainstream ignorance. Those people would now be loath to see MMA lumped in with anything the larger population considers “fake.” On the other hand, it’s been so long since pro wrestling held itself up as anything resembling unscripted competition that it’s hard to see how the two would ever be confused, or how wrestling could be any kind of impediment to MMA’s growing popularity. Certainly the biggest threats to MMA's continued march toward acceptance come from within, not from WWE.

In any case, none of that fully explains the intensity of the dislike, which at this point occasionally borders on neurosis. It's weird, it’s ugly and most everybody would probably be better off if we could all agree that the world is big enough for both real fighting and the scripted variety.

By now we should know that the sky will not fall if the occasional pro wrestler like Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley or Dave Bautista tries his hand at MMA. Nor will the world come to a screeching halt if a professional wrestler wants to lead an MMA fighter to the cage later this month.

So long as Brooks stays on the outside of the chain link, his presence will likely do more good than harm.

Friday, January 6, 2012

2012 Summer Olympics | London 2012

2012 Olympics" redirects here. For the Winter Youth Olympics, see 2012 Winter Youth Olympics.
"London 2012" redirects here. For the Paralympic Games, see 2012 Summer Paralympics.
Page move-protected
Games of the XXX Olympiad
London Olympics 2012 logo.svg
This is the clear version of the official logo.
There are four official base colours, and another version for the
2012 Summer Paralympics.
For more details, see section "Logo" below.
Host cityLondon, England, United Kingdom
Nations participating144 (qualified)
204 (estimated)
Athletes participating10,500 (estimated)
Events302 in 26 sports
Opening ceremony27 July
Closing ceremony12 August
StadiumOlympic Stadium
[hide] 2012 Summer Olympics
  • Bid process
  • Bid details
  • Announcements and developments
  • Venues
  • Torch Relay
  • Paralympics
  • Mascots
  • Medal table (medalists)
  • Opening ceremony (flag bearers)
  • Closing ceremony
IOC • BOA • LOCOG
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad or "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012.[1] London will become the first city to officially host the modern Olympic Games three times,[2][3] having previously done so in 1908 and in 1948.[4][5]
London was selected as the host city on 6 July 2005 during the 117th IOC Session in Singapore, defeating Moscow, New York City, Madrid and Paris after four rounds of voting.[6] The successful bid was headed by former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe.
The Olympics prompted a redevelopment of many of the areas of London in which the games are to be held – particularly themed towards sustainability.[7] While the budgetary considerations have generated some criticism,[8][9] the Games will make use of many venues which were already in place before the bid, including Wembley Stadium, Wembley Arena, Wimbledon All England Club, Lord's Cricket Ground, The O2 Arena, Earls Court Exhibition Centre, Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, and the Excel Centre.

Contents

 [hide] 
  • 1 Bidding process
  • 2 Development and preparation
    • 2.1 Since the 2005 bid
    • 2.2 Venues and infrastructure
    • 2.3 Public transport
    • 2.4 Financing
    • 2.5 Partners
    • 2.6 Ticketing
    • 2.7 Countdown
    • 2.8 Hospitality
    • 2.9 Scheduling issues
    • 2.10 Security
    • 2.11 Logo
    • 2.12 Mascots
    • 2.13 Handover ceremony
    • 2.14 Year to go
    • 2.15 Medals
    • 2.16 Test events
  • 3 The Games
    • 3.1 Participating nations
    • 3.2 Sports
  • 4 Calendar
  • 5 Broadcasting
  • 6 Olympic flag
  • 7 Eco-policy
  • 8 Tourism and the 2012 Games
  • 9 Cultural Olympiad
  • 10 Marketing
    • 10.1 Stamps
    • 10.2 Merchandise
  • 11 Criticism of IOC's policy with athletes
  • 12 See also
  • 13 References
  • 14 External links

Bidding process

Main article: Bids for the 2012 Summer Olympics
A London 2012 Olympics banner at The Monument in London.
By the bid submission deadline of 15 July 2003, nine cities had submitted bids to host the 2012 Olympics. These cities were Havana, Istanbul, Leipzig, London, Madrid, Moscow, New York City, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.[10]
On 18 May 2004, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as a result of a scored technical evaluation, reduced the number of cities to five: London, Madrid, Moscow, New York, and Paris.[11]
By 19 November 2004, all five candidate cities had submitted their candidate file to the International Olympic Committee. The IOC inspection team visited the five candidate cities during February and March 2005. The Paris bid suffered two setbacks during the IOC inspection visit: a number of strikes and demonstrations coinciding with the visits and a report coming out that Guy Drut, one of the key members of the Paris bid team and IOC member, would face charges over alleged corrupt party political finances.[12]
On 6 June 2005, the International Olympic Committee released its evaluation reports for the five candidate cities. Although these reports did not contain any scores or rankings, the evaluation report for Paris was considered the most positive, now followed closely by London which had narrowed down most of the gap observed by the initial evaluation in 2004 regarding Paris. Also New York and Madrid obtained very positive evaluation reports.[13]
Throughout the process and up to the vote at the 117th IOC Session, Paris was widely seen as the favourite to win the nomination, particularly as this was its third bid in recent history. Originally London was seen lagging Paris by considerable margin; however, this started to improve with the appointment of Sebastian Coe as new head of London 2012 on 19 May 2004. In late August 2004, some reports started emerging predicting a London and Paris tie in the 2012 bid.[14] In the final run-up to the 117th IOC Session, London and Paris appeared to be increasingly in a neck-and-neck race. On 1 July 2005, Jacques Rogge, when asked who the winner would be, told the assembled press: "I cannot predict it since I don't know how the IOC members will vote. But my gut feeling tells me that it will be very close. Perhaps it will come down to a difference of say ten votes, or maybe less".[15]
On 6 July 2005, the final selection was announced at the Raffles City Convention Centre in Singapore, where the 117th IOC Session was held. Here Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair was the only leader of the five candidate cities' countries to make a personal lobby (he had also been the only one to attend the 2004 Olympics).[16] Moscow was the first city to be eliminated, followed by New York and Madrid. The final two cities left in contention were London and Paris. At the end of the fourth round of voting, London won the right to host the 2012 Games with 54 votes, defeating Paris's 50.[17] Various French publications blamed the Paris loss on French President Jacques Chirac's statements before the vote that "We can't trust people [the British] who have such bad food. After Finland, it's the country with the worst food."[18] Two current members of the International Olympic Committee are from Finland. Several other news sources cited Bertrand Delanoë's complaint regarding Tony Blair's secret late night meetings with numerous (African) IOC representatives as having a more significant impact on final vote.[19] When reporting London's win, British media covered the expectant crowds in both France and Britain (and in the other bid cities), and contrasted the jubilant reaction in London to the reaction of the crowd in Paris, where many had gathered in hope of a French win.[20][21][22] However, the celebrations in London were overshadowed when London's transport system was attacked by terrorists less than 24 hours after the announcement.[23]
In December 2005, it was alleged by Alex Gilady, a senior IOC official, that London had won the right to host the Olympics only because of a voting error. A London 2012 spokesman dismissed this, saying "At the end of the day, it was a secret ballot. This is the opinion of one individual. The result is what matters and we are not going to be drawn into speculation."[24]
[hide]2012 Summer Olympics bidding results
CityNOCRound 1Round 2Round 3Round 4
London Great Britain22273954
Paris France21253350
Madrid Spain203231
New York City United States1916
Moscow Russia15

