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London Olympics 2012 Ticket scandal hits Games

Reuters, London

Olympic organisers scrambled on Sunday to quell a scandal over depressing TV images of half-empty stands at the London Olympics as a government minister said an urgent inquiry had been launched to identify just who had failed to show up, and why.

Fans from all over Britain who had been charmed by the Olympic publicity offensive, but were let down by a complex ballot system, were outraged by footage of empty seats at key venues including Wimbledon -- one of the hottest tickets in world tennis.

"It's infuriating to see so many empty seats on TV. Surely it can't be beyond the organisers to allow real sports fans to fill them up on a first come first served basis?" said Ed Shorthose, a London-based father of two who has been trying for months to get tickets to see the Games.

More vacant seats were reported on Sunday, the second day of the Games.

Organisers said they were in touch with the International Olympic Committee to discover who failed to show up and why.

A Games official told Reuters it was still unclear whether the empty seats in several events, including Wimbledon, swimming, gymnastics and basketball, had been allocated to sponsors, international federations and athletes' families.

"We are trying to find out who these tickets belonged to," said the official.

British Olympic Association Chairman Colin Moynihan told a briefing on Sunday one solution might be a 30-minute rule whereby fans would be allowed to take up vacant seats if spectators were late or did not arrive.

Moynihan said the search was on for who had not taken up tickets. "Where you have large blocks of seats you can pretty quickly know," Moynihan said.

Spectators reported more empty seats on Sunday.

"We've got a few empty seats, so please shout twice as loud for those empty ones," announcer Ian Oswald said at one men's weight-lifting event.

More empty seats were reported at the women's gymnastics, particularly close to the mat. Soldiers, apparently who had been on security duty, occupied some of the empty chairs.

Seats were also vacant at the eventing dressage despite the appearance of Zara Phillips, Queen Elizabeth's grand-daughter, who is part of the British team.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the minister responsible for the Olympics, said he was disappointed by the empty seats and that the London Organising Committee (LOCOG) were looking into it.

"LOCOG are doing a full investigation into what happened," Hunt told publicly funded broadcaster BBC after a widely praised surreal and exuberant opening ceremony starring the queen, Paul McCartney and Rowan Atkin.

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London Diary

Spotted at Horse Guards Parade, home of beach volleyball, was the former secretary general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan.

Annan spent about an hour at the event and joined in, though briefly, a Mexican wave triggered by the party atmosphere among a first-day attendance of 10,081 spectators. Organisers had predicted the central London venue would attract a regular number of dignitaries and celebrity spectators.

Prince Harry is likely to attend next week, while Lord Coe, chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, joined the crowd for part of the afternoon session.

Spectators were welcomed to Horse Guards Parade by marching bands and the event's very own dancing troupe. Organisers promise a mix of music to satisfy what James O'Brien, head of sport presentation, describes as an "energy theme".

He said: "Due to the location of the venue and the juxtaposition of a beach in the political heart of London, we have tried to mirror this clash of cultures in our music programming."

Music from the Beatles, the Kinks, Rita Ora and the Artic Monkeys were among the mix.

Faucheron picture perfect
Thomas Faucheron hit the centre of the target at the archery on Sunday with his second arrow in the men's team quarterfinal defeat to Mexico -- and also the camera positioned there.

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China's quest begins

China's Wu Minxia and He Zi are on course for a perfect landing during the women's synchronised 3m springboard diving final at the London 2012 Olympic Games yesterday. The pair won the first of possible eight golds in diving events.

Wu Minxia and He Zi of China won the first diving gold medal of the London Olympics on Sunday, putting the country on a path toward a possible sweep of the eight medals.

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Ratna set to shoot in Olympics

Sharmin Akter RatnaStar Online Report

Sharmin Akter Ratna, Bangladesh's lone shooter in the London Olympics, is set to take part in the 10m Air Rifle event at the Royal Artillery Barracks in London on Saturday.

Ratna, who has been undergoing extensive training in Bristol under Bangladeshi coach Shoyebuzzaman for more than two months, will be among 55 shooters from different countries taking part in the event.

The 24-year old lady from Magura won the 10m Air Rifle gold in the 2010 South Asian Games in Dhaka with a record mark of 499.4 points. Later that year, she won gold in the same event in the Commonwealth Shooting Championships held in New Delhi.

Ratna, one of the five athletes from Bangladesh; all of whom went on wild cards -- is considered to be the best chance for Bangladesh to put up a good show in this year's Olympics.

Wild cards are given to those countries who fail to qualify directly for the mega extravaganza.

Bangladesh's best female shooter has been in good form of late and has adapted well with the weather conditions in England, and is expected to better her best score of 503.3 which she set in 2010 SA Games.

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PM says Bangladesh cannot help Rohingya

Prime Minister Sheikh HasinaStar Online Report

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has told Al Jazeera that her country cannot afford to accomodate more Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing persecution in neighbouring Myanmar.

The statement follows reports that Bangladeshi authorities have been rejecting many of the asylum seekers, reports Al Jazeera on Friday.

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London Olympics 2012 opening ceremony

Bangladesh
London Olympics 2012 opening ceremony

Madonna booed in Paris over show length

Madonna gave a political speech during her concert which lasted just 45 minutes

Continue reading the main story

Madonna fans vented their anger after the star ended a special intimate show in Paris after just 45 minutes.

