Olympics and Paralympics 2012 (and now the legacy-part one)

By PAUL HAVEN and BARBARA ORTUTAY
Associated Press

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LONDON (AP) -- It's amazing how much trouble can be stirred up in 140 characters or less.

But also how much intimacy, excitement, global scope and, yes, general zaniness. For better and for worse, the 2012 Olympics are being shaped, shaken and indisputably changed by a social media revolution that four years ago in Beijing was in its toddlerhood.

Four days into the games, we've already seen (and this is but a partial list):

-an athletes' Twitter campaign objecting to sponsorship restrictions that went viral under the hashtag "WeDemandChange."

-a television viewers uprising over Olympic broadcaster NBC's decision not to live stream the opening ceremony.

-two athletes kicked out for racist tweets.

-a fan arrested Tuesday after a series of threatening posts, including one in which he vowed to drown a British diver, and another in which he told the athlete he had failed his dead father by not winning.

For Olympics organizers who pride themselves on putting on a carefully choreographed - obsessively controlled, some would say - 17-day show, the bursts of Twitter activity are like gamma rays escaping from a solar flare. They're impossible to stop and spellbinding to behold.

"I don't think we would seek to control it, nor could we," said International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams. He said more than 15 million fans are following and participating in the Olympic experience via Twitter and other social media platforms, not to mention a good proportion of the 10,800 athletes. "Used the right way, we embrace social media," he said. "And, if you look at the guidelines, we positively encourage it."

The problem is, it isn't always used that way.

The immediacy and public nature of Twitter and its propensity to induce off-the-cuff irreverence, and sometimes breathtaking ugliness, has added a new and chaotic element to an event where everything from urine samples to sponsors' logos to London traffic is arranged with overcaffeinated attention to detail worthy of a royal wedding.

"Though organizers have spent months touting this as the first social media Summer Games, many of them seem to have been totally unprepared for the huge impact that Twitter has had," said Andy Miah, director of the Creative Futures Institute at the University of the West of Scotland. "I think there was some naivete about the likely role of social media from both participants and from the organizers. Many of them appear to have been wrongfooted."

Twitter has been used in many ways during its brief life - some very organized and tactical, some more spontaneous and disorderly. It has been a tool of protest and organization for the Occupy Wall Street movement and Arab Spring activists. Yet it has also led to the downfall of click-happy politicians, and the sometimes embarrassing late-night revelations of A-list celebrities.

The social network is now at the fingertips of 140 million users, up from a few million when the Olympics were held in Beijing in 2008. The San Francisco-based company says there have been more than 10 million tweets mentioning the Olympics during the first few days of the games. The exponential jump from four years ago has been driven by the rise of smartphones, now carried by spectators and athletes alike, each watching each other watch each other.

Which of course raises the question: When exuberant, often young athletes are going through the experience of their lives on one hand, and it's unfolding in a deeply controlled environment on the other, how do you make sure everyone gets what they need without it all turning to anarchy?

The IOC, Miah says, has tried to exert control by creating its own social media hub - gathering athletes' tweets and posts from Facebook, the other formidable player in this landscape. But it hasn't always worked out as planned.

On Saturday, U.S. women's soccer goalkeeper Hope Solo launched a Twitter outburst against Brandi Chastain, the former American soccer player who is now an analyst on NBC. "Its 2 bad we can't have commentators who better represents the team&knows more about the game," Solo wrote.

Dozens of athletes, including some British soccer players, have taken to Twitter to promote their sponsors' products, a violation of Olympic rules that could theoretically lead to their expulsions. Some Olympians, undoubtedly delighting agents and marketers back home, have started an online campaign to get the rules changed.

And it's not just athletes who are stirring the stew of controversy.

British lawmaker Aidan Burley earned a sharp rebuke from fellow conservatives after he tweeted that Danny Boyle's critically acclaimed opening ceremony, which told the story of Britain's history in a rousing mix of music, symbolism and showmanship, was "leftie multicultural crap."

