A Chilly London for Summer Games 100 Days

(ATR) A burst of late winter weather fails to chill the sunny determination of leaders of the London Olympics as they mark the countdown to the Games, 100 days away.

The Royal Botanical Gardens in London’s west were meant to provide a springtime backdrop for official events to mark Wednesday's milestone. Bursts of rain, a biting wind and leaden skies were served instead by Mother Nature. More than 200 media, many from outside the U.K., turned out regardless. And flowers, nonetheless, were in bloom.

A five-ring circus kept the media busy: photo ops with mascot Wenlock, interviews with Olympian Jonathan Edwards, Sebastian Coe planting a tree, flowers planted to form giant Olympic rings visible by planes landing at Heathrow and a press conference with the bigwigs of the London Games.

At the briefing, British culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said that there is "no room for complacency" in the preparations for London 2012, despite the crisis-free run-up to the Games so far.

Hunt spoke alongside LOCOG chair Coe, CEO Paul Deighton and Minister for the Olympics Hugh Robertson.

Hunt reiterated Prime Minister David Cameron’s welcome to the 204 countries that will be sending athletes to London this summer.

But he also warned that London still has work to do to be ready on July 27.

"There is a huge responsibility on government because of the scale of what is happening," he said. "We have 19 government departments all of whom need to play their part in the preparations of the Games.

"Preparations have gone very well but there is still a huge amount to do, there are still a lot of temporary venues that need to be completed; an enormous number of preparations.

"My message to the whole of the British government machine is there is absolutely no room for complacency, and the reasons things have gone smoothly is because we have worked very very hard to make sure we deal with issues before they become big, and that is what we will continue to do."

Deighton reinforced this theme, saying he was "delighted" that preparations had run "relatively smoothly" right up until this point. However, he too was wary of complacency, observing that "only the paranoid succeed".

"There is absolutely no danger of us not looking at every risk to continuing to deliver these in the effective and spectacular way we promised," said Deighton.

Hunt allayed concerns about transport strikes during the summer, saying he was sure the unions would see how much the public would not want to see industrial disputes at the Olympics. Avoiding such action, he said, will help to keep the public on their side.

Deighton also suggested that the unions deserved more credit for their role in the preparations so far, saying "If we reflect on our own experience, [the British workforce] has actually been a big part of our success to date. So we should be paying tribute to the unions and the workers for the contribution they’ve put into the Games so far, and that’s been by far their most emphatic aspect of their role in the Games."

The press conference also revealed the official motto for the Games: "Inspire a Generation".

"It is in essence everything we’ve been saying since we started on this extraordinary journey and not just once we got across the line in Singapore," Coe said.

"It’s the heartbeat, it’s the very DNA of this organization. It’s also a rallying cry to the athletes who come to the U.K. to perform at their very best and inspire the world – and it’s a motto you will see right across the Games."

On hand for the 100-day event was Tessa Jowell, the former Labour Olympic minister who helped get the London bid going. She now is the shadow minister and says bi-partisan support of the Games effort has paid off. Jowell tells Around the Rings the work on the Olympics got off to a good start seven years ago, making possible the smooth finish in 2012.

"I have always felt with a project of this scale and complexity that if you’re going to make mistakes that scar the planning, you make them in the first two years," she says.

Also observing, bundled in wool to beat the cold, Rio 2016 president Carlos Nuzman, who is unlikely to have to brave weather so blustery in his journey to the Games.

"All my congratulations to Seb Coe and his team," Nuzman tells ATR.

"They are on their way in 100 days to celebrate incredible Games, They will make history and this will help all future organizers," said the Rio chief.

Other IOC members at the 100-days event included Australian Kevin Gosper and Austin Sealey of Barbados.

And while he is celebrating 100 days to the Games, Coe is hoping for a case of double-glee Wednesday. This evening he’ll be among the multitudes cheering on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The match with Barcelona is the first leg of the semifinals for the 2012 Champions League.

Written and reported in London by Ed Hula and Christian Radnedge

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