London Latest- Former Mayor Seeks Office, Coe Visits Shanghai

Livingstone Launches 2012 Mayoral Bid

Ken Livingstone, the former London mayor who was part of the city's Olympic bid, launches his campaign to become Labour’s mayoral candidate. The 2012 elections could bring a change in the city's leadership of Olympic preparations less than three months before the Games open.

Livingstone, who was ousted by Conservative maverick Boris Johnson in 2008 after eight years in power, will stand against Oona King in September for the Labour candidacy.

Speaking at the launch of his campaign, Livingstone said his focus would be on protecting public services from the recession and government spending cuts and lowering transportation costs in the capital.

"I want to be mayor for one overriding reason: if I am elected my focus will be to do everything I can to protect Londoners from the recession and the effects of the Government's policies," he was quoted by the Press Association.

"The global economic crisis, a fragile recovery that may go double-dip, and a Government removing billions from the economy and planning cuts on a scale that Britain has not seen for decades, mean the mayor's priority must be to protect Londoners."

Livingstone, the capital’s first elected mayor, was defeated by Johnson in a closely-fought battle in 2008.

Since losing the mayoral race, outspoken Livingstone has maintained his profile through frequent criticisms of his successor and regular appearances on television and radio.

"I’ve been smothered by people of all races and ages who are glad that I’m running again. London has really gone off the boil," Livingstone told The Times newspaper, adding that Johnson had only spent time delivering commitments he had already started and of failing to bring about new initiatives.

Under his current four-year term, Johnson is playing an important role in preparations for London 2012 as well helping shape the Olympic legacy, including post-Games plans for the 80,000-seat main stadium, and regeneration planning for the capital.

The London mayor co-chairs the Olympic Board that oversees the development of the 2012 Games project. The Board also includes new Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson, British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan and LOCOG chair Sebastian Coe.

Mayoral elections in May 2012 will decide who guides the city's final months of preparations for the Games and, crucially, the delivery of legacy plans for the capital after the Olympic circus has left town.

About 2.4m Londoners voted in the 2008 mayoral election, with a turnout estimated at 45 percent.

Labour's 2012 mayoral candidate will be elected on Sept. 22.

London 2012 Presence at Shanghai Expo

LOCOG chair Sebastian Coe today visited the Shanghai Expo to celebrate the promotion of the U.K. and London 2012 at the event.

The U.K. Pavilion incorporates a London 2012 legacy area in its futuristic display which features a large "green map" of the 2.5-square km Olympic Park in east London. Present at the U.K. Pavilion were Chinese Paralympians, including Yao Fan, silver medallist from the Beijing Games.

The London 2012 section was designed by Futurebrand, part of the McCann Worldgroup which is the official marketing services provider to LOCOG. It focuses on the positive impact of London hosting the Olympics and Paralympics and takes people through the story of the site both during and after the Games.

Run by the London Development Agency, the London area is part of the expo’s Urban Best Practice zone, which is themed ‘London, the Low Carbon Capital’. The LDA and partners will host a dedicated LondonWeek in July, including a London 2012 day on July 27 to mark the two-year countdown to the opening ceremony.

"I am proud that sport has been in so many ways the catalyst for regeneration in east London and I’m delighted that this is reflected in London’s offering for Expo 2010," Coe said.

"With regeneration on such a scale for the Olympic and Paralympic Games comes great responsibility, so sustainability underpins all of our plans – from the way venues are constructed to the way we stage the Games.

He added: "This approach is demonstrated here in Shanghai, where there is a real focus on sustainable communities and a genuine interest in what we’re doing in London."

BOA Athletes' Commission Chair

Olympic rower Sarah Winckless will serve as the inaugural chair of the newly created British Olympic Association Athletes’ Commission.

Winckless, who competed in three successive Olympic Games, was appointed to the commission that will provide the voice and perspective of athletes in advising the BOA Board and Management Team on all matters relating to Olympic operations, performance and policy.

The 36-year-old was chosen following a three-monthsearch by the BOA. Winckless won a bronze medal in double sculls at the Athens Games and is also a two-time world champion, winning gold in quad sculls in 2005 and 2006. She retired from competitive world-class sport in 2009.

Winckless said: "The BOA has the opportunity to develop and support our past, present and future Olympic athletes and the set-up of an in-house Athletes’ Commission is a huge step towards achieving that objective. As chair of the commission I will dedicate myself to ensuring that the athletes’ voice is heard and considered in every major decision that the BOA takes."

BOA chairman Colin Moynihan said: "The creation of an in-house Athletes’ Commission, on the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee, demonstrates the BOA’s commitment to ensuring that athletes have a meaningful voice in decision making concerning all aspects of the BOA’s operations."

The Athletes’ Commission will consist of 12 members, including Olympians past and present, with representation from both summer and winter sports.

The aim is to have a mix of male and female athletes, team sports and individual sports, with up to eight athletes who are either still competing or within four years of retirement, and a further four members who have been retired for between four and 12 years.

Elections for the Athletes’ Commission members take place this month with the first meeting scheduled in September. The first term will run through the London Olympics until December 2012.

London 2012 Culture Diary

London Mayor Boris Johnson urges event planners to post 2012 events to an online event calendar.

The online calendar is available www.theculturediary.com . The site includes info about all events in 2012, not just Olympic related events. Event registration closes Dec. 31, 2010.

The Greater London Authority manages the Culture Diary.

"Throughout the year, not just during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, our city will offer a cornucopia of wonderful cultural events - large scale and small, from east to west and from north to south," said Johnson.

"That's why we have created the 2012 Culture Diary, a superb online resource that will show everything that is going on in that brilliant year."

With reporting from Mark Bisson.