Development and preparation

Since the 2005 bid

Main article: 2012 Summer Olympic development
The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games was created to oversee the staging of the Games after the success of the bid, and held their first board meeting on 3 October 2005.[25] The committee, chaired by Lord Coe, is in charge of implementing and staging the games, while the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is in charge of the construction of the venues and infrastructure.[25] In April 2006 the Olympic Delivery Authority board was established.[26]
The Government Olympic Executive (GOE), a unit within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), is the lead Government body for coordinating the London 2012 Olympics. The GOE reports through the DCMS Permanent Secretary to the Minister for Sports and the Olympics. It focuses on oversight of the Games, cross-programme programme management and the London 2012 Olympic Legacy before and after the Games that will benefit London and the UK. The organisation is also responsible for the supervision of the £9.3 billion of public sector funding.[27]
In August 2011, some security concerns arose surrounding the hosting of the Olympic Games in London,[28] due to the 2011 England riots, with a few countries expressing fear over the safety of the Games,[29] in spite of the International Olympic Committee's assurance that the riots will not affect the Games.[30]
The IOC's Coordination Commission for the 2012 Games completed their ninth visit to London in October 2011. They concluded that London has been making excellent progress and that the 2012 games would leave a lasting legacy. The commission will make their final visit to London in March 2012.[31] London was awarded the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in November 2011. [32]

Venues and infrastructure

Main article: Venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics
Olympic Stadium in June 2011
The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will use a mixture of new venues, existing and historic facilities, and temporary facilities, some of them in well-known locations such as Hyde Park and Horse Guards Parade. Some of the new facilities will be reused in their Olympic form, while others, will be resized or relocated.[33]
The majority of venues have been divided into three zones within Greater London: the Olympic Zone, the River Zone and the Central Zone. In addition to these are those venues that, by necessity, are outside the boundaries of Greater London, such as the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy on the Isle of Portland in Dorset which will host the sailing events, some 125 miles (200 km) southwest of the Olympic Park. The football tournament will be staged at several grounds around the UK.[34] Work began on the Park in December 2006 when a sports hall in Eton Manor was pulled down.[35] The athletes' village in Portland was completed in September 2011.[36]
In November 2004 the 500 acre Olympic Park plans were revealed.[37] The plans for the site were passed in September 2004 by Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney and Waltham Forest.[38] The redevelopment of the area to build the Olympic Park required compulsory purchase orders of property. The London Development Agency and the London and Continental Railways had a dispute about the orders in November 2005. The LCR accused the LDA of killing off development in the area. The LDA planned alongside the Olympic Park to buy land for the Stratford City development project, which the 180-acre site of the former Stratford Rail Lands into a mixed-use development, including 4,500 new homes, office space, hotels and shops.[39] This resulted in 2011 with the completion of the largest urban shopping centre in Europe being operated by Westfield.[40] By May 2006 86% of the land had been bought as businesses fought eviction, this lead to an enquiry being set up. 206 companies had to relocate by July 2007.[41] In addition, residents who opposed the eviction tried to find way to stop it by setting up campaigns. However they had to leave as 94% of land was bought and the other 6% bought as a £9 billion regeneration project started.[42]
However, there were some issues with the original venues due to not being challenging enough or being financially unviable. For example, the road racing at the Olympics Games was originally scheduled to take place in Regent's Park and on Hampstead Heath. Instead the Olympic road races will start and finish on The Mall in central London and head out into Surrey to the south and include loops around Box Hill.[43] The Olympic Mountain bike event will take place at Hadleigh Farm after the event was moved from Weald Country Park,[44] after the UCI labeled the course at the park "too easy" in July 2008[45] It was touted that the course could be created in Wales.[46] A location in Kent was also considered[47]
The Olympic marathon course, which was set to finish in the Olympic stadium, was moved to the mall.[48] The idea angered some members of the local community, stating that they had been left out of the Olympics despite it taking place in their back garden no events would take place in the boroughs. The change was made as closing Tower bridge would cause "gridlock" to London.[49][50][51] North Greenwich Arena 2 was scrapped in a cost-cutting exercise, with Wembley Arena being used for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics events instead.[52][53][54][55]

