Anti-Terrorism Exercise for 2012 Olympics; Torch Relay Test; Blur Headline Concert

(ATR) Olympic organizers will on Wednesday launch a major security exercise designed to test the government response to a possible terrorist attack on the London Underground during this summer's Games.

The exercise will be set to simulate conditions on August 8 and 9 - two of the busiest days of the Olympics - and is jointly developed by the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police.

During the first day of the exercise - Feb. 22 - the tactical response of the police and emergency services on the ground will be visible to passers-by outside the disused Aldwych underground station, the venue for the mock attack.

Around 2,500 people will take part in the two-day test.

"Testing and exercising is vital to getting our safety and security operations for the Games right," said the Met's assistant commissioner Chris Allison, who is also Scotland Yard's national Olympic security coordinator.

"We need to be confident that we have the right people in the right places, that we understand how others operate and that we are talking to each other at the right levels and in the right way.

"This is part of series of exercises which we have run in the lead up to the Games, but this is the first with such a significant response from the emergency services on the ground."

Dress Rehearsal for Olympic Torch Relay

A thorough test of the operations around the Olympic Torch Relay will take place on April 20.

To be staged on the Leicester to Peterborough stretch - an 80-mile route taking in both rural and urban locations - the primary objective is to test the convoy, crew and communications procedures in advance of the 70-day relay that begins on May 19. This leg also includes the torch journeying on different modes of transport, including a train and a rescue boat.

Students will carry unlit torches for the test.

Procedures to be tested on the day will include timings, convoy movement, radio communications, the collection and drop off of torchbearers, route markings, traffic management and security operations.

The rehearsal is the culmination of a series of operational relay tests which have already taken place. These have focused on a range of areas including torch performance, hotel operations and the vehicle convoy.

The Olympic torch relay starts at Land’s End, Cornwall on May 19. It will travel an estimated 8,000 miles around the U.K. before arriving at the Olympic Stadium on July 27 where it will be used to light the cauldron.

Blur Headline Olympic Gig

Britpop stalwarts Blur will headline an Aug. 12 concert to mark the closing of the Olympics.

Also appearing at BT London Live concert at Hyde Park are The Specials and New Order.

More guests will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets for the concert go on sale on Friday on www.btlondonlive.com.

UK Athletics Chairman Stays On

UKA chief Ed Warner was confirmed to continue in that role through to January 2018.

The UK Members Council, an elected body that protects the interests of the sport, voted unanimously for Warner to lead UKA through the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London.

Earlier this month, Warner was named as head of the organising committee for those championships.

Warner, who was originally appointed as UKA chair in 2007, said he was "thrilled" that his term had been extended.

UKA president Lynn Davies said: "He has worked tirelessly with Niels de Vos and the UKA team to modernise the sport and drive it forward and we are in a much better place going into a home Games for that. We want to see the sameleadership and energy as we move towards London 2017 World Athletics Championships and Ed is the man to deliver that."

Legacy Company Appointment

The Olympic Park Legacy Company has appointed Mark Camley as director of park operations.

Post-Games, he will be responsible for the running of around 250 acres of open space on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park including parklands, waterways and public spaces.

One of his first major projects is to oversee the opening of the South Plaza. The 50-acre site sitting between the stadium and the aquatics Ccntre will be London’s newest public space with plans for a visitor center and space for festivals, concerts and other attractions.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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