(ATR) LOCOG tells Around the Rings its busiest span of Olympic test events to date is unfolding as planned despite nearly a week’s worth of rioting in and around the 2012 host city.
A spokeswoman with the organizing committee confirmed Thursday to ATR the schedules for a marathon swim at Hyde Park on Saturday and a road cycling rehearsal through London on Sunday remain unaffected by the widespread violence and looting.
"It's business as usual as far as it stands at this point in time," she said.
Test events in beach volleyball, sailing and badminton, meanwhile, are already underway.
Beach Volleyball
Formerly the headquarters of the British Army, historic Horse Guards Parade is London’s venue for Olympic beach volleyball competition.
In preparation for the 2012 tournament, LOCOG has 24 women’s teams squaring off this week in an invitational tournament on more than 2,000 tons of specially quarried sand dumped just outside Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and No. 10 Downing Street.
The test event was back on schedule Wednesday after a decision to wrap up before dark Tuesday in case of further trouble in the British capital.
Competition comes to a close Sunday in the 1,500-seat main stadium, a venue a tenth the size of the 15,000-capacity fixture that will host the feature matches for next year’s Olympic Games.
Badminton
Also this week, the badminton world championships at Wembley Arena Indoor Stadium are doubling as the sport's 2012 test event.
Mixed doubles partners Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier are keeping British hopes alive after booking a spot in the quarters withtheir win over 15th seeds Shintaro Ikeda and Reiko Shiota of Japan.
Olympic champion Lin Dan and top-ranked Lee Chong Wei remain the favorites in the showcase men’s singles. Both reached the quarters Thursday by beating South Koreans in straight sets.
Finals are slated for Sunday.
Sailing
A total of 460 sailors from 66 countries hit the waters of Weymouth and Portland back on July 31 for an international invitational regatta.
The two-week test of conditions at London’s sailing venue wraps up Saturday.
MarathonSwim
A total of four test events will be running at once on Saturday while marathon swimmers are in Hyde Park’s famous Serpentine.
The 10-km event is also a FINA World Cup.
Road Cycling
With sailing and swimming out of the way, LOCOG adds cycling to the mix Sunday to go with the beach volleyball and badminton finals.
The one-off Surrey Cycle Classic presents what is likely the toughest test event yet for organizers of the 2012 Olympics.
The 140km route begins and ends at the Mall leading to Buckingham Palace.
Roughly 1,000 roads in central and south London will be closed for at least a portion of Sunday, according to LOCOG sport director Debbie Jevans.
Looking Ahead
Next week, London hosts basketball and BMX track test events before a break of almost two weeks. Then it’s back to Eton Dorney, site of the recent junior rowing world champs, for a sprint canoe invitational in early September.
Written by Matthew Grayson.
Últimas Noticias
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
