London Latest - Team GB Football Squad Unveiled; Olympic Lanes Prepped

(ATR) Stuart Pearce says that he left David Beckham off the Team GB men’s football squad on "footballing terms" and nothing else.

Pearce announced his 18-man squad for London 2012 on Monday afternoon at Wembley Stadium. As reported last week, the squad did not feature Beckham.

The three over-age players who will take part are Craig Bellamy, Micah Richards and 38 year-old Ryan Giggs. Despite widespread criticism for leaving out the man who helped secure the Games for London back in 2005, Pearce maintained he had picked the best squad available.

"From the offset when I was given the opportunity, I was given the job to manage as I normally would," he said. "When I looked at form, fitness and availability in that respect, I deemed this squad the best available to take this tournament on."

"I have a vast amount of respect for David in bringing the Olympics here, as a professional and as an England international but I’ve got a duty of care to pick in my mind the best possible squad. The only relevance is footballing terms – I’ve treated the players in the same manner, and given time to see all the players, this is the squad I’ve come up with."

Pearce confirmed that he made contact with Beckham regarding his decision last Thursday. While he said he felt "very sorry" for him, the Team GB manager said that he could not be swayed by "sentiment" when picking his team.

When asked if there could be a role for Beckham in the coaching set-up, Pearce said that again was not a possibility but supported the call for him to have some role in the Team GB set-up for the Games as a whole.

Team GB chef de mission Andy Hunt agreed that Beckham should have some role in the organization and said that contact had been made about that.

"We would be delighted and honored to have David involved in Team GB in some other way," he said. "We totally respect and honor the decision Stuart has made. I have actually made contact over the weekend and we’ll see how that moves forward."

There may still be hope for Beckham yet as every player on the 35-strong shortlist not to make the final 18 remains among the reserve list for the final squad, barring any injured players.

The full squad features 13 players from England and five from Wales, with no players from either Scotland or Northern Ireland making the cut. Pearce also added that he felt his team was strong enough to "have a good tilt" at going for gold – 15 of the players selected played in the Premier League last season.

The full squad is as follows:

Joe Allen (22, Swansea, Wales), Craig Bellamy (32, Liverpool, Wales), Ryan Bertrand (22, Chelsea, England), Jack Butland (19, Birmingham City, England), Steven Caulker (20, Tottenham Hotspur, England), Tom Cleverley (22, Manchester United, England), Jack Cork (23, Southampton, England), Craig Dawson (22, West Bromich Albion, England), Ryan Giggs (38, Manchester United, Wales), Aaron Ramsey (21, Arsenal, Wales), Micah Richards (24, Manchester City, England), Danny Rose (22, Tottenham Hotspur, England), Scott Sinclair (23, Swansea, England), Marvin Sordell (21, Bolton, England), Jason Steele (21, Middlesbrough, England), Daniel Sturridge (22, Chelsea, England), Neil Taylor (23, Swansea City, Wales), James Tomkins (23, West Ham United, England)

Olympic Lanes Prepped

Work is underway to mark out the Games Lanes that will be used by athletes, officials, VIPs and media at the Olympics.

Transport for London said that to keep any disruption to a minimum, the work will take place overnight and not require road closures.

In total, 30 miles of the roads dedicated to Olympic traffic will form part of the 109-mile Olympic Route Network (ORN) that connects venues.

The majority of Games Lanes come into operation on July 25, two days before the opening ceremony. But the first one, on the M4 near Heathrow, opens July 16.

Hours of operation will generally be from 6am to midnight during the Games.

Up to one million extra visitors are expected in London on each day of the Games when there will be up to 1,300 Olympic Family vehicles an hour traveling between key venues. Operation of the Games lanes will be flexible so that when demand from Olympic Family vehicles is low, they will be opened up to road users.

Around 150 Variable Message Signs along the ORN will tell drivers when they may continue to use the road network as normal. Motorists flouting the regulations will be hit with a fine of $204.

"London's roads will become a lot busier from mid-July and our advice to motorists is clear – avoid driving in central London, around the ORN and Games venues from mid-July," said Garrett Emmerson, TfL's chief operating officer for surface transport.

"If a journey by road is absolutely essential, be sure to plan ahead and allow extra time."

Adidas ‘Take the Stage’ Campaign

Adidas on Monday unveiled its new Games-time brand advertising campaign.

The latest ads by the Official Sportswear Partner for Team GB showcase athletes stripped back, showing a unique side to medal hopefuls Jessica Ennis, Tom Daley, Louis Smith and Phillips Idowu.

The TV spots feature a monologue from the athletes themselves as they each talk about their personal journey to London 2012, highlighting the adversity and triumph they’ve faced along the way.

The newly unveiled campaign builds on "Take the Stage", the adidas campaign launched earlier this year.

The 60 second "Take the Stage" ad can be viewed here.

Coventry Gets Its Rings

City of Coventry Stadium is the newest British landmark with a giant set of Olympic Rings.

The host of the first event for London 2012 had its rings fitted in the roundabout in front of the stadium on Monday.

The rings are 8 meters wide and 4 meters tall.

"The Olympic Rings mark an important milestone in Coventry’s preparation for London 2012 and add to the excitement of the city playing a key role in this year’s Olympic Games," said Councillor John Mutton, Leader of Coventry City Council,.

City of Coventry Stadium will host 12 matches total in both the men’s and women’s football tournaments, including the first match of the Olympics on July 25.

New Olympics Site for Horsesport

The International Equestrian Federation unveiled its "online hub" for the London Olympics.

The 2012-themed website was released Monday.

The London Olympics mark 100 years of equestrian events in the Olympics, and the new website will have a history section devoted to its Games legacy.

Fans can access more current information, including schedules and results for equestrian events at London.

Eventually, the website will also be expanded to include biographies of the athletes competing in the Paralympics as well as a history of equestrian at the Paralympics since the sport's 1996 inclusion.

The new website can be found here.

Reported in London by Christian Radnedge and in Rotterdam by Mark Bisson

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