Public transport

The Olympic Javelin service
Olympic rings at St Pancras Station
London's public transport was an element of the bid which was scored poorly in the IOC's initial evaluation, however they felt that if the improvements were delivered in time for the Games then London would cope.[56] Transport for London (TfL) carried out numerous improvements in preparation for 2012, including the expansion of the London Overground's East London Line, upgrades to the Docklands Light Railway and the North London Line,[57] and the introduction of a new "Javelin" high-speed rail service,[58] using the Hitachi Corporation's "bullet" trains.[59][60][61] In September 2011 it was discovered that the platforms at Stratford International station were not at the right height for the Javelin trains. The platforms were raised with wood, which could be removed after the Games as the platforms were originally designed for Eurostar trains, and it is hoped that Eurostar will stop at the station after 2012.[62] According to network rail an additional 4,000 train services will run during the Games, with train operators putting on longer trains during the day.[63]
TfL also propose the construction of a £25 million cable car across the River Thames, the "Thames Gateway Cable Car", to link 2012 Olympics venues.[64] It will cross the Thames river between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks, carrying up to 2,500 passengers an hour 50 metres in the air. It is designed to cut journey times between the O2 arena and the ExCel exhibition centre – both of which are Olympic locations. The privately-funded system could provide a crossing every 30 seconds.[65]
The plan is to have 80% of athletes travel less than 20 minutes to their event[66] and to have 93% of athletes within 30 minutes of their event.[67] The Olympic Park would be served by ten separate railway lines with a combined capacity of 240,000 passengers per hour.[68] In addition the LOCOG planned for 90% of the venues to be served by three or more types of public transport.[67] Two park-and-ride sites were off the M25 with a combined capacity of 12,000 cars 25 minutes away from the Olympic Park. Another park and ride site was planned in Ebbsfleet which would have capacity for 9,000 cars were spectators could board a 10 minute shuttle bus.[67] To get spectators to Eton Dorney, four park and ride schemes were set up. Spectators would be dropped off at Windsor Racecourse with a bridge going over the Thames linking the racecourse to the rowing venue.[69]
A London Underground train decorated to promote London's Olympic bid – this coincided with plans for investment in the city's public transport network
Concerns have been expressed at the logistics of spectators traveling to the events scheduled for outside of London. In particular, the sailing events at Portland are in an area with no direct motorway connection, and with local roads that are heavily congested by existing tourist traffic in the summer.[70] However the Weymouth area did undergo a major upgrade on its road infrastructure. A £77 million relief road connecting Weymouth to Dorchester was built and opened in 2011.[71][72] Some £16 million pounds was put aside for the rest of the improvements.[73] Inaddtion the plans removed 5 roundabouts to ease congestion and replaced them with traffic lights[74][75] But some residents were unhappy that the roundabouts were removed.[76]
In January 2010, the South East England regional transport board criticised plans published by the Olympics Development Authority for not providing plans of a credible long term coach network saying "The ODA has been working on an extensive network of coach services... [but] the lack of reference to this work [in the plan] is both intriguing and at the same time concerning." On 15 February 2010, the ODA announced that FirstGroup was the preferred bidder for the provision of bus and coach services for the games. This will involve the provision of venue shuttle and park and ride services, services connecting peripheral park and ride sites on the M25 with the Olympic Park and Ebbsfleet, and a nationwide network of express coaches to the Olympic Park, and the Weymouth and Portland sailing venue. The services will require around 900 vehicles in total, although some will be sub-contracted.[77][78]

Financing

The costs of mounting the Games are separate from those for building the venues and infrastructure, and redeveloping the land for the Olympic Park. While the Games are privately funded, the venues and Park costs are met largely by public money.
On 15 March 2007, Tessa Jowell announced to the House of Commons a budget of £5.3 billion to cover building the venues and infrastructure for the Games, at the same time announcing the wider regeneration budget for the Lower Lea Valley budget at £1.7 billion.
On top of this, she announced various other costs including an overall additional contingency fund of £2.7 billion, security and policing costs of £600 million, VAT of £800 million and elite sport and Paralympic funding of nearly £400 million. According to these figures, the total for the Games and the regeneration of the East London area, is £9.345 billion. Then Mayor Ken Livingstone pledged the Games Organising Committee would make a profit.[79]
The costs for staging the Games (£2 billion) are funded from the private sector by a combination of sponsorship, merchandising, ticketing and broadcast rights. This budget is raised and managed by the London 2012 Organising Committee. According to Games organisers, the funding for this budget broadly breaks down as:
  • 64% from Central Government;
  • 23% from National Lottery
  • 13% from the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency
On 18 August 2007, The Belfast Telegraph reported that jubilation over winning the right to stage the Olympic Games was becoming more muted as realisation dawns on the public of the enormous costs involved in creating facilities for the athletes.[80] Grassroot sport cuts will fund the Olympics, government figures suggested on 19 August 2007.[81]
In November 2007, Edward Leigh MP, criticised the organisers for significantly under-estimating the cost of staging the games, suggesting they had either "acted in bad faith or were incompetent".[82]
On 10 December 2007, Tessa Jowell announced confirmation of the budget announced earlier in 2007. In June 2007, the Ministerial Funders’ Group (established to manage the allocation of contingency to the ODA within the overall budget) met and agreed a first allocation of contingency to the ODA, being £360 million out of the £500 million of initial contingency announced in March, to enable the ODA to manage early cost pressures.
Following its second meeting on 26 November 2007, the Funders’ Group has now agreed a baseline budget and scope proposed by the ODA. The total budgeted base cost to be met by the public sector funding package remains at £6.090 billion including tax and excluding general programme contingency as announced in March. This includes the allocation to the ODA of the remaining £140 million from the initial £500 million contingency announced in March.[83]
There have, however, been concerns over how the Olympics are to be funded. In February 2008, a London Assembly culture and sport committee report expressed concerns over the funding of the games taking away money from London's sports and arts groups.[84] There have also been complaints that funding towards the Olympics has been to the detriment of funding other areas of the UK. In Wales, there has been criticism from Plaid Cymru about the games depriving Wales of money, by using UK-wide funding rather than English funding.[85] The Wales on Sunday newspaper claimed former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair broke his promise to not use National Lottery funding for the Olympic games.[86][87]
As at December 2009, the Delivery Authority had allocated £702 million of Programme and Funders’ contingency, largely to cover the decisions to publicly fund the Village and Media Centre after it became clear private funding could not be secured on acceptable terms during the 2008 to 2010 economic crisis. According to the Government Olympic Executive and Olympic Delivery Authority risk assessments the remaining £1,270 million contingency is sufficient to manage risks to the Delivery Authority’s programme.[88]
Also from May 2010, the Olympic budget will be cut by £27 million as part of the £6.2 billion cuts by the new Conservative-Liberal coalition government.
On 19 July 2011, Hugh Robertson, Sports & Olympic Minister,revealed that he expected the project to be delivered on time and under budget. "With one year to go to London 2012, the Games construction is 88 per cent complete and ahead of time and under budget. That is an extraordinary thing for a Government Minister to be able to say a year out from the Games."[89]

