Eton Dorney – London 2012 Olympic Rowing

Had a wonderful day out at the London 2012 Olympic rowing, canoeing and kayaking venue at Eton Dorney near Windsor on the River Thames. The last day (August 4^th) of the Olympic Rowing saw some thrilling medal competition with the incongruously named Team GB taking gold for the men's four of Andrew Triggs-Hodge, Pete Reed, Tom James, and Alex Gregory's meant Great Britain have won the event for the fourth Olympics in a row. Sophie Hosking and Katherine Copeland then took gold in the women's double sculls.

Team GB taking gold for the men's four of Andrew Triggs-Hodge,
Pete Reed, Tom James, and Alex Gregory 

Sophie Hosking and Katherine Copeland taking
gold in the women's double sculls. 

Irish rowing Olympian Sanita Puspure

 Ireland won one of the C Heats for 13^th place at the Olympic rowing @ Eton Dorney today. Mother of two, Sanita Puspure finished her debut Olympics on a high note with a convincing win in the “C” final of the women’s single sculls. Puspure’s medal chances were dashed when she narrowly missed out on a place in the A/B semi-finals on Tuesday but the Latvian-born rower bounced back to win her consolation final by almost eight seconds.

Puspure led home the field in a time of 7:59.77 with Micheen Thornycroft in second (8:07.52) and Yariulvis Cobas in third (8:14.59). She finishes in 13th place overall with the A and B finals to come later on Saturday in Eton Dorney. Ireland’s first female rower at the Olympics since Frances Cryan in 1980, Puspure had targeted a top 12 finish in London and got her campaign off to a great start when qualifying in third from her heat.

Her draw for the quarter-finals was unkind and a time of 7:44.19 was only good enough for fourth place, though it would have been enough for a top-three finish and a place in the semis had she been in one of the other three races. She performed very impressively today.

The River Thames at Eton Dorney

From looking at rowing on television you have no idea of the endurance, stamina and persistence needed to be an Olympian rower not to mention the loneliness of the training routine. Each Olympic contest is a numbing 2000 metres long and by the time the athletes get to the end they are often delirious and collapse. Their heart and lungs have expanded; they can no longer inhale sufficient oxygen to feed their lactate hardened muscles. This physical exertion often affects their decision making ability and they can suffer from temporary electrolyte confusion. Truly, competing at Olympic level in this sport is a hard test of physical and mental endurance.

Disabled friendly facilities @ Eton Dorney

The atmospherics and facilities at Eton Dorney were really good even for those of us on the South Lawn which had a picnic style vibe. I also learnt about an unfamiliar sport. Rowing and sweeping is with one oar each, sculling is with two and in Olympic kayaking and canoeing you are in the same type of boat using one paddle each, in canoeing you are kneeling, in kayaking you are sitting down. End of Masterclass!

The facilities, organisation and atmosphere at Eton Dorney were truly impressive and on a day when GB won two gold’s and a silver in rowing you felt you were sharing in something special. It is in fact a permanent facility.

The band of the Royal Marines entertaining the crowds at Eton Dorney

Set in a 400-acre park within a nature conservation area, Eton Dorney Rowing Centre at Dorney Lake is acclaimed as one of the finest rowing venues in the world. It has been impressively adapted to host the London 2012 events with four park and ride areas, entry through Windsor Racecourse and disabled friendly access and facilities. In week two of the London Olympics it will host canoe and kayak events.

For more on the London 2012 Olympics see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/london-olympics-2012.html

For the London 2012 Olympic website see;

http://www.london2012.com/

London Olympics 2012

With the great festival just upon us children are being terrified when they arrive at Railway Stations by the booming  Great Buffoon of London, Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, over the Tannoys asking them not to travel at this time of heightened austerity. Not content with that the Fluff-headed  loon has brought out a video to welcome  the world to the London Olympics.

For a guide to the Olympic Park in East London see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/olympic-walking.html

For the live video feed on the torch relay see;

http://www.london2012.com/torch-relay/video/live.html

For the background to the London 2012 Mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville see;

http://www.daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/wenlock-and-mandeville.html

For a guide to Stoke Mandeville’s role in the Paralympics see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2008/09/paralympic-games.html

For the Olympic transport arrangements see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2009/01/london-olympics-2012-stratford-station.html

The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games will take place on 27 July 2012 and the Closing Ceremony on the 12 Aug 2012. 18 days later, the Paralympic Games (the second largest event of its kind in the world) will stage its Opening Ceremony.