A British journalist said his Twitter account was blocked after he criticized NBC's coverage of the opening ceremony and posted the e-mail of a network executive. And thousands of disgruntled Olympics viewers set up hashtag "nbcfail" on Twitter to air complaints about the media company's coverage.

Then there's the teenager from Dorset who was arrested Tuesday after a series of offensive and, authorities say, menacing tweets directed at British Olympian Tom Daley. The suspect could be prosecuted under British law.

And yet Twitter has fast become an indispensable part of the Olympic scene. It is as valuable to today's spectators as programs and scorecards were to another generation, and it is just as important to the athletes seeking to connect with supporters from behind the Olympic curtain.

For young fans, "take away Twitter and you take away part of the experience," said Steve Jones, a professor who studies online culture and communications at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Olympians have used Twitter to tell supporters what they are eating, how they are feeling and who they are hanging out with. Jamaican mega-star Usain Bolt tweeted about his craving for chicken. American hurdler Lolo Jones revealed she's a virgin.

Perhaps that is too much information and intimacy for some, but Twitter, Facebook and their many copycats are not going anywhere, and it's time we got used to it.

Andy Hunt, the head of the British Olympic association, found himself dealing with a double whammy of Twitter eruptions - defending his star diver against social-network vitriol while vowing to look into whether the host country's soccer players should be disciplined for using the site for "ambush marketing."

"I think everyone knows, if you use social media extensively, you have to accept you get bad as well as good," Hunt told journalists. "And sometimes bad is wholly unacceptable."

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Associated Press reporters David Stringer and Jake Coyle contributed. Paul Haven reported from London, Barbara Ortutay from New York

Badboy wrote:THERE ARE MUMOURINGS ABOUT EMPTY SEATS IN SOME EVENTS

Yes there are.


Womens footie team is looking good Hope Powell is a good manager so team will hopefully get beter as well.

ZARA PHILLIPS DID WELL FOR BRITAIN.

Lioned wrote:I need to go shopping for my outfit for Saturday,i'm wondering what i should be wearing for the Beach Volleyball games.I am thinking i should be casual with some GB stuff but also if we get in to see the Queen later i want to look smart as well.
Going up to town early and then probably to Hyde Park to watch the big screens for a while and then maybe to Arrods or Selfridges to buy Mrs Lioned a present as its our Anniversary on Sunday.Dont want to spend too much as these damn tickets have cost me £loads and i dont have much left for pressies !

Enjoy your day, Lioned!
Hope the weather gets better for your day!

Badboy wrote:ZARA PHILLIPS DID WELL FOR BRITAIN.

She certainly did, Bb.

Well done to the rowers Glover and Stanning!

Also Brad Wiggins, what a man!

chrissie wrote:Well done to the rowers Glover and Stanning!

Also Brad Wiggins, what a man!

I just came home to watch the tail end of the Race....brilliant!!! Some fans even wore the cardboard sideburns. I love the fact that he went looking for his family before anything else.Froome won the
Bronze , well donw.!!

Updated: 3:17pm UK, Wednesday 01 August 2012

A visitor to the Olympic Park gives an account of her battle against the British summer.

On Sunday morning, tens of thousands of spectators poured into the Olympic Park in glorious sunshine and marvelled at the impressive set-up.

But by lunchtime it was pouring with rain and many were left struggling to find any shelter after being moved on from their venues.

Nicola Foster-Ward and her husband had been watching the basketball session and emerged into a downpour to find nowhere to take cover.

"We came out of the arena into heavy rain but officials insisted we had to move on because everyone was already coming in for the next session,” she said.

"There were no umbrellas or canopies anywhere to provide shelter so we had no choice but to head out into the rain. Olympic volunteers had ponchos for protection but there was nothing for spectators.