Partners

To help fund the cost of staging the games the London Olympic organisers have agreed partnership deals with major companies. The companies have signed up into four categories; worldwide, tier one, tier two and tier three.
Worldwide partners:[90]
  • Acer
  • Atos
  • Coca Cola
  • Dow Chemical Company
  • General Electric
  • McDonald's
  • Omega SA
  • Panasonic
  • Procter & Gamble
  • Samsung
  • VISA
As of 9 September 2011, 44 companies have signed up for domestic sponsorship roles.[91]
Domestic Tier One Partners:[90]
  • Adidas
  • BMW
  • BP
  • British Airways
  • British Telecom
  • EDF Energy
  • Lloyds TSB
Domestic Tier Two Supporters:[90]
  • Adecco
  • ArcelorMittal
  • Cadbury
  • Cisco
  • Deloitte
  • Thomas Cook Group
  • United Parcel Service
Domestic tier three providers and suppliers:[90]
  • Aggreko
  • Airwave Solutions
  • Atkins
  • Boston Consulting Group
  • CBS Outdoor
  • Crystal CG
  • Eurostar
  • Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
  • G4S
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Gymnova
  • Heathrow Airport
  • Heineken UK
  • Holiday Inn
  • John Lewis
  • McCann Worldgroup
  • Mondo[disambiguation needed ]
  • Nature Valley
  • Next
  • The Nielsen Company
  • Populous
  • Rapiscan Systems
  • Rio Tinto
  • Technogym
  • Thames Water
  • Ticketmaster
  • Trebor
  • Westfield Group
On 7 September 2011, the LOCOG announced that they had reached their £700 million domestic sponsorship target. They signed their 44th partner Westfield shopping centres who signed as a tier three sponsor.[91]

Ticketing

Organisers estimate that some 8 million tickets would be available for the Olympic Games, and 1.5 million tickets for the Paralympic Games.[citation needed] Ticket sign-up, in Great Britain, was launched on 22 March 2010 and the application website was opened on 15 March 2011 until 26 April 2011. Ticket prices range from £20 for many events to £2,012 for the most expensive seats at the opening ceremony. Ticket allocations for oversubscribed events was decided by a random ballot.[92] For the first time in Olympic history the sailing events will be ticketed.[93] The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOGOC) have admitted that further tickets, up to one million, will be released later in 2011 for events that have failed to sell out in the initial allocation.[94] Over half the people who applied got no tickets in Great Britain. The second round of ticket sales took place over a 10 day period between the 23 June and 3 July 2011, with priority given to those who were unsuccessful in the first allocation process. At this point there were about 1.7 million tickets for football and 600,000 for other sports, including archery, hockey, football, judo, boxing and volleyball, among other sports with 1.5 million tickets priced between £20 and £50. Unfortunately due to the amount of people buying tickets and because the ticketmaster website did not update immediately, 15,000 had their application rejected, but 90% of people did get some tickets; as some events sold out in 15 minutes and by 8 am 10 sports had sold out.[95] People who were successful in the first round of tickets were allowed to buy more during the period 8–17 July 2011. By this point 1.5 million tickets were available for football, 40,000 for Volleyball and 8,000 for freestyle wrestling on a first come first served basis. However by 10 July all the tickets for Volleyball had been sold, as 3.5 million tickets had been sold in total. Another round of tickets was promised to go on sale in 2012.[96] To reduce traffic, ticket holders will be entitled to free use of London's public transportation network on the day of the event.[97] It is estimated that 82% of available Olympic tickets and 63% of Paralympic tickets will be sold. LOCOG aims to raise £375–£400 million in ticket sales. There will also be free events: for example, the marathon, triathlon and road cycling.[98] Tickets for the London Prepares series, the Olympic test events, started to go on sale in May 2011.[99]
There was a huge demand for tickets as 20 million tickets were bought by 1.8 million people, three times the 6.6 million tickets available in the first round lot, with 95% of the applications from Great Britain. More than 50% of the sessions went to a random ballot.[100] A consumer group questioned the point of taking money out of people's bank accounts before they knew what tickets they had successfully purchased.[101] Barclays Bank ended up declining its customers tickets, stating that it was a unusual purchase and looked like fraud, before they and LOCOG tried to process them for a second time.[102] Many athletes and ex-Olympians also questioned the way the tickets were sold, with Triple Olympic Champion Bradley Wiggins labeling the process a shambles.[103] However, Lord Coe and the LOCOG insisted that the process was fair, and that there was no 'perfect' system.[104][105]
In Russia people bought "Olympic vouchers" which one would have to redeem in London during July and August 2012, with people making their own accommodation and travel arrangements.[106] In Brazil, the host of the 2016 Games, the ticket website did not work for three and a half days with people leaving disappointed as all their tickets appeared to sell out in a day, despite people having seemingly bought tickets.[107] And the British government was asked to explain why it bought 9,000 tickets.[108]
Free tickets were given to Military personnel and children were invited to 'win' tickets.[109] Free tickets were also given to the survivors and families of those who died during 7 July 2005 London bombings.[110]

Countdown

Countdown clock in Trafalgar Square
A digital clock, located in Trafalgar Square, commenced a countdown to the opening ceremony on 14 March 2011. However, less than 24 hours after it was switched on, it suffered a technical failure, and stopped—displaying "500 (days) 7 (hours) 06 (minutes) 56 (seconds)." It was quickly repaired.[111]

Hospitality

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) appointed Prestige Ticketing Limited to operate the London 2012 Prestige Ticketing programme.[112] The Prestige Ticketing on-site hospitality packages includes top-category tickets, fine dining and entertainment.[113] These hospitality tickets were on sale until 15 March 2011.[114]

Scheduling issues

Some representatives of countries which are majority Muslim have complained that the 2012 Olympic Games will take place during the month of Ramadan, which in 2012 occurs from 20 July to 19 August. During Ramadan, Muslims are to fast from sunrise to sunset, which may put Muslim athletes at a disadvanatage during the Games. Some Muslims have called for the Olympics to be rescheduled outside this period.[115]

