Olympics

Our complete archive of Olympic coverage, stretching back to 2005.

Smoky London: In Pictures

After smoke billowed across London for most of the afternoon, tonight we can at least be thankful that it was ‘only’ a fire, and that no-one was injured. As upon seeing the dark clouds spreading across Canary Wharf this lunchtime, many people thought it may …

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Olympic Stadium Design Unveiled

Well, it’s certainly less controversial than the logo. The design for the new Olympic Stadium is something of a zoetrope in the aspirational design launch video which follows bits of the stadium as they fly and crawl through London to Stratford, witnessed by a jogging …

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Women Fight For Olympic Boxing Right

This weekend, Rowan Walker wrote in the Observer of her torturous but strangely addictive experience of training at the Islington Boxing Gym to raise awareness of the fierce campaign to get female boxing recognised as an Olympic Sport for the 2012 Games in London. According …

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From Bad to Worse to Best

Hmm. Londonist hasn’t always had happy bouncy things to say about the 2012 Olympics. And it is rather likely that we will come up with some more searing satirical observations before too long. That is what Londonist does. But just for today, it is with …

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Extra, Extra

You can jog there, or swim, or speed walk – but you really shouldn’t drive to the Olympics. But that may be a better option for travelling criminals, as 180 are rounded up after a special operation on public transport. It may be a Banksy, …

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INTERVIEW: London Lido A-Go-Go

Despite the odd recent mishap, London’s lidos take their rightful alongside our parks as great places to go around the capital. 70 years ago lidos were people’s cathedrals, masterful municipal palaces to promote community health and wellbeing. Over the years since then they have been …

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Set The Olympics On Fire

Hands up who remembers Kriss Akabusi running though Greenwich with the torch a few years back? Us too. We also remember thinking it would have been great fun to have a go. It appears that if we were still at school, me might have just …

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Olympic Canoeists Caught Between Scylla and Charybdis

(Actually, they’re not. We’re feeling all pretentious this morning and wish to demonstrate our superior education in the Classics.) Turns out the 2012 Olympic venue for canoe slalom, Spitalbrook in Hertfordshire, is tainted with muck. Heavy pollution has forced the Olympic Delivery Authority to seek …

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Jolly Japes on the Japanese Javelin

A glimpse of the future for London rail travel was unveiled today at Hitachi’s depot in Ashford. (And this dumb-broad Londonista thought they just made tellies and stuff). We are to get a bullet train (which some droll spark has named the ‘javelin’ in honour …

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London’s New Hotels

London has as many hotel projects underway as the whole of Spain and five times as many as the second busiest city in Europe in terms of hotel development, Moscow. Surprising, innit? This is the opening message of the latest temporary exhibition at New London …

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London’s New Ambassadors….

Londonist has learnt with relief that London’s Community Wardens are to be taught to smile. Well, they are at least to be taught