"The only place to go to hide from the rain was the official shop and McDonalds but both were so busy that people were queuing for hours.

"We were left with no choice but to walk back through the Olympic Park and out to Westfield in the open – a walk of at least 20 minutes. By the end, we were wet through.

"The Park and all the venues look incredible but it does seem a bit of an oversight not to have provided some shelter given the notorious British weather."
Enlarge Article:
Sky News UK Weather

I am glad those badminton players got chucled out for not trying,i feel sorry for the spectators who paid a lot of money to watch them friggin around trying to loose just to get a better draw in the next round.Serves them right to go home and hang their heads in shame.I dont imagine any British players would do that.

Exactly lioned, the lot of them should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves, glad they
got booted out in disgrace.

I READ IN TODAY'S EXPRESS THAT SOME PEOPLE LIKE TAXI DRIVERS WERE COMPLAINING THAT BECAUSE LONDON WAS QUIET BECAUSE OF OLYMPICS,THEIR TRADE WAS BEING HIT

Badboy wrote:I READ IN TODAY'S EXPRESS THAT SOME PEOPLE LIKE TAXI DRIVERS WERE COMPLAINING THAT BECAUSE LONDON WAS QUIET BECAUSE OF OLYMPICS,THEIR TRADE WAS BEING HIT

Well it seems that some people just can't seem to get through the day without complaining about something and its all the olympics fault.If they where to shut up for five minutes and engage their rather 'challenged' brains they might remember its the first week of the school holidays.

Well I didn't think I would, but I'm loving every bit of the Olympics!
So much so, I wish I'd tried for tickets now!

It's been a great day today!
to Team GB!

Lioned wrote:

Badboy wrote:I READ IN TODAY'S EXPRESS THAT SOME PEOPLE LIKE TAXI DRIVERS WERE COMPLAINING THAT BECAUSE LONDON WAS QUIET BECAUSE OF OLYMPICS,THEIR TRADE WAS BEING HIT

Well it seems that some people just can't seem to get through the day without complaining about something and its all the olympics fault.If they where to shut up for five minutes and engage their rather 'challenged' brains they might remember its the first week of the school holidays.

I HEARD FROM A TAXI DRIVERS ALLBEIT NOT LONDON THAT EVEN WITH THE SCHOOL HOLIDAY,IT SEEMS TO QUITER THAN USUAL.

Badboy wrote:

Lioned wrote:

Badboy wrote:I READ IN TODAY'S EXPRESS THAT SOME PEOPLE LIKE TAXI DRIVERS WERE COMPLAINING THAT BECAUSE LONDON WAS QUIET BECAUSE OF OLYMPICS,THEIR TRADE WAS BEING HIT

Well it seems that some people just can't seem to get through the day without complaining about something and its all the olympics fault.If they where to shut up for five minutes and engage their rather 'challenged' brains they might remember its the first week of the school holidays.

I HEARD FROM A TAXI DRIVERS ALLBEIT NOT LONDON THAT EVEN WITH THE SCHOOL HOLIDAY,IT SEEMS TO QUITER THAN USUAL.

I am not yet convinced that taxi drivers are the most reliable source of information.Most of them will claim that times are bad to get an extra tip or dodge a bit of tax.

BUTTON IT!

If Helen Mirren can't get Britain's notoriously rowdy cycling crowd to zip it, who can?

The woman whose icy glare in "The Queen" buckled knees in theaters all over the globe is one of several famous British faces who appears on a quick video that is played sporadically at the Velodrome to quieten the crowd before the start of a race.

Mirren, actor Simon Pegg and musician Gary Barlow are among those shown holding their finger to their lips and giving a loud "Shhhhhh!"

In one of the versions, Mirren is the last face to appear. She leans forward slightly and sternly says, "Button it."

It's worked every time.

- Jon Krawczynski - Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski

Video: Drunk Aussie Rower To Apologise
EmailBy Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

An Australian Olympic rower has been ordered by team bosses to pay £1,400 for repairs after smashing windows of two businesses during a boozy night out.

