London Olympics 2012 controversies

Velodrome veteran equals Steve Redgrave's record with team sprint victory...

Our flag carrier Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny and Philip Hindes beat France to end yesterday's Olympic success for Britain and win Chris Hoy his 5th Olympic medal, putting him on a par with Sir Steve Redgrave.

Chris has been called Scotland's greatest ever Olympian, succeeding to play for TeamGB whilst representing his country, managing to put aside the fact that Scotland and Wales are considered as mere regions in the eyes of the International Olympic Committee. Growing up in Wales, I'd know how important that is.  And so what if he doesn’t sing the English national anthem : he just won TeamGB a bloody gold.

So why after such a glorious victory would we decide to shoot ourselves in the foot? 

The idea circulating this morning that TeamGB cheated their way to glory yesterday afternoon for me just builds on the idea that us Brits just don’t seem to know when to quit when we're ahead.

The world just watched us beat the French, win gold and break a world record ; who on earth in their right mind would lauch such a rumour? 

And what is the différence between what Philip Hindes just admitted and the badminton incident which got 8 players disqualified ?

Oh dear TeamGB, and for one we can’t blame the socialympics, we managed to mess that one up on our own.

Yu Yang, one of eight competitors who deliberately played to lose, makes announcement as Beijing orders public apology...

Whether you class the badminton players game strategy as lacking professionalism or not, the principle losers here were the spectators.

Not easy to get tickets, and pricy at that, who would want to queue and pay to see what is usually a fast paced and energetic game played by half hearted so-called sportswomen showing little to none sporting prowess.

We've all played badminton. But can we say that we've played it to Olympic standard? Until yesterday, probably not. Badminton at its best, I beg to differ.

Yu Yang has made a public announcement that she plans to quit badminton. Seems a bit of a pathetic way to end a career. The lesson should have been learnt in the disqualification of the players yesterday. Put in behind you and move on. 

The woman who appeared in India's Olympic contingent in the opening ceremony was a cast member, Seb Coe has said.

Indian officials now seek apology after embarrassing appearance of "woman in red"

More Olympic tickets are being put back on sale after the row over empty seats, organisers Locog say.

Olympic's seating fiasco has enraged the world. Should corporate sponsors be given seats if they're not to be used? 

Chaque participant aux Jeux devra s’abstenir d'émettre un quelconque avis subversif dans les lieux olympiques durant la quinzaine. Un guide très complet de bonnes manières a été remis aux athlètes.

Suggestions for best practices to be adopted by Olympian @London2012

Danny Boyle's £27 million opening ceremony was hailed as a "bloody brilliant" triumph tonight.

A masterpiece to kick off 2012, the critics all agree

For once, I think we can all agree on something. Given the venom with which the press would normally attack such initiatives, be they British or not, we seem concur that Danny Boyle last night created something that was 'bloody brilliant'. 

As a Brit living abroad (I've been living in France for 4 years now), I was magically mesmerized by the display of 'all things British'. Amongst the initial oh-la la la's emitted from various Frenchies at the sight of cows, sheep and fluffy grey clouds, we were all taken in one the show got on the road. The cultural, economical and political references made for rich talking points, James Bond, Mr Bean and The Queen sources got fits of laughter. The final scene with Beckham on the Thames and the lighting of the cauldron was epic, a moment in which felt so proud to be British! More of the same during the games and we'll be on to a winner.

London 2012 suffered another setback this morning when spectators were turned away from Lord’s after arriving to watch the archery competition.

Official website made it clear that spectators were not welcome, only mickey mouse websites said otherwise. To be taken with pinch of salt. 

Trains to the Olympic station at Stratford, east London have been disrupted because of the hot weather.

London 2012 and the wrong kind of hot weather...!

What a beautiful sport....

If you’re only feeling luke warm about the Olympics, then this is for you. Enjoy!

There are lessons business owners can glean from Olympian social media mistakes. Some strategies for your business marketing efforts.

Freedom of speech doesn't extend to Twitter : controversial tweets, as Olympians Papachristou and Morganella, can get you disqualified or worse, get you arrested (see Tom Daley article).

Looks as if Olympic athletes are going to have to add social media training and preparation to their training plans if they want to get through the socialympics.

And as for the rest of us, we need to work at it too.

The next time you find yourself watching a women's swimming event, keep an eye out for these fierce manicures.

Olympic female swimmers are sporting team costumes and now nails to add a bit of sparkle to their look. Sure to catch on as a trend ;-) Soon to be seen at a beach or pool near you!

Various protest groups plan to use the summer 2012 London Olympics to make their voices heard.

CONS, Space Hijackers, Art not Oil, Greewash Gold, Anonymous

Prices for official Olympic souvenirs were cut by up to 80 per cent – even before the Games began. Retailers last week introduced reductions on products with the 2012 logo.

The importance of branding! 

The locks at Wembley Stadium, London's Olympic football final venue, have had to be changed, after police lost their keys.

More red faces amongst London2012 organisers today I'm sure!