Cuts in Olympics opening, problems spiral in London
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The London Olympics opening ceremony has been cut short due to 'transport concerns', the UK’s Olympics minister said on Wednesday, as Londoners faced more problems with major delays on some Underground lines.
The opening ceremony, directed by Oscar-winning Danny Boyle, will not include a sequence involving stunt bikes on July 27 to allow spectators to get back from the East London stadium using public transport. Olympics minister Hugh Robertson denied that cutting the opening ceremony had "anything to do with the G4S security situation".
"It is all about making sure the ceremony ends between 12 and 12.30 am so that people can get back to Central London on time to catch the last trains home," he added.
The decision to cut short the ceremony, which cost £27 million, comes after the organisers admitted 700,000 tickets for Olympic events were yet to be sold. Tickets for football events will be cut by 500,000 by reducing capacity across all football venues.
After a protest by taxi drivers on Tuesday, a group of MPs is up in arms over the special Olympic lanes on London’s roads. LibDem MP Tom Brake has tabled a motion in the House of Commons urging the organising committee to allow cyclists to use the Games Lanes during the Olympics. The fine for using the Olympic lanes from next Wednesday is £130.
The London Games have been hit by one controversy after the other at the last stage before the opening next week, with the ire of the country focussed on the security and transport problems.
The Locog also decided to cut the football tickets by 500,000 by reducing capacity across the football venues. "This will involve possibly not using a tier, or an area of a ground, in some of the venues. This can apply to men’s and women’s football, if necessary," Locog said. Lord Sebastian Coe had last week said that the London Games had the best record till now on ticket sales.
The London Olympics organising committee said the decision to cut sections in any production was a normal thing. "Performers are rehearsing sections and transitions to ensure they are as tight as possible. This is normal in any production, whether it be theatre or ceremonies," a Locog spokesperson said.
The performers whose section had been cut would be given credit in the programme and would be paid according to the contract, he added.
The theme of the opening ceremony, titled Isles of Wonder, is inspired by William Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest.
The Olympic stadium will have about 80,000 spectators, including heads of state from across the world (More than 120 heads of state have been invited by the IOA) and the ceremony will have an estimated audience of one billion on television.
The transport issues are still plaguing the London authorities as some of the Underground lines experienced severe delays on Wednesday.
The Circle and District lines had severe delays during the morning rush and then later in the afternoon over a signal failure at Gloucester Road. The Central Line experienced delays over a signal failure at Lancaster Gate.
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