Security

The British government announced in December 2011 that 13,500 members of the armed forces will be in place for the Olympic games, as well as 10,000 police (who will lead the security of the Games). Naval and air assets, including ships situated in the Thames, Eurofighter jets and surface-to-air missiles, will also be deployed as part of the security operation. The cost of security has also increased from 282m to 553m pounds sterling. This will be the biggest security operation Britain has faced for decades. The figure of 13,500 armed forces personnel is more than Britain currently has deployed in Afghanistan.[116]

Logo

There have been two London 2012 logos: one for the bidding process created by Kino Design and a second as the brand for the Games themselves. The former is a ribbon with blue, yellow, black, green, and red stripes winding through the text "LONDON 2012," making the shape of the River Thames in East London. The latter, designed by Wolff Olins, was unveiled on 4 June 2007 and cost £400,000.[117] This new logo is a representation of the number 2012, with the Olympic Rings embedded within the zero.[118]
The Paralympics logo (far left) and the different official colour combinations for the Wolff Olins main logo design
This will be the first time that the same essential logo is to be used for both the Olympic and Paralympic games.[119]
The standard colours are green, magenta, orange and blue; however the logo has incorporated a variety of colours, including the Union Flag to promote the handover ceremony.[120] The flexibility of the logo has also enabled sponsors to incorporate their corporate colours into a personalised version, such as Lloyds TSB,[121] British Airways,[122] and Adidas.[123]
London 2012 has stated that the new logo is aimed at reaching young people. Sebastian Coe stated that it builds upon everything that the organising committee has said "about reaching out and engaging young people, which is where our challenge is over the next five years." One observer, a managing director of an advertising agency, noted that the logo bore a strong resemblance to the logo for the 1974–1982 children's television programme Tiswas, commenting that appealing to young people is difficult, and that they will see right through attempts to patronise them.[124]
Early public reaction to the logo, as measured by a poll on the BBC website, was largely negative: more than 80% of votes gave the logo the lowest possible rating.[125] Several newspapers have run their own logo competitions, displaying alternative submissions from their readers. The Sun displayed a design by a macaque monkey.[126] It was suggested that the logo resembles the cartoon character Lisa Simpson performing fellatio[127] and others have complained that it looks like a distorted Swastika.[128] In February 2011, Iran complained that the logo appeared to spell out the word "Zion" and threatened to boycott the Olympics.[129] Iran submitted its complaint to the International Olympic Committee, describing the logo as "racist", asking that it be withdrawn and the designers be "confronted". The IOC "quietly" rejected the demands, and Iran announced it would not boycott the Games.[130]
A segment of animated footage released at the same time as the logo was reported to trigger seizures in a small number of people with photosensitive epilepsy. The charity Epilepsy Action received telephone calls from people who had had seizures after watching the sequence on TV. In response, a short segment was removed from the London 2012 website.[131] Ken Livingstone, then London Mayor, said that the company who designed the film should not be paid for what he called a "catastrophic mistake."[132]
A blogger at the BBC said that "London 2012's new logo has got the country talking [although] not in the manner the organisers would have hoped."[133] One employee at a design firm described it as "well thought out" and anticipated it would "become a source of pride for London and the Games."[134]
In October 2008, it was reported that clothing branded with the logo accounted for 20% of sales at Adidas' flagship Oxford Street store, despite occupying just 5% of floor space.[135]

Mascots

Main article: Wenlock and Mandeville
Wenlock and Mandeville
The official mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games were unveiled on 19 May 2010;[136] this marks the second time (after Vancouver) that both Olympic and Paralympic mascots were unveiled at the same time. Wenlock and Mandeville are animations depicting two drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton.[136] They are named Wenlock, after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock, which held a forerunner of the current Olympic Games, and Mandeville, after Stoke Mandeville, a village in Buckinghamshire where a forerunner to the Paralympic Games were first held.[136] The writer Michael Morpurgo wrote the story concept to the mascots, and an animation was produced;[137] it is intended that this will form part of an ongoing series concerning the mascots in the run-up to the Games in 2012.[136] Two stories have been created about the mascots: Out Of A Rainbow, the story of how Wenlock and Mandeville came to be, and Adventures On A Rainbow, which features the children from Out Of A Rainbow meeting the mascots and trying out many different Olympic and Paralympic sports.[138]

Handover ceremony

Main article: 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony
The handover ceremony marked the moment when the previous games in Beijing in 2008 handed over the Olympic Flag to the new host city of London.[139] Mayor of London Boris Johnson received the flag from Mayor of Beijing Guo Jinlong, on behalf of London. The next section was entitled "From London, 'With a whole Lotta love."The handover ceremony featured the urban dance group ZooNation, the Royal Ballet and Candoco, a disabled dance group, all dressed as typical London commuters waiting for a bus by a zebra crossing. Whilst Olympic Champions Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and BMX World Champion Shanaze Reade; however due to Reade's broken wrist from her event Jamie Staff replaced her;[140] cycled around the stadium. A double-decker bus drove around the stadium to music composed by Philip Sheppard eventually stopping and transforming into a privet hedge featuring famous London landmarks such as Tower Bridge, The Gherkin and the London Eye. Jimmy Page and Leona Lewis then performed the Led Zeppelin classic Whole Lotta Love and David Beckham kicked a football into the crowd of athletes accompanied by violinist Elspeth Hanson and cellist Kwesi Edman.[141][142]
For the London 2012 Games, 'Take Up The Challenge' is the leading contender to be the music that will inspire a new generation of athletes. The anthem was composed by Rob Cremona, an Anglo-Maltese trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist from Woking in Surrey. Meanwhile, the handover has been celebrated in a UK-wide series of events. The BBC broadcast "The Visa London 2012 Party" on BBC One and Radio 2, the free concert on The Mall in central London had 40,000 tickets available.[143] In nations and regions around the UK there were live screens that showed the activities from Beijing, the Closing Ceremony and then the concert itself. Local communities around the UK also hosted their own events.

