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Any country assessing possible locations for a preparation camp ahead of the Games will be looking for two things. They will be after international standard facilities that they can gain exclusive use of and they will want to ensure thay can maintain some degree of security (to ensure athletes can concentrate on their final preparations before joining the rather unreal environment of the Athletes Village).

Prior to Beijing, Team GB based themselves in Macau - a three hour flight from Beijing. So we clearly shouldn't be suprised if teams decide to base themselves outside of the UK in the lead up to 2012.

But let's not lose sight of the opportunity the Games gives to everybody in this country. It will be the only opportunity in my lifetime and probably my childrens lifetime to watch the Games in our own country. Having been lucky enough to attend previous Games I would encourage everyone to make the effort to get to the Games. It will truly be an occasion worth every penny you spend getting there.

The londoner is lucky,comparatively,more than 100 families of despairing pollution victims in Beijing Olympic torch relay road still can't sleep,
A China non-goverment environmental group CLAPV of Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims is carrying out a struggling right-safeguarding campaign, dispelling the pollution produced by Olympic projects. Which is sponsored by Ford Foundation.
In 2008, Qibei roads of Changping district of Beijing was decided to be the route of the Olympic torch relay. For finishing the reconstructing and serving the Olympic Games as soon as possible, the construction of this road was carried out without any environmental protective measures.
Half a year later, the problem of road subsides and traffic noise was getting worse continually, which meant that more than 100 families who lived in roadside became victims. They cant sleep because of more than 80 dbs noise twice than national restricted regulations daily , and even more night since road rebuilding. Moreover, the defect of the road caused frequent traffic accidents, and many people got wounded by vehicle.
Lots of relevant governmental departments had received the responsibility requirements by CLAPV. But all of them thought the other different department should be responsible for solving this problem instead of themselves.
The true reason is The Olympic Games has already closed. We will not spend any more money on Green Olympic slogan, even the money has been to add a traffic light at the road crossing, the above statement is from An governmental officer.
During a long time in China, environmental protection is ignored and been very difficult, strange things happened during the Olympic Games opening ceremony, much pollution has been controlled effectively. However, it is the post Olympics era now, even in the name of Green Olympic Games, environmental protection is still hardly to implement", A member of CLAPV says. Our legal assistance to pollution victims seems so helpless,
The victims of 105 families campaign is still everlasting and despairing, its hardly to win unless famous medias report recall the senior government officials attention to Green Olympic.

These victims still need media's help

Adrian,

We agree for once - it won't last!

Adrian you'll be surprised to hear even I agree with that comment. The organisers MUST do whatever they can to make the games accesible to all the UK population, so not just late trains but cheap trains (even free) for holders of tickets to events as well. This is vital if the whole country is to be part of this fantastic event.

I hope LOCOG have some plans for this.

People will prepare where the facilities are the best.

The UK needs to market itself just as it did to win the bid.

In my sport -Diving- we identified a need for a replacement for all the closed facilities (over 70% in the last 30 years) and the Olympics would have been the ideal catalyst. To be able to see the worlds best would have been a great spur and the legacy would have been a network of good quality regional facilities and an enthused population.
Sadly, it was accepted very early on that the majority of teams would not come to the UK as we didn't have the facilities. The benefit will go to France, the Benelux countries and Germany in the main. They are investing money in facilities to allow the best to train in front of their people - we are not.
IN Diving - where Tom Daley has just won the World Championships, we will have just 6 full diving facilities - and they are not all world class. We've Lost over 70% of public facilities in 30 years (over 90% in London)and as an E-mail I received today showed people have to travel over 1 hour just to get to a diving board - is this a legacy? No local facilities, limited access to those that exist and an elite only policy - So the legacy plan and getting people into sport will, in this sport - fail miserably
Even for the Commonwealth Games in 2014 - Glasgow will not get a diving board - you have to go to Edinburgh.... and the people who run sport do not see that this is a problem

Adrian:

I think that French could muscle in on the 2012 games.....

=Dennis Junior=