London Latest -- British Judokas Bound for Olympics; Train Travel Made Easy for 2012

Host Exemptions Extended to British Judokas

British judokas will compete at the London Olympics.

The British Olympic Association announced Thursday that seven men and seven women will get host nation qualification spots for 2012.

"The athletes will now be able to focus on meeting their selection criteria and preparing themselves for competing in front of an enthusiastic home crowd in London," BOA CEO Andy Hunt said in a statement.

"I’m confident that our judokas will grasp this special opportunity to inspire future generations of judo players across the UK."

Seven British judokas competed in Beijing, and Sydney 2000 silver medalist Kate Howey carried the flag for Team Great Britain at the Athens Summer Games.

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.

As usual, the decision was taken by the BOA’s Olympic Qualifying Standards Panel in consultation with the sport’s national body, in this case the British Judo Association.

Handball, volleyball, table tennis and weight lifting were extended similar courtesies in past months.

Special Measures Ensure Smooth Train Travel

Games-goers won’t have to wait long to begin booking rail travel for London 2012.

The Association of Train Operating Companies announced Thursday a host of special measures to better facilitate moving the masses to and from Olympic and Paralympic venues.

Chief among those is a dedicated website to be developed by TOP sponsor Atos Origin that will allow spectators to buy fares from all of England’s train operators a full year in advance.

"London 2012 is a Games for the whole nation, and we want as many people as possible from all around the country to get to the Games," LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe said in a statement.

"With Games tickets on sale to the public from 15th March to 26th April, these new 2012 Games train fares from Britain’s train companies will help spectators plan their Games."

The purchasing process will open soon after Olympic ticket allocations are announced in June.

Other special measures include thousands of extra services that start earlier and run later as well as the abilityto rebook should events last longer than anticipated.

Stiffer Penalty Likely for Olympic Ticket Scams

London 2012 ticket scammers could soon face up to quadruple the usual fine.

England’s Home Office announced Thursday that an amendment about to put to Parliament would raise the maximum penalty from $8,000 to $32,000 in an effort to deter organized crime networks from involvement in Olympic ticket touting.

"We want to get London 2012 tickets into the hands of enthusiastic sports fans so that our venues are packed to the rafters at Games-time and provide a fantastic atmosphere for the athletes," LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe said in a statement.

"The message is loud and clear that ticket touts are not welcome and will face large fines."

The application window for roughly 6.6 million tickets opens Tuesday. An official exchange systemwill later enable buyers to rid themselves of unwanted tickets without the fear of a touting fine.

Isle of Man Gets Apology After Ticket Snub

Games organizers are backtracking after an erroneous email told certain British citizens they weren’t eligible to buy tickets from the London 2012 website.

BBC reported Thursday that some Isle of Man residents were informed they could only get tickets from their NOC or from a ticket retailer and not via the process the rest of Britain will use when the application window opens Tuesday.

"We apologize for this and any inconvenience caused and we have sent a correction to all those affected," a LOCOG spokesperson told the British news agency.

"We will, of course, accept applications from everywhere in the north west region - including the Isle of Man - at www.tickets.london2012 between March 15 and April 26 2011."

LOCOG Secures Third-Tier Sponsor

London 2012’s latest sponsor is sure to keep the Games a bit more secure.

LOCOG announced Thursday that Rapiscan Systems Limited UK – now official security equipment and systems supplier – will provide more than 2,000 inspection systems to screen vehicles, baggage and spectators at all Olympic venues.

This marks LOCOG’s 38th domestic sponsorship.

Comedy of Olympic Proportions

BBC Four’s humorous take on the London Olympics kicks off Monday night at 10 p.m. British time. Check out this trailer of the aptly titled TV series "Twenty Twelve".

Written by Matthew Grayson.