Olympic Torch Relay

Olympic Torch Relay, Stoke Mandeville

Today the Olympic Torch and flame came through my village of Stoke Mandeville this morning on its long journey of 70 days from the Temple of Hera on the slopes of Mount Olympus to the opening ceremony of the London Olympics 2012 on the 27^th July. For many in the village the flame was not passing through but was actually coming home for we are the only village in England which actually has an Olympic Flame. The Paralympics are a particular source of pride here for it is the local Stoke Mandeville Hospital and a remarkable surgeon Ludwig Guttmann who gave birth to the remarkable phenomenon of the Paralympics. And as the first organised “Stoke Mandeville Games” took place in conjunction with the 1948 Olympic Games hosted in a war shattered London then for the 2012 games in London the Paralympics will truly be coming home!

http://daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2008/09/paralympic-games.html

The ancient Greeks believed that fire was given to humankind by Prometheus, and considered fire to have sacred qualities. Mirrors were used to focus the sun's rays to ignite flames that would burn perpetually in front of Greek temples. Greek rituals also included torch relays, although this was not actually part of the Olympic Games. The modern use of the Olympic Flame began in 1936. It coincided with the advent of a long relay of runners carrying torches to bring the flame from Olympia to the site of the games. Once there, the torch is used to light a cauldron that remains lit until it is extinguished in the Closing Ceremony. Whilst some have mischievously attributed the idea of a torch relay to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Gobbels it was actually the idea of Carl Diem, the secretary general of the Organising Committee of the Games of the XI Olympiad in Berlin.

The Olympic flame being lit by the sun's rays at
The Temple of Hera, Olympia

Sir Ludwig Guttmann

However there is a genuine connection to the Nazis and World War II in the birth of the Paralympic Games. For war has everything to do with the foundation of the Paralympics and with the remarkable Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany, Ludwig Guttmann. Sir Ludwig "Poppa" Guttmann (July 3, 1899 in Toszek (Poland) - March 18, 1980) was a German-born neurologist who founded the Paralympics and is considered one of the founding fathers of organized physical activities for the disabled. One of the leading pre-World War II neurologists in Germany, Guttmann worked at the Jewish Hospital in Breslau until 1939, when he was forced to flee to England. At Stoke Mandeville Guttmann treated disabled patients particularly RAF Aircrew who had severe spinal injuries and other disabilities. As director, he believed sport was a method of therapy, using it to help build physical strength and self-respect.

This was Day 52 of the Torch Relay with the Olympic Flame visiting Bletchley Park and Blenheim Palace as well as Aylesbury and Stoke Mandeville during its journey from Luton to Oxford. Prime Minister David Cameron met the flame in Woodstock and the day culminated with a concert for 20,000 in South Park, Oxford. Today the Relay travelled 112.32 miles with the flame carried by 133 Torchbearers. Today’s relay kicked off in St. George’s Square Luton with F1 driver Lewis Hamilton.

Racing Driver Lewis Hamilton beginning the day's relay in Luton

So there was understandable excitement in the village at the Olympic Flame cavalcade passing through with extensive detail in a leaflet about road closures, cars not being parked on the route and anti-Olympic behaviour. For those not familiar with this concept it can include displaying logos of non-Olympic Sponsors on the route and under legislation in the enabling act if I displayed an anti-Olympics poster in a window the police are entitled to enter my house without a warrant and remove it. Still the streets were lined and the choreography of the event is worthy of Gobbels. The vehicles escorting the flame are all in the “sunshine” colours and carry the slogan “moment to shine.” As parts of the choreography 8,000 people have been nominated as worthy to carry the Olympic torch (In Dublin this included Jedward) and they are outfitted in white. The security team are Metropolitan Police Officers and they are outfitted in grey. Then there are the support staff who wear the Olympic logo outfits.

The first part of the cavalcade consists of the vehicles of the “three presenting partners” Samsung, Coca-Cola and Lloyds TSB Bank in that exact order. All three of them have cheerleader types on board who keep up a smiley, jokey, jumpy, love the world presence. Imagine the job interview for these roles “Want to be part of an amazing historic event? Gone to Drama College? get this on your CV?” The strain of exuding such artificial happiness and interest would drive most of us insane after 10 days, let alone after 70 days of making history (sic).