Year to go

First glimpse of the medals in Trafalgar Square.
On 27 July 2011, London celebrated the one year to the start of the games with a special event in Trafalgar Square. There were other events around the city such as Lord Coe and Colin Jackson cast their feet in clay at St Pancras Station, whilst the Aquatics Centre opened, with Tom Daly marking the event with a dive from the 10 metre platform. While in Trafalgar Square Jacques Rogge invited the world to London.[144] Prime Minister David Cameron promised that London's games would be the greatest, whilst Boris Johnson comically called for a snap Olympics. The Royal Mail announced that it would produce special stamps celebrating every gold medal won by a British athlete.[145]

Medals

In December 2010, it was announced that the Royal Mint would produce the medals for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.[146] The Royal Mint expected to produce around 4,700 medals for the games.[147] The medals are 7mm thick and weigh between 375-400g. They are designed by David Watkins. Each medal will have the sport and the discipline engraved on the rim. Like the last few Olympic medal designs the front will once again have Greek goddess of victory, Nike, stepping from Parthenon. The reverse side has the Games logo, and a ribbon depicting the River Thames with a grid symbolising pulling together and radiating energy.[145][148] The medals will have a purple ribbon attached to them which symbolises Royalty and protocol. The Princess Royal unveiled the design of the Olympic medals. In a poll by the Telegraph just 66% of the people who voted liked the design. Designer David Watkins said "I knew it was a take it and love it design. If not – sorry. There was no plan B."[149]

Test events

London Prepares series.jpg
Main article: London Prepares series
Many test events will be held throughout 2011 and 2012, either through an existing championship such as Wimbledon or as a specially created event held under the banner of London Prepares. Some events are closed to the public, others are ticketed. Basketball and BMX were the first events to be tested within the Olympic Park.[150]

The Games

Participating nations

Athletes from 204 NOCs are expected to participate. The Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee, which had planned to continue functioning after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, had its membership withdrawn by the IOC Executive Committee at the IOC session of June 2011. However, Dutch Antillean athletes who qualify for the 2012 Olympics will be allowed to participate independently under the Olympic flag.[151] Listed below are NOCs who have qualified at least one athlete. As of 26 November 2011, 144 nations have qualified at least one athlete.
  • Afghanistan[152]
  • Albania[153]
  • Algeria[154]
  • Andorra[155]
  • Angola[156]
  • Antigua and Barbuda[155]
  • Argentina[157]
  • Armenia[157]
  • Australia[157]
  • Austria[157]
  • Azerbaijan[158]
  • Bahamas[155]
  • Bahrain[155]
  • Barbados[155]
  • Belarus[157]
  • Belgium[159]
  • Bermuda[155]
  • Bolivia[155]
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina[155]
  • Botswana[155]
  • Brazil[157]
  • British Virgin Islands[155]
  • Bulgaria[157]
  • Burundi[155]
  • Cameroon[160]
  • Canada[157]
  • Cayman Islands[155]
  • Chile[157]
  • China[157]
  • Colombia[161]
  • Congo[160]
  • DR Congo[155]
  • Costa Rica[155]
  • Côte d'Ivoire[155]
  • Croatia[157]
  • Cuba[157]
  • Cyprus[157]
  • Czech Republic[157]
  • Denmark[157]
  • Djibouti[155][162]
  • Dominica[155]
  • Dominican Republic[157]
  • Ecuador[155]
  • Egypt[155]
  • El Salvador[155]
  • Eritrea[163]
  • Estonia[155]
  • Ethiopia[155]
  • Fiji[155]
  • Finland[157]
  • France[157]
  • Gabon[155]
  • Georgia[157]
  • Germany[157]
  • Ghana[155]
  • Great Britain[157] (Host)
  • Greece[157]
  • Grenada[155]
  • Guatemala[157]
  • Guyana[155]
  • Haiti[155]
  • Hong Kong[164]
  • Hungary[157]
  • Iceland[165]
  • India[157]
  • Indonesia[166]
  • Iran[157]
  • Ireland[155]
  • Israel[157]
  • Italy[157]
  • Jamaica[155]
  • Japan[157]
  • Jordan[152]
  • Kazakhstan[157]
  • Kenya[155]
  • North Korea[157]
  • South Korea[157]
  • Kuwait[155]
  • Kyrgyzstan[152]
  • Latvia[155]
  • Lebanon[167]
  • Liberia[155]
  • Libya[155]
  • Lithuania[168]
  • Luxembourg[164]
  • Malaysia[169]
  • Malta[157]
  • Mexico[157]
  • Moldova[155]
  • Mongolia[157]
  • Montenegro[155]
  • Morocco[155]
  • Mozambique[155]
  • Namibia[163]
  • Netherlands[159]
  • New Zealand[159]
  • Nigeria[155]
  • Norway[157]
  • Oman[155]
  • Pakistan[170]
  • Panama[155]
  • Papua New Guinea[171]
  • Peru[155]
  • Philippines[172]
  • Poland[157]
  • Portugal[157]
  • Puerto Rico[155]
  • Qatar[155]
  • Romania[164]
  • Russia[157]
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis[155]
  • Saint Lucia[155]
  • Samoa[171]
  • San Marino[157]
  • Saudi Arabia[159]
  • Senegal[155]
  • Serbia[157]
  • Singapore[164]
  • Slovakia[157]
  • Slovenia[164]
  • South Africa[163]
  • Spain[157]
  • Sudan[155]
  • Sweden[173]
  • Switzerland[157]
  • Syria[155]
  • Chinese Taipei[157]
  • Tajikistan[155]
  • Tanzania[155]
  • Thailand[157]
  • Trinidad and Tobago[155]
  • Tunisia[155]
  • Turkey[157]
  • Turkmenistan[153]
  • Uganda[155]
  • Ukraine[157]
  • United States[157]
  • Uruguay[174]
  • Uzbekistan[157]
  • Venezuela[175]
  • Vietnam[176]
  • Virgin Islands[155]
  • Zambia[155]
  • Zimbabwe[155]

