David Beckham given Olympic flame role : LONDON 2012

Former England captain David Beckham will be at official handover ceremony of Olympic flame in Athens.

David Beckham is to make a guest appearance at the official handover ceremony of the Olympic flame in Athens and bring it back to Britain for the torch relay.
The LA Galaxy star and former England captain, who was part of London 2012's winning bid team to stage the Games, will meet the official delegation in Athens led by the Princess Royal, the president of the British Olympic Association and London 2012 board member.
Beckham will be joined by five young people from schools and colleges for Thursday's handover ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.
They have been invited by London 2012 and the British Council as a reward for their commitment to sport and for promoting the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect within their school or college.
Lord Coe, the chairman of the London 2012 organising committee, said that a mix of some of Britain's younger generation and a touch of the Beckham stardust is the right way to shine the spotlight on the 70-day relay involving 8,000 torchbearers, which will begin after the Olympic flame touches down on home soil.
"Working with one of our most inspiring sports people is fitting for this hugely exciting time for the London 2012 Games," he said.
During the final push of the 2005 bidding campaign, the Leytonstone-born footballer said he was dreaming of the day the Olympics would be staged in his old East End "manor". He spoke of the potential to inspire and the possible regeneration value of hosting the Games.
Coe said: "We wanted to involve young people from across the UK in bringing home the Olympic flame.
"Their stories of personal achievement and contribution to sport echo the 8,000 inspiring torchbearer stories that will be shared from this weekend and over the next 10 weeks in the buildup to the start of the Games."
The youngsters, who come from all over Britain, are from schools and colleges that are part of London 2012's Get Set education network and school linking programmes run by the British Council.
They include Scottish rugby player Dennis Coles, 17, from Doon academy, Dalmellington, East Ayrshire; hockey player Chloe Brown, 18, from South Eastern regional college in Bangor; and Swansea Harriers athlete and Mumbles Rangers FC player Sean White, 17, from Bishop Vaughan Catholic school in Swansea.
There are also two 15-year-olds among the group.
Representing Cornwall, where the Olympic flame arrives and starts its 70-day journey, is Falmouth Ladies hockey player Georgia Higgs from Helston community college and school sports ambassador, plus athlete Sakinah Muhammad from Clapton girls' academy in Hackney, east London.
Coe, Olympics minister Hugh Robertson and the London mayor, Boris Johnson are also part of the official delegation to Athens.
The British delegation flies back on Friday evening, landing at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall, where there will be a special ceremony welcoming the flame.
The relay, covering 8,000 miles, will bring the flame to east London's Olympic Stadium and the opening of the Games on 27 July.
COURTESY : guardian.co.uk

Official Olympic documents go online

Liverpool Police line up with the Swedish team at the 1908 tug-of-war. Photo: The National Archives

Government papers relating to the 1908 and 1948 Olympic Games in London were published online today by the National Archives. It is part of a collection that has been released with information on all the games going back to 1896.
Organisers of the 2012 Olympics will recognise many of the problems. Amongst the collection is a Metropolitan Police report warning of traffic problems in Shepherds Bush because of the 1908 Olympic marathon.

The police report requests extra officers on duty to handle the traffic in 1908. Credit: The National Archives

There is also a letter discussing who should be responsible for organising accommodation for the athletes at the 1948 games. They were run on a tight budget and the Air Ministry was asked to see if athletes could be put up in the Wembley area.

A 1948 letter discussing who should be in charge of athlete's accommodation. Credit: The National Archives

In 1979, the Greater London Council (which had Ken Livingstone as a councillor) came up with a plan to stage the 1988 Olympics by building a new stadium at Royal Victoria Dock. However, concerns over cost and a lack of support from the Government meant it never happened. It was only when Livingstone became London mayor 21 years later that plans to bring the Olympics back to London were followed through.

The Government file on plans to stage the 1988 games. Credit: The National Archives

COURTESY : ITV.com