Samsung have a smart bus with cheerleaders on top and a huge screen on the side and give out freebies. Coca-Cola, the sugared water company, has a red and white bus with fewer cheer leaders and gives out nothing. Lloyds TSB, the failed banking group which exists by the grace and favour of UK Taxpayers, have a vintage bus (presumably to remind us of their IT systems) with glum looking staff who, in an exception to the artificial happiness rule, look like they don’t know why they are there. Indeed, I don’t know why a failed taxpayer supported bank is an Olympic Sponsor? Indeed the Disneyfication of the event with free issues of happy pills to participants is fairly evident with everybody trained to constantly smile and wave as they exude positivity as they pass by. Most surreal of all were the motorcycle cops who were high fiving the kids as they went past, as motorcycle cops do?

Olympic Flame - Stoke Mandeville Stadium

The torch relay at Stoke Mandeville Stadium

In a way the Torch Relay was a metaphor for the London Olympics. A strange mixture of idealism, genuine enthusiasm, control and crass commercialism. In Stoke Mandeville, we’ll see it all come and go content that the spirit of the Paralympics is closer to the Olympic ideals and proud of the special and life enhancing efforts of those brave people inspired by the Stoke Mandeville Special Games, the Paralympians.

For the live video feed on the torch relay see;

http://www.london2012.com/torch-relay/video/live.html

For the background to the London 2012 Mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville see;

http://www.daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/wenlock-and-mandeville.html

2012 Olympic Mascots - Mandeville  and Wenlock

The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games will take place on 27 July 2012 and the Closing Ceremony on the 12 Aug 2012. 18 days later, the Paralympic Games (the second largest event of its kind in the world) will stage its Opening Ceremony.

For a guide to the Olympic Park in East London see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/olympic-walking.html

Olympic Walking

Olympic Park from the viewing area

Coming back from an exhilarating St. Patrick’s Day in New York (watch this Blog!) I found myself in the company of my lovely sister-in-law on a fascinating tour of hidden East London and the Olympic Park, the main venue for the London 2012 Olympics. The Olympics last came to London in the austerity of post war Britain in 1948 but 2012 is really London’s first chance to put on a show though many here are not too impressed with the commercialisation of the Olympics and the oppressive power of the commercial sponsors which will mean, for instance, you will have to eat McDonalds, drink Coke and can only use Visa at the Olympic venue. Maybe it’s because they are Londoner’s that the people will reclaim these Olympics by kicking against such American concepts of “partnership”, surely one of the most mis-used words in our language?

I remember well the joyful scenes in Trafalgar Square London on 6th July 2005 when the Olympic Bid Team under Mayor Ken Livingstone dumbfounded the pundits by being awarded the rights to stage the Olympics in London, for despite the publicity and the Torch Relay the Olympics are awarded to a city, not a country. A joyous party erupted in front of the giant TV screen in London’s Trafalgar Square as Londoner’s felt their time had come. The very next morning that joy turned to horror as a vicious attack on the City’s transport system left 52 people dead and over 700 injured.

The celebrations in Trafalgar Square when London
was awarded the 2012 Olympics  on the 6th July 2005

The 7 July 2005 London bombings (also known as the 7/7 bombings) were a series of coordinated suicide bomb attacks on London's public transport system during the morning rush hour. The bombings were carried out by 4 British Muslim men who were motivated by Britain's involvement in the Iraq War. At 08:50, three bombs exploded within fifty seconds of each other on three London Underground trains. A fourth bomb exploded on a bus nearly an hour later at 09:47 in Tavistock Square. The explosions were caused by home-made organic peroxide-based devices, packed into rucksacks. The devices were almost certainly detonated manually by the bombers themselves in intentional suicide attacks. The Blitz Spirit still persists in this city and the very next morning Tube drivers got into their cabs and people went to work as normal determined that this obscene act of violence would not crush London and the terrorists wouldn’t win. It gave a greater determination to use the Olympics to showcase what those of us who live and work in this great World City are most proud of, London’s diversity and tolerance.

http://daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/remembering-london-bombings.html

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad, and also known as London 2012 as per the official logo, are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012. 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. London will become the first city to officially host the modern Olympic Games three times, having previously done so in 1908 and in 1948.

Putting deep thoughts to one side in my deliriously jet lagged state we met for our Olympic Tour at Bromley-by-Bow station on the Tube’s District Line with our Blue Badge Guide , Tony Matthews, who outlined to our group of around 20 how we would spend a couple of hours strolling past gems of London’s industrial past including the film studio which is home to the ceremonies team, hear why East London was chosen to host the Olympics and learn about the transformation of this post-industrial site and the regeneration of a community. All good, so off we went on our merry way.

