Stadium Lights Up; Athletics Legends Back Legacy Pledge; GB Football Debate

Stadium Lights Up

Let there be light! In the Olympic Stadium, at least.

Dec. 20, organizers of the 2012 Games plan to turn on the lights at the stadium.

Scheduled to take place at 5:45 PM London time, only 1000 people will be in attendance.

Can’t make the lighting ceremony? See it happen via the webcam on theroof of Forman & Field, a purveyor of smoked salmon and other luxuryfoods, located a few hundred meters away from the stadium.

The so-called "Fish Eye View" will show the lights being turned onMonday; the camera offers a live stream of the stadium’s constructionprogress every day.

The webcam is available here.

Athletes Plea to Save Olympic Track

A group of British Olympians and Paralympians are urging that the post-Games tenants of the Olympic Stadium leave the athletics track in place when it is reconfigured for football.

English Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are shortlisted to take over the 80,000-seat stadium. But Spurs have pledged to remove the track to bring spectators closer to the pitch.

Double Olympic gold medalist Kelly Holmes and decathlon great Daley Thompson are among the 15 athletics legends who have signed the open letter to the Olympic Park Legacy Company, the body organizing the Olympic Park's future use.

"One of the most compelling aspects of our bid back in 2005 was the promise of an athletics legacy in the form of a world class stadium," the group said in the letter.

"This promise made the idea of legacy real. It showed that the Games would continue to touch the wider community long after the Olympics and Paralympic spectacular had left town.

"As Olympians we are all ardent sports fans and that is why we believe the Olympic legacy has to be the Olympic Stadium complete with track.

"It would be unacceptable for the stadium to lose the track and effectively become an Olympic Stadium with no Olympic connection or legacy.

"We urge the decision-makers in this process to ensure the track remains post-2012 and bring to life a sporting promise made to a whole community for generations to come."

UK Athletics said in the letter, it supported the sentiments.

UKA is backing West Ham's plans with Newham Council. The club's proposals call for the track to be retained with the seating capacity lowered to 60,000 to host football and athletics.

It claims Tottenham’s bid should be rejected because plans to tear out the track post-Games breaks a London bid pledge to leave an athletics legacy after the Games.

The OPLC will announce its preferred bidder in March.

BOA Stokes GB Football Team Debate

British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan has reignited debate over the make-up of a U.K. football team for the 2012 Olympics.

Last year, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales opted out of fielding players under the Team GB name, claiming their

independent status in FIFA's eyes would be jeopardized by teaming up.

The BOA appeared to accept the fact that the 2012 football team would be made up of English players.

But Moynihan told the government's sport select committee on Tuesday that the BOA would enter men's and women's teams in 2012, insisting he wanted players from all four home nations to be given the chance to compete under the Team GB banner.

"That British team needsto be selected from the home nations, the best we can produce," Moynihan was quoted by London’s The Guardian newspaper.

"I hope reason will prevail on this. It must prevail and I'm sure we will have an outstanding team. We must encourage and inspire all young footballers to have the opportunity to play in that team," he said.

Commenting on the boycott by the football associations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, he added: "I am sensitive to their concerns and sensitive to the fact the home nations feel their status would be in jeopardy.

"That is why we worked with FIFA to make sure letters went out from Sepp Blatter to reassure them of their autonomy. Clear, unequivocal assertions have been given by FIFA. If we need to do further work to give comfort then we will do that."

Security Budget Cuts

London 2012 organizers believe they will deliver a safe Games, despite the possibility of a reduction in the security budget.

The government announced this week that the Olympic security budget will likely be cut from $938 million to $742 million, under savings implemented as part of the coalition government's austerity measures.

LOCOG chief executive Paul Deighton insisted organizers could manage with the 20 percent cut, saying he was "completely confident" all risks would be covered.

The $938 million security budget will only be reduced by that margin if the government and law enforcement agencies can find savings in policing the Games.

"They [the government] are very focused on what the level of risk is and as a consequence will put in place the police support, the counter espionage support," he was quoted by Reuters.

"All the work that goes on will be in response to their perception of the level of threat and what's needed to make it a safe and secure Games, and that is the driver."

The government also announced that LOCOG is benefiting from $438 million to secure venues for the Games. This figure is drawn from the overall Olympic budget.

Written by Mark Bisson.