London Latest - IBC Construction Completed; Legacy Program Benefits Mozambique

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(ATR) The International Broadcast Center that will serve 20,000 accredited media at the 2012 Olympics is now complete.

With little over a year to go to the Games, it means five of the six major venues on the Olympic Park in east London are now built, allowing time for LOCOG to install overlay and run test events.

The aquatics center opens later this month.

In the Olympic Delivery Authority's annual report published Wednesday, its chairman John Armitt underlined the progress made on the Olympic Park.

"With just over one year to go to the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, the construction of the venues and infrastructure remains on time and within budget," he said.

"Five years ago we said that the summer of 2011 was the point when we wanted the venues available for test events. That is exactly where we are with the first events lined up for August on the Olympic Park."

In the year to the end of March, the ODA spent $8.3 billion on preparing the Olympic Park and investing in transport infrastructure. The ODA said the venues and infrastructure capital program was 83 per cent complete.

The IBC will form part of the 24-hour media hub, includes the main press centre, that will accommodate accredited broadcasters, photographers and print journalists during Games-time.

Dedicated retail, leisure and support services will serve media at the complex, which will also have a catering village and a conference room for up to 700 people.

"The capital is going to be at the center of global media attention during the summer of 2012, with thousands of broadcasters descending on London's great sporting spectacular," said London mayor Boris Johnson.

"As well as providing them with a world-class facility to tell the story of the Games, we aim to make the fantastic International Broadcast Center the focus of a new high-tech creative hub to benefit the capital for years to come."

IBC By the Numbers

- Steel frame of the IBC is 275m long, 104m wide, 21m tall and big enough to house five jumbo jets.

- A total of 21,500 rights-holding broadcast personnel from around the world will be accredited to cover the Olympics and Paralympics.

- On a daily basis between 6,000 and 8,000 (peak times) people will be working in the IBC.

Cash Injection Boosts Grassroots Sports in London

London mayor Boris Johnson on Thursday announced that a further $19 million is to be invested into grassroots sports projects in the capital as part of his drive to get thousands more people fit and active.

It means he has now hit his target of channelling $48 million to boost sports participation in London by the 2012 Games.

Johnson revealed plans to award grants from his Sports Legacy Fund to 14 sports participation projects and 26 community facilities. Among the projects to benefit are plans for nine new wheelchair basketball clubs, virtual indoor rowing ‘race nights’ for thousands of children and a scheme for weekly touch rugby sessions for workers across London.

"I am absolutely clear that to create a lasting legacy from the London Games, we must do all we can to get people out of their living rooms and into physical activity," Johnson said.

Olympics minister Hugh Robertson said: "The bid to bring the Olympics to London was built on the back of a promise that it would leave a lasting sporting legacy and inspire a generation to get involved in sport. This investment by the Mayor of London and others will offer hundreds of thousands of people of all abilities across the capital that opportunity."

Legacy Program in Mozambique

London 2012 deputy chairman Keith Mills has travelled to Mozambique to see the work of LOCOG's international legacy program.

He visited projects supported by the International Inspiration initiative for children and young people in the capital Maputo and the rural area of Chibuto.

Speaking of his experience, he said: "We often take for granted access to sport and play opportunities and the benefits these can bring.

"Sport is an enormously powerful way to get children and young people engaged and into education. It’s a great teaching tool – whether it’s educating them about HIV/AIDS or gender equality – and all young people should have the same opportunities to access sport. Thanks to International Inspiration in Mozambique, this is happening."

London 2012 organizers say International Inspiration is already enriching the lives of young people in 16 countries.

Olympic Marketing Chief Powers Sponsorship Debate

Chris Katsuleres, Olympic marketing director at GE, one of the IOC's worldwide sponsors, is the latest of big-name speaker to be announced for the third Leaders in Sponsorship conference. The event takes place at Chelsea FC in London on Oct. 5.

Katsuleres will join the panel session ‘Stand out from the crowd: Where the global brands are spending their money and why?’. Panellists will discuss the best strategies for big brands to produce successful and sustainable sponsorship programs.

Reported by Mark Bisson