Bow Locks

Bromley-by-Bow Tube Station

Walking a short distance along the road we diverted onto the tow path of the Lee Navigation and into a different world from the gritty main road we had left behind. The locks link the tidal Bow Creek to the River Lee Navigation, which is a canalised river. These locks were first built in 1850 and then rebuilt in 1930, at the same time as the Prescott Channel was cut nearby on the east side of Three Mills Island. At high tide, the tide from Bow Creek formerly flowed through Bow Locks, to raise the level of the canals, such as the Limehouse Cut. But in 2000, these locks were modified to keep the tide out, to reduce silting in the canal system.

Next we came upon a fascinating piece of industrial archaeology The Three Mills are former working mills on the River Lee in the East End of London, one of London’s oldest extant industrial centres. The largest and most powerful of the four remaining tidal mills is possibly the largest tidal mill in the world. It is mainly accessed by a bridge over the Limehouse Cut and River Lee. The Lee (also spelt as Lea)is one of the many overlooked and sometimes secret rivers of London which were important in the development of the city and which give it much of its character.

http://daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/flow-gently-sweet-fleet.html

The River Lee Tidal Mill Trust Ltd owns the House Mill and the Miller's House buildings, which are used for educational projects and as conference spaces. The Lower Lee Project is also based at Three Mills in The Miller's House. The Prescott Channel, a former flood relief channel, to the east, creates Three Mills Island, and the mills share this with the Three Mills Studios, a 20 acre (81,000 m²) film studio, which makes a large number of major films and television programmes.

The Domesday Survey recorded eight mills in this area, and as windmills came later, these must have been tidal water mills on the River Lee and so they are among the earliest known tide mills in England. They provided flour for the bakers of Stratford-atte-Bow, who supplied bread to the City of London. In 1588, one of the two remaining mills was described as a gunpowder mill.

Three Mills

In 1728, Three Mills was bought by Peter Lefevre, a Huguenot, who entered into partnership with Daniel Bisson and several others. The mills operated in conjunction with a distillery and the company had its own carpenters, coopers and operated a large piggery fed on waste products. They also continued to mill for other purposes including supply to the Royal Navy Victualing Office. That is one of the reasons it had a brewery as it was too dangerous to drink water on long voyages whereas the brewing process and alcohol ensured bear was safe for rehydrating including the “small beer”, a weak beer brewed specially for children.

Built on an existing pre-Doomesday site it is a timber framed building clad in brick on three sides. In addition to flour making, the mill served the famous distillery next door on Three Mills Island. Built across the River Lee, the Mill trapped the sea and river water at high tide to turn the water wheels on the ebb. The outflowing water turned four large wheels driving twelve pairs of millstones. These four wheels and six of the pairs of millstones survive together with other historic machinery. The Mill ceased milling in 1941 after the area was bombed during the Second World War.

Lee Navigation and linear park

We leave this fascinating site behind and continue along the Lee Navigation towards the visitor centre overlooking the Olympic Park. Tony our guide is an enthusiast for the effect the Olympics are having on East London, a traditionally deprived area. The question remains whether the Olympics is the best way to spend £9.7 Bn. However there is no doubting that London is proud that the Olympics are coming here and are determined to showcase the city and East London in particular. 

As we walk along the Prescott Channel we are reminded of less responsible times for it held a secret of one of the greatest acts of architectural vandalism in this city – the destruction of the original Euston Station and its iconic Euston Arch. To block off any campaign to rebuild the Arch and despite an offer from the contractor to store the stonework British Rail demanded that it was all dumped and it has transpired the stones were thrown into a tributary of the river Lee in east London. This has now come to light as British Waterways has dredged the channel to salvage the discarded rock on behalf of the Euston Arch Trust as it carries out repair work to the waterways around the 2012 Olympic site. The stones are being lifted from the Prescott Channel, where they were used to fill a hole in the riverbed. Campaigners want to reconstruct the arch using as much of the original stone as possible.

http://daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/euston-arch.html

Remains of the Euston Arch being salvaged from the Prescott Channel

Part of the regeneration of East London has been the regeneration of the Lee Valley and the Navigation – indeed to establish this as the greenest Olympics yet the canal was restored to navigation and the bulk of the building materials for and spoil from the Olympic Park was brought in and out by canal. London 2012 has been the catalyst for transforming 2.5 square kilometres of land in east London. What was once industrial land has been rapidly transformed over the last few years into green space that both visitors to the Games and local residents can enjoy.

Soon we come to the locally run visitor centre overlooking the Olympic Park. Here all of the buildings, the Olympic Village behind and most of the park are virtually complete. The park itself is closed off to facilitate construction and for security, but from our elevated vantage point we can get a good view of the main, rather impressive venues. As well as being home to eight venues – including the iconic Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre and Velodrome – the Olympic Park will host a range of exciting attractions and events during the Games.