Josh Booth had been out drinking with fellow rowers after coming last in the men's eight final on Wednesday.

CCTV footage broadcast by Australian TV news programmes shows the rower unsteady on his feet in a kebab shop, wearing his yellow official team tracksuit.

Disorientated on his way back to the team's accommodation at Eton Dorney it is claimed he thought he was breaking into his Melbourne home when he smashed the shop fronts.

:: See more on London 2012

The rower was detained and taken to Staines police station where he then collapsed and had to be taken to hospital for a check up.

Australian deputy team chief Chris Fydler has told reporters that the incident was embarrassing for all Australian athletes.

"We've been working with the local police in that area as well as the shop owners where damage was done," Mr Fydler said.

"We are working through a process at the moment of Josh formally apologising to the shop owners for the damage he caused. We've had assessments of that damage and Josh will be paying those shop owners to repair that damage."

The 21-year-old, however, may not be off the hook from the Australian Olympic Committee, who plan to announce possible disciplinary action.

The incident comes amid growing frustration at the lack of medals won by Australia.

After a slow start, Britain could end up with as many as 20 gold medals while Australia may be lucky to reach double figures, especially after a dismal return from the pool.

Australia even slipped behind New Zealand on the medal table early on Friday morning after they won a second gold in the men's pair rowing.

However, Australia's team chiefs remain optimistic, still believing in a top five finish in the medals table.

"GB had a good day yesterday, we have good days ourselves still to come," Mr Fydler said.

"We would like to beat the British team, that's still a goal of ours.

"We haven't changed our goals to be in the top five. We have some work to do, but there's some great opportunities in rowing, cycling, athletics, sailing.

"There's plenty of opportunities for us to catch the GB team yet."

Booth's colleagues Kim Crow and Brooke Pratley have done their best to restore rowing pride, winning silver in the women's double sculls, while Karsten Forsterling, Daniel Noonan, Christopher Moran and James McRae took bronze in the men's quad sculls.

The Australian drunk has been sent home.

Didn't they do well....2 gold Medals and one silver today in the rowing races.

Has anyone noticed that it is "Great Britain" again since Tony Blair changed it to Britain , will it be permanent?

THERE IS AN ARTICLE IN GUARDIAN TODAY SAYING LONDON'S TOURIST ATTRACTIONS HAVE BEEN HIT BY A LACK OF VISITORS AS A RESULT OF THE OLYMPICS.

Badboy wrote:THERE IS AN ARTICLE IN GUARDIAN TODAY SAYING LONDON'S TOURIST ATTRACTIONS HAVE BEEN HIT BY A LACK OF VISITORS AS A RESULT OF THE OLYMPICS.

Yes, central London shops expected to benefit from the Games have not........the Venue for the Games is I think too far
away from Regent St and Oxford St. One Reporter said it was like a Ghost town, but Westfields, the new shopping Mall
near the Olympic site is doing well.

Moroccan runner Amine Laalou and Belarusian hammer thrower Ivan Tsikhan have been provisionally suspended and charged with doping violations.

Both had been due to participate in the Olympics, with Laalou scheduled to race in the 1,500 metres heats on Friday but not being among the starters.

Tsikhan was expected in the hammer qualifying, alsoon Friday, but did not appear.

A spokesman for athletics' world governing body the IAAF said: "The IAAF is now in a position to confirm that Ivan Tsikhan and Amine Laalou have both been charged with anti-doping rule violations under IAAF rules.

"Each athlete has been provisionally suspended by the IAAF pending the outcome of a hearing before the relevant disciplinary tribunal of his respective federation."

Earlier on Saturday, the International Olympic Committee confirmed Colombian 400m runner Diego Palomeque has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for testosterone.

The 18-year-old was due to run in the 400m heats but was withdrawn following his suspension.
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