Sports

See also: Category:2012 Summer Olympics events
The 2012 Summer Olympic programme features 26 sports and a total of 39 disciplines. The 2012 Paralympic Games programme has 20 sports and 21 disciplines. London's bid featured 28 sports, in line with other recent Summer Olympics, but the IOC voted to drop baseball and softball from the 2012 Games two days after it selected London as the host city. The IOC reinforced its decision to drop both sports during the 2006 Winter Olympics after they lost votes for reconsideration and were scheduled for the last time at Beijing in 2008.[177] Following the decision to drop the two sports, the IOC held a vote on whether or not to replace them. The sports considered were karate, squash, golf, roller sports, and rugby sevens. Karate and squash were the two final nominees, but neither received enough votes to reach the required two-thirds majority.[177] The IOC has given the approval for the addition of golf and rugby sevens for the 2016 games.[178][179]
The International Olympic Committee executive board met on 13 August 2009 and approved the addition of women's boxing to the programme. The International Boxing Federation has proposed that 40 athletes compete in five different weight classes.[180]
Murad Qureshi, a member of the London Assembly, is pushing for a Twenty20 cricket showcase tournament to be included in London.[181] Twenty20 cricket did originally bid for inclusion in 2012, but was not one of the finalist sports.[182] Netball is being drafted as a possible demonstration sport at the 2012 games. This idea was backed by then British prime minister Gordon Brown, suggesting that it would encourage more girls and young women to play sports.[183] The IOC eliminated demonstration sports following the 1992 Summer Olympics.[184] However, special tournaments have been run for non-Olympic sports during the games, such as the Wushu tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics.[181] There has been speculation that the London Sevens tournament held at Twickenham as part of the IRB Sevens World Series could be put back to coincide with the Olympics.[185]
Following the awarding of the 2012 Olympic Games to London, the government announced that special dispensation would be granted to allow the various shooting events to go ahead, as had been the case previously for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
 
 
  • Aquatics
    • Diving (8) (details)
    • Swimming (34) (details)
    • Synchronized swimming (2) (details)
    • Water polo (2) (details)
  • Archery (4) (details)
  • Athletics (47) (details)
  • Badminton (5) (details)
  • Basketball (2) (details)
  • Boxing (13) (details)
  • Canoeing (details)
    • Canoeing (flatwater) pictogram.svg Sprint(12)
    • Canoeing (slalom) pictogram.svg Slalom(4)
  • Cycling (details)
    • Cycling (BMX) pictogram.svg BMX (2)
    • Cycling (mountain biking) pictogram.svg Mountain biking (2)
    • Cycling (road) pictogram.svg Road (4)
    • Cycling (track) pictogram.svg Track (10)
  • Equestrian (details)
    • Dressage Dressage (2)
    • Eventing Eventing (2)
    • Show jumping Jumping (2)
  • Fencing (10) (details)
  • Field hockey pictogram.svg Field Hockey (2) (details)
  • Football (2) (details)
  • Gymnastics (details)
    • Gymnastics Artistic Gymnastics(14)
    • Rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic Gymnastics(2)
    • Trampoline Trampoline(2)
  • Handball (2) (details)
  • Judo (14) (details)
  • Modern pentathlon (2) (details)
  • Rowing (14) (details)
  • Sailing (10) (details)
  • Shooting (15) (details)
  • Table tennis (4) (details)
  • Taekwondo (8) (details)
  • Tennis (5) (details)
  • Triathlon (2) (details)
  • Volleyball (details)
    • Volleyball Volleyball (2)
    • Beach volleyball Beach Volleyball (2)
  • Weightlifting (15) (details)
  • Wrestling (details)
    • Freestyle wrestling Freestyle (11)
    • Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (7)

Calendar

The final official schedule was released on 15 February 2011.[186]
OCOpening ceremonyEvent competitions1Event finalsCCClosing ceremony
July / August25
Wed
26
Thu
27
Fri
28
Sat
29
Sun
30
Mon
31
Tue
1
Wed
2
Thu
3
Fri
4
Sat
5
Sun
6
Mon
7
Tue
8
Wed
9
Thu
10
Fri
11
Sat
12
Sun
Events
Ceremonies  OC               CC 
Archery  1111         4
Athletics         257544568147
Badminton   122       5
Basketball   112
Boxing   35513
Canoeing    112   444 16
Cycling   11  222111321118
Diving    1111 1111 8
Equestrian   2 112    6
Fencing   111121111       10
Field hockey    11 2
Football     11 2
Gymnastics   111111334 1118
Handball   112
Judo   2222222         14
Modern pentathlon                 112
Rowing   3344        14
Sailing    2221111 10
Shooting   2211112212      15
Swimming   44444444    11  34
Synchronized swimming           1 1  2
Table tennis   1111    4
Taekwondo              2222 8
Tennis   23       5
Triathlon          1  1     2
Volleyball   11114
Water polo    1 12
Weightlifting   12222 21111     15
Wrestling           2322223218
Total events   12141215201822252318211722163215302
Cumulative total   122638537391113138161179200217239255287302 
July / August25
Wed
26
Thu
27
Fri
28
Sat
29
Sun
30
Mon
31
Tue
1
Wed
2
Thu
3
Fri
4
Sat
5
Sun
6
Mon
7
Tue
8
Wed
9
Thu
10
Fri
11
Sat
12
Sun
Events

Broadcasting

Main article: List of 2012 Summer Olympics broadcasters
The International Broadcast Centre in June 2011
The London 2012 Olympic Games will be the tenth Olympic Games (counting both Summer and Winter Games) where Panasonic's digital technologies will be used as the official recording format, dating since the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. The official international video will be produced and distributed from the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in London Olympic Park, in 1080/50i High-Definition (HD) format.[187] Panasonic announced that DVCPRO HD will be the official recording format for capturing the Games. Olympic Broadcasting Services London (OBSL), the Host Broadcaster, will use P2 HD series equipment to support the broadcast of the competition. The cameras that will be used are the AG-HPX250, the company’s first P2 HD handheld camcorder with AVC-Intra recording and two new AVCCAM HD handheld camcorders, the AG-AC160 and AG-AC130, with Full HD imagers and a new, wider 21X HD zoom lens.[188]
Continuing the IOC's commitment to providing over-the-air television coverage to as broad a worldwide audience as possible, London 2012 is scheduled to be broadcast by a number of regional broadcasters. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the home broadcaster for the Olympics and Channel 4 the home broadcaster for the Paralympics. The BBC aims to broadcast by various channels all 5,000 hours of the Olympic Games.[189] Much of the actual broadcasting is originated by the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS). The United States television rights currently owned by NBC account for over half the rights revenue for the IOC.[citation needed] Many television broadcasters granted rights to the games have bureaux and studios in London, but since at least the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, rights-holder operations are hosted in the dedicated International Broadcast Centre (IBC). London's IBC is planned to be inside the security cordon of the Olympic Park.
Social media will be important for the Games. Online technology is being developed for the London 2012 Olympics and YouTube will stream highlights of the Games to countries all over the world as part of an IOC deal.[citation needed]