A preparatory athletics event in the Olympic Stadium

The Olympic Stadium will host the four spectacular Opening and Closing Ceremonies at London 2012, as well as some of the most iconic Games events. The Stadium is at the heart of the Olympic Park on an ‘island’ site, surrounded by waterways on three sides. Spectators will reach the venue via five bridges that link the site to the surrounding area.

Not far from the stadium and designed by internationally acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid, the breathtaking Aquatics Centre is one of the permanent venues specially constructed for London 2012. It forms part of the gateway to the Olympic Park – more than two-thirds of spectators will enter the Park at the south-east corner via a bridge that forms part of the venue’s roof. It has two extensions either side for the extra seating required during the Olympics but these will be removed after the games and it will become Britain’s National Aquatics Centre.

Aquatics Centre

Towering over the Olympic Park is the ArcelorMittal Orbit, sponsored by the company, a 115 metres (377 ft) high observation tower and Britain's largest piece of public art, which will remain a permanent, lasting legacy of London's hosting of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

ArcelorMittal Orbit

Olympic Velodrome

Located in the north of the Olympic Park, the Velodrome is one of the most sustainable and iconic venues of the London 2012 Games. Sustainable choices have been made wherever possible; from the sourcing of wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council used on the track and external cladding, to the installation of a 100% naturally ventilated system that eliminates the need for air conditioning. In the foreground we can see the tentage to be used for the security screening of those attending the Olympics and the Water Polo (temporary) building in front of the Main Stadium.

Far from anticipating a one hit wonder, the Olympic Legacy Committee (OPLC) has big plans, which span 25 years to ensure these games create an enduring legacy for London. They include the potential construction of 11,000 homes, with a big emphasis on family living. Due to be renamed the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from 2013, it is hoped the park will become a residential, cultural, sporting and entertainment centre attracting both home-buyers and visitors from across the world.

As the proposed map below shows, the park will be split into five neighbourhoods, displaying a variety of design styles from modern Georgian and Victorian squares and terraces to luxury riverfront apartments. The idea is to provide a viable alternative for families looking for more spacious, affordable accommodation, without them moving out of the city into surrounding counties.

Map of Olympic Park

Olympic Village

For the sake of balance there are mixed feelings in London about the Olympics for some aspects rub up the citizens of this open and democratically minded World City the wrong way. The groundswell is growing in London against the elitism and commercialisation of the London 2012 Olympics, dubbed in some quarters “The rip-off Olympics.” One commentator has captured the mood:

"The Olympic spirit no longer exists, it's been completely replaced by a relentless hunger to make the Games as much of a money-spinner as possible; for the contestants, for the organisers, and especially for the corporate sponsors."

The imposition on Londoners is considerable; Transport plans based on 30% of Londoners not going to work during the Olympics, sky high ticket prices but the best seats reserved en bloc for freeloaders and sponsors. A so called “traffic free” Olympics but with 3 Zhil Lanes (now renamed Olympic Ways) for the “Olympic Family (50,000 “VIPs”, officials and freeloaders) to have exclusive access to these lanes in 3,000 prestige cars on security grounds - and this for what was billed as "Car Free Olympics!" And then there is the overweening sponsorship; In the Olympic sites, you can only drink Coca Cola products, you can only use Visa, you can only eat McDonalds, you cannot wear anything with somebody else’s logo in an outburst of sponsor fascism. In Bhopal in India nearly 200 survivors of the world's worst industrial disaster have burned effigies of Lord Coe and an Indian Olympic official to protest against Dow Chemical's sponsorship of the London Games.

Olympic Visitor Centre - Stratford

The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games will take place on 27 July 2012 and the Closing Ceremony on the 12 Aug 2012. 18 days later, the Paralympic Games (the second largest event of its kind in the world) will stage its Opening Ceremony.

See Paralympic Games;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/09/paralympic-games.html

For more background on the Olympic mascots Wenlock and Mandeville see;

http://www.daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/wenlock-and-mandeville.html

Stratford Station;

http://daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2009/01/london-olympics-2012-stratford-station.html

For tours of London Olympic 2012 sites see;

http://toursof2012sites.com/

Tours: 11.00hrs & 14.00hrs every day.

Where: Bromley-by-Bow underground station (District/Hammersmith and City lines)

Cost: £9 Adults, £7 seniors & students with ID card, £5 per child U16.

Payment: on the day, in cash, directly to the guide.

For the official site and Olympic events see;

http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/