Munich Moment of Silence; Newcastle Security Switch; Coe on Beer Prices for Media

Moment of Silence Held in London

IOC president Jacques Rogge held a moment of silence for the 1972 Munich Olympic terrorist attack victims in the London Olympic Village.

Rogge led the ceremony as part of his visit to the Village on Monday.

"I would like to start today's ceremony by honoring the memory of the 11 Israeli Olympians who shared the ideals that have brought us together in this beautiful Olympic Village," Rogge was quoted by The Associated Press. "The 11 victims of the Munich tragedy believed in that vision.

"They came to Munich in the spirit of peace and solidarity. We owe it to them to keep the spirit alive and to remember them.

"As the events of 40 years ago remind us, sport is not immune from and cannot cure all the ills of the world," Rogge said.

G4S Debacle Forces Security Change in Newcastle

Private security contractor G4S will be replaced for the Olympics football tournaments at Newcastle United's St. James's Park following the company's failure to deliver on its commitments to London 2012 organizers.

LOCOG and Newcastle council reportedly decided Monday to recruit alternatives to cover the shortfall in security. Around 500 personnel from city security firms, who already provide security on match days, are being drafted in to replace G4S.

London 2012 organizers have not said if any troops will be needed in addition to officials provided by the local security companies.

The news emerged soon after British Prime Minister David Cameron chaired a meeting of COBRA, his emergency security committee, to finalize preparations for the Olympics.

The first Olympic football match at Newcastle's stadium is a men's match between Mexico and South Korea on Thursday. The venue is one of six around the U.K. staging Olympics football.

Coe on Beer Prices for Media

LOCOG chair Sebastian Coe joked about a beer price reduction for journalists covering the Games at a reception to open the Main Press Centre. A choir from Berger Primary School in Hackney also took part in Monday's welcome ceremony.

Bottles of beer were cut in price to address criticism of high prices, the London 2012 chief acknowledged.

"In this palace of extravagance that we have created for you, I know that there were some minor concerns about the price of beer. I'm actually only surprised it became a minor concern," Coe quipped to a group of around 60 reporters at the reception.

On a more serious note, Coe said he was delighted to dedicate two areas of the media center to "two people I have massive admiration for". The press workroom and a bar area are named after late British Olympic sports writers, The Guardian's former athletics correspondent John Rodda and Reuters sports editor Steve Parry.

The MPC provides more than 333,000 square feet of office space for 6,000 journalists, photographers and accredited non-rights holding broadcasters.

Wimbledon in Tip-Top Shape

It appears the grass has returned to the famed Wimbledon courts.

The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club is the venue for tennis at the Games, a little less than three weeks after the Championships at Wimbledon.

Footage aired on the BBC late Monday of tennis star Andy Murray with the flame on Centre Court showed a lush, verdant playing surface without dead patches seen at the end of tournaments. Other photos recently released show similarly green courts.

One of the major concerns heading into London was whether the grass would be re-grown in time for the Games.

Written and reported in London by Ed Hula III and Mark Bisson.

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