Olympic flag

On 26 September 2008 the Olympic and Paralympic flags were raised outside City Hall formally mark London becoming host city for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Beijing Gold medalist Christine Ohuruogu raised the Olympic flag, whilst Paralympic Champions, Helene Raynsford and Chris Holmes raised the Paralympic flag.[190][191]

Eco-policy

The Olympic Park will incorporate 45 hectares of wildlife habitat, with a total of 525 bird boxes, and 150 bat boxes. Local waterways and riverbanks are to be enhanced as part of the process.[192]
Renewable energy will also feature at the Olympics. It was originally planned to provide 20% of the energy for the Olympic Park and Village from renewable technologies; however, this may now be as little as 9%.[193] Proposals to meet the original target included large-scale on-site wind turbines and hydroelectric generators in the River Thames. However, these plans were scrapped for safety reasons.[194] The focus has since moved to installing solar panels on some buildings, and providing the opportunity to recover energy from waste.
Food packaging at the Olympics will be made from compostable materials – like starch and cellulose-based bioplastics – where it cannot be re-used or re-cycled. This will include fast food wrappers, sandwich boxes and drink cartons. After they have been used many of these materials will be suitable for anaerobic digestion (AD), allowing them to be made into renewable energy.[195]

Tourism and the 2012 Games

Kate Hoey MP at the launch of Blue Badge 2012 Guided Walks
The 2012 Games park near Stratford is attracting new tourists to the area.[196] The upgraded Greenway cycle and walking path provides an ideal viewing point for the park while the site remains closed to the public.
There are daily public walking tours[197] running alongside the 2012 site led by qualified Blue Badge tourist guides. The guided walks – which leave from Bromley-by-Bow tube station at 11 am – are attended by over 1000 people each month. They are run by guides who are specifically trained to talk about the 2012 Games and the history and traditions of the local area.
In 2010, Blue Badge Guides led 220 visits from colleges and schools to the 2012 Games site and nearby Olympic venues. During summer they guided over 1000 new visitors and tourists a day around East London’s 2012 sites.
In 2011, a new initiative to bring tourists and visitors into the area will involve a public waterbus ‘hop-on hop-off’ route, from Limehouse Basin to waterways near the Olympic Park.[198]

Cultural Olympiad

The Olympic Charter, the set of rules and guidelines for the organization of the Olympic Games and the governing the Olympic Movement states that
"The OCOG shall organise a programme of cultural events which must cover at least the entire period during which the Olympic Village is open."[199]
London's Cultural Olympiad includes 500 events spread over four years and culminating in the London 2012 Festival. The cost of the events is around £40 million and funding has been provided by Arts Council England, Legacy Trust UK and the Olympic Lottery Distributor.[200][201]
Those announced as being involved in the festival, which will run from 21 June to 9 September 2012, include Oscar winning actress Cate Blanchett, director Mike Leigh, musician Damon Albarn and artists including David Hockney, Lucian Freud and Rachel Whiteread.[202][203]
The Cultural Olympiad has been criticised for its refusal to include Cornish language, sport and culture amongst celebrations within its South West region. University College Falmouth had put a bid in for funding from the Legacy Trust for an event, An Gwary Meur (The Great Play), combining theatre and sport, participant and audience, story-telling and physical endeavour. This was backed by a wide range of partners including the Cornish Pilot Gig Association, Cornish Wrestling Association, Cornwall Rowing Association, Cornwall Rugby Football Union, the Cornwall Cultural Partnership and the Cornish Language Partnership. The refusal of this application has been viewed as "a direct barrier to people in Cornwall celebrating their distinct Cornish identity."[204]

Marketing

Stamps

In August 2009 the Royal Mail commissoned artists and illustrators to create 30 stamps which were released in batches of 10 during 2009 to 2011. The 30 stamps symbolise that the Games take place during the 30th Olympiad. Each stamp featured an Olympic or Paralympic sport and in addition had the London 2012 logo on each stamp.[205] The Royal Mail had initially approched photographers to be included as well but this was abandoned as the photos would have to be of dead people as the only living person allowed to feature on stamps in the United Kingdom is the Queen.[206] Stamps with an Olympic theme go back to the very first games in Athens 1890; when the organisers commissoned the sale of stamps in order to balance the books and construct the last four venues. When London first held the Games in 1908 no stamps were commissoned. On that occasion and for the 1912 are the only time when stamps were not issued. When London last held the Games in 1948, just four stamps were issued.[207] On 22 July 2011 the last of the 30 stamps were released.[208]

Merchandise

A portable shop at the VISA FIVB Beach Volleyball International.
On 21 July 2009 the LOCOG announced that Hornby Plc had won the license to develop and market a range associated with the Games. The license allowed the company to sell products across its Corgi, Hornby, Scalextric and Airfix brands. Airfix will have kits for all of the main venues,[209] including a 1:500 scale Olympic Stadium.[210] The centre piece of the Scalextric collection will be a cycling Velodrome set.[209] The collection was launched by British cyclist Lizzie Armitstead in Hamleys toy store in June 2011, Hornby staggared the release of the collection with the Scalextric velodrome released in September.[211] In March 2011 the LOCOG commissioned and published a series of traning guides.[212] The merchandise was sold online and in five shops known as "The London 2012 Shop," in Heathrow Airport, Stansted Airport, St Pancras International Station, Paddington Station and in John Lewis on Oxford Street. In addition Addidas sold its London 2012 range in its flagship store on Oxford Street and selective Next stores sold their 2012 range.[213] Sainsburys as Official sponsors of the Paralympics also sold merchandise within their stores.[214]

Criticism of IOC's policy with athletes

The IOC has drawn criticism[215][216] for its social media guidelines which, commentators argue, appear to infringe on athletes' right to free speech. The guidelines appear to prohibit athletes from commenting on other participants, promoting their own sponsors, or using the word "Olympic" (with certain specific exceptions) on their personal websites. Further criticism has been levelled at the IOC's creation of a website intended to allow the reporting of suspected breaches of the guidelines.