London Latest -- Blue Hockey Pitch Bashed; Olympic Park Reveals Wild Side

Criticism for Blue Hockey Pitch

A synthetic turf expert claims the contract for London 2012’s hockey pitch was awarded unfairly and unwisely by organizers.

"LOCOG took advice from the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in terms of establishing pre-qualifying criteria for the surface used for hockey at the Olympic Games, and that criteria ruled out any new surfaces developed over the previous two to three years," Bryn Lee told Eurosport on Tuesday.

Instead, he said, the blue and pink surface designed by Australian firm Sports Technology International and unveiled last month by LOCOG represents old technology – and an unnecessary disadvantage for the home team.

STI also built pitches for the Sydney and Beijing Olympics, but the bold color combo in store for London marks a move away from the traditional green used in every Summer Games and top-tier event since FIH switched from grass to turf in the 1970s.

"The pitches the British team will train on will also be green. I bet in Australia the national team is training on blue pitches," Lee speculated.

He also likened the choice of surface to buying an outdated tube television in lieu of an LCD model and the unusual color scheme to framing that obsolete TV with a "mahogany cupboard".

LOCOG's news release from late last month focuses primarily on the pitch's look but does hit briefly upon its feel.

"The playing performance and quality of a pitch are our primary concern and we’re happy that LOCOG has researched this thoroughly," FIH CEO Kelly Fairweather said in a statement.

"We’re keen to innovate in the presentation of hockey to ensure, among other things, that spectators either in the stadium or on television get a good view of the exciting field action."

The controversial pitch is bound for a temporary 16,000-seat venue to be built in the spring of 2012 at the northern end of Olympic Park.

Olympic Park Shows Its Colors

New images reveal London Olympic Park’s wild side taking shape, complete with frog ponds, cherry blossoms and sprawling green lawns.

"The Olympic Park parklands are in blossom and on track to be great new open space during the Games and in legacy," Olympic Delivery Authority CEO Denis Hone said Tuesday in a statement.

"The riverside lawns, meadows, wooded hills and wetlands will help create a colorful festival atmosphere in London 2012 and become animportant part of the regeneration of this part of east London after the Games."

The ODA is on track to transform roughly 250 acres of former industrial land into the U.K.’s largest new urban park in more than a century by the time the Games open next year.

Check back later for more of the ODA’s newly released images in this week’s edition of Friday Photodesk.

Host Exemptions Extended to British Wrestlers

Team Great Britain will wrestle at the London Olympics.

The British Olympic Association announced Tuesday that up to three athletes in any weight category and of any gender across the twoOlympic wrestling disciplines of freestyle and Greco-Roman will get host nation qualification spots for 2012.

"British Wrestling has really raised the bar in performance terms in recent years," BOA CEO Andy Hunt said in a statement.

"While the short term focus is on a successful Olympic Games performance in London 2012, equally important is the long term development of successful British wrestlers on the world stage for Rio 2016 and beyond."

Yana Stadnik’s silver medal last year in women’s 48kg freestyle was Britain’s first European Championship medal in 21 years, and Myroslav Dykun’s gold at Delhi 2010 in men’s 66kg Greco-Roman was its first at a Commonwealth Games in 24 years. The country’s last Olympic medal came in 1984 by way of Noel Loban, bronze medalist in men’s 90kg freestyle.

Though exemptions are custom for Olympic host countries, the BOA says only those British athletes who can deliver both "a credible performance" and "a meaningful legacy" will receive automatic berths into the Games.

Wrestling, fencing, synchronized swimming, beach volleyball, basketball, table tennis, judo, handball, indoor volleyball, water polo and weightlifting were extended similar courtesies in past months.

Written by Matthew Grayson.