London Latest - BOA Briefing; Opening Ceremony Details; Torch Relay Update

BOA Brief Media on Games Operations

The British Olympic Association revealed Tuesday some of its plans for media operations during the London Olympics.

Among the details announced to the assembled crowd of accredited and non-accredited media were dates for press conferences before, during and after the Games, which would include BOA chief Colin Moynihan and chef de mission Andy Hunt. These dates were July 21, Aug. 3 and Aug. 12.

Also revealed in the briefing were details about Team GB house, where the BOA would host press conferences for members of the media who were not accredited for the Games itself.

One area of contention, however, was the announcement that high-demand events at the Games would have to be ticketed for the media. The BOA warned that it would receive many applications for what could be quite a few events.

However, LOCOG’s Head of Press Operations Jayne Pearce disagreed, saying that no more than the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony and the swimming finals were ticketed. She also added: "We and the IOC want as few events as possible to be ticketed."

International media will have to go through their own National Olympic Committee to apply for the tickets. The BOA said they would prioritize the most important applicants for the event at the time.

Chef de mission Andy Hunt was also at the briefing at London’s Institute of Education, where he said: "we recognize how important the media are and we want to make sure you have a successful Games, as well as we have a successful Games."

The media center opens July 16 and will include a "high street" with shops, cafés, restaurants, a gym and grooming facilities. There will also be an option to have beer and pizza delivered to the media working desks.

However, Pearce dismissed the notion of having WIFI at the Games, saying: "It would just collapse under the pressure being put on it. We are unashamedly going for all cabled internet."

She also added that the cables would reach to normal seated areas of press tribunes as well as desks.

Countryside Scene for Opening Ceremony

Film director Danny Boyle reveals that the London 2012 opening ceremony will see Olympic Stadium transformed into the "rolling British countryside" and include the use of farmyard animals.

The artistic director of the Olympics curtain-raiser was in London’s 3 Mills Studio on Tuesday to share some details of his much-anticipated ceremony set for the evening of July 27.

Work has started to install the set for the opening scene called "Green and Pleasant". Reporters attending Tuesday's briefing got to see a model representation of the set.

Each of the four U.K. home nations will be represented by their national flower – the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and flax from Northern Ireland.

"It is an inclusive show. The Games are awarded to a city obviously everyone’s paid for, so everyone should benefit from it and hopefully see something of themselves reflected in it and take pride in it," Boyle said.

"We didn’t want to do it in a box-ticking way… so we’ve tried to make it naturally emerge out of the narrative of the evening."

Boyle described elements of the model including innovative "mosh-pits" where specially selected people would be right in the midst of the ceremony itself to emulate what he described as "that Glastonbury festival feel".

Ticketing for these "mosh-pits" is currently being worked on by LOCOG. Boyle also went on to confirm the use of live animals, which will wander over the set of meadows, fields, rivers and farmlands supposed to represent the British countryside.

"There will be live animals – there’ll be sheep, cows, horses, and they will all be very well looked after. Possibly even better looked after than the volunteers," he quipped.

The ceremony's structure starts with an hour-long "culture" show, then the athletes' entrance into the stadium followed by the climax with the cauldron being lit by the Olympic torch and fireworks.

Timing has been a complaint of previous ceremonies, and Boyle admitted that the ceremony could overrun despite their best laid plans.

"One of our ambitions is to try and keep it as close to three hours as we can. One of the elements you can’t rehearse is the 10,000 athletes who are going to walk in," he said. "They are the most important thing because the ceremony is welcoming them to the city, to the Games."

He added: "We start at nine o’clock, which is the international broadcast time and that‘s when the bell will be rung at the beginning of the show, and then hopefully the bell is rung again at midnight or more realistically half past midnight to signal the end of the show."

With just 45 days to go until the start of the Games, around 157 cast rehearsals have already taken place for the ceremony with many more scheduled. Around 10,000 volunteers are included.

Torch Relay Update

The Olympic Flame will travel more than 132 miles Tuesday, marking day 25 of the torch relay.

The flame will visit 21 Scottish communities on its journey from Aberdeen, including Stonehaven, Montrose, Brechin and Forfar. The Torch will end the day in Dundee with an evening celebration at Baxter Park.

The Torch will be carried by 124 torchbearers over the course of the day.

Princess Qualifies

Zara Phillips will make her Olympic debut for Team GB at London 2012.

Daughter of Princess Anne, Phillips will participate in equestrian events on the horse High Kingdom.

"It's awesome to be given this opportunity," Phillips said. "I am really excited and can't wait to kick on and get him there. Hopefully, we will make it this time."

Also selected to ride for Team GB are William Fox-Pitt, Mary King, Piggy French and Tina Cook.

The equestrian events will take place in Greenwich Park.

Top 2012 Destination

For the second year in a row, London is the leading destination city, according to the MasterCard Index of Global Destination Cities.

The credit card company predicts that 16.9 million people will arrive in London by air alone, and that visitor spending will increase by 10.3 percent as a result of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the upcoming London 2012 Olympics.

MasterCard also said it expects visitors to spend $21.1 million in London this summer.

"As our fantastic Diamond Jubilee celebrations demonstrated, London knows how to throw a party and, as we prepare to host the greatest Games the world has ever seen, it is no surprise our capital is the top choice for tourists," London Mayor Boris Johnson said in a statement distributed by MasterCard.

Sharapova the Flagbearer

Fresh off the heels of her French Open victory, Maria Sharapova adds another honor to her career – flag bearer for Russia at the London Olympics.

The announcement was made Tuesday by Russia’s tennis chief Shamil Tarpishchev.

"As far as I know Roger Federer will be Switzerland's flag-bearer and Rafael Nadal will be Spain's," he was quoted by Russian media. "It's very pleasant that the popularity of tennis is growing around the word."

This will be Sharapova’s first Olympics.

She was not selected to Russia's four-woman squad for Athens and was unable to compete in 2008 due to injury.

Jordanian Airline Sponsor

Team Jordan will fly to London via easyJet.

EasyJet, the U.K.’s largest airline, made the announcement Tuesday.

Jordan will send its largest Olympic team to London with nine athletes currently qualified, and others still poised to qualify for the Games.

"We are delighted that easyJet has stepped forward to offer our athletes travel to and from the Games, " Lana Al Jaghbeer, Jordan Olympic Committee Secretary General, said in a statement. "In today’s financial climate sponsorship is crucial for our athletes and this contribution is very much appreciated by all."

Jazz Club Launches Olympic Series

UK jazz club Ronnie Scott’s will host a celebratory Olympic classic jazz series starting July 26 with a headline performance by Al Jarreau.

Each night will feature music by famous jazz musicians who have played at the club, including Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong and Ray Charles.

Controversial NOC Chief to London?

Suresh Kalmadi, the controversial president of the Indian Olympic Association, said he may attend the London Olympics.

"Yes I am planning," he was quoted by Indian media, adding: "nothing is finalized yet. Let's see how things work out."

Kalmadi was jailed for nine months on corruption charges related to the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Written by Christian Radnedge, Hannah Reid and Ed Hula III.

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