The singer said she had "a special affinity with France" as she opened the last minute concert, but drew boos from many disappointed fans.

Some had camped outside the Olympia club since Wednesday in anticipation of the show.

The 2,000 tickets sold out in minutes, with fans paying between £80-£200 and some changing hands for up to £1,000.

Madonna was also criticised for talking about politics instead of singing, after revealing she had a message for France's extreme right-wing leader Marine Le Pen.

France's National Front is threatening to sue the star for using an image of Ms Le Pen with a Swastika superimposed on her forehead at a concert earlier this month.

"I know that I have made a certain Marine Le Pen very angry with me," Madonna told fans.

"It's not my intention to make enemies. It's my intention to promote tolerance," she continued.

Frustrated fans

Afterwards 33-year-old Guillaume Delaval complained: "She spoke for 15 minutes about tolerance, it's not the UN here."

Speaking to the BBC's John Hand at the show, Paris resident Allain Zambrana, 26, from Nicaragua, said he wanted to ask for his money back.

"I felt very frustrated because I camped out on the streets and then the show just ends like that."

Several fans cried "refund!" as they realised Madonna had left the stage for good, with some audience members taking to Twitter to complain.

"We are singing 'shame on you'," explained Pierre from Belgium. "Because she says she loves her fans but then she does this."

Dutch fan Ellis Van Zoen, 22, agreed the show was "very short", but added: "I'm torn - I thought it was a fantastic show and it was special. I don't want to see fans yelling at her but I can understand why."

'People are afraid'

Madonna also offered veiled criticism of the party's anti-immigrant stance, as she paid homage to a France which she said had once "opened its arms to minorities".

"We are entering some very scary times in the world," she told the crowd.

"People are afraid, and what happens when people are afraid? They say 'get out! You're the reason. You're the problem. You're to blame.'"

The 53-year-old, who performed in an array of outfits including a black leather pencil skirt and French beret, also paid tribute to several French artists.

The event was also streamed live on YouTube, where separate footage showed fans chanting and booing while throwing throwing empty bottles and cups onto the stage after the singer had left.

Madonna is due to perform in France again on 21 August, in Nice.

Collection of BBC News

Olympic ceremony pre-show begins with Red Arrows fly-past

Thousands of people have filled the Olympic Stadium for the £27m opening ceremony of the London Games.

The three-hour spectacle at the Olympic Park will be viewed by a global TV audience of around one billion people.

A fly-past by the Red Arrows started the ceremony's pre-show at the symbolic time of 20:12 BST (19:12 GMT).

Details of the ceremony remain a closely-guarded secret. Its artistic director, Danny Boyle, has dedicated it to the 15,000 volunteers taking part.

Boyle has spoken of his "excitement" for the ceremony, which is named the Isles of Wonder, as well as feeling "nervousness" for all the volunteers.

In an interview with the BBC, the Oscar-winning film director said the ceremony "might surprise people... it's spectacular, but also inclusive - it has a warmth".

The chairman of London 2012, Lord Coe, told the BBC he was "as excited as hell".

The BBC's Sangita Myska meets excited fans and performers in Stratford

Crowds of people, many of them dressed up in their nation's colours, are gathering in large numbers at the Olympic Park.

The BBC's Claire Heald, at the Olympic Park, says transport to the stadium appears to be running smoothly and the crowds are moving quickly through security.

The day of celebration began at 08:12 BST (07:12 GMT) with a mass bell ringing. Big Ben rang for three minutes for the first time since King George VI's funeral in 1952.

In other developments:

• A celebratory concert featuring Paolo Nutini, Snow Patrol, Stereophonics and Duran Duran is being held in Hyde Park
• A fire has broken out at a pavilion in Weymouth close to where the Olympic sailing will take place. The building, due to host a VIP and media event, has been evacuated
• Lord's cricket ground turned away spectators trying to get in to watch archery amid confusion over ticketing. The London 2012 website advertised the event's preliminary rounds as "unticketed", which some people interpreted as open to the public
• Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt narrowly avoided hitting a group of women with a bell after it flew off its handle on HMS Belfast during the co-ordinated ringing - he called the moment a "classic"
• US First Lady Michelle Obama, who is in London to lead the US delegation, told the US Olympic team at their Docklands training camp "have fun, breathe a bit, but also win"
• International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge praised the regeneration which has taken place in east London and said the Games would have a "tangible legacy" with, uniquely, "no white elephants"

Forecasters say the weather for the ceremony is expected to remain dry.

Continue reading the main story

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "It's a great opportunity to show the world the best of Britain, a country that's got an incredibly rich past but also a very exciting future.

"Someone asked me yesterday what face of Britain do we want to put forward - is it Blur or the Beefeaters? - and frankly it's both."

'Wave of excitement'

Mayor of London Boris Johnson told BBC Radio 5 live: "What's so amazing is just the wave of excitement seems to pass from person to person like some benign form of contagion. Everybody is getting it."

Tony Blair, who was prime minister when London won the Games in 2005, told the BBC: "It's a party atmosphere but also an immense sense of national pride - of what we are and what we can show the world."

Continue reading the main story

The Olympic flame arrived at City Hall on the Queen's rowbarge Gloriana after first weaving through the maze at Hampton Court Palace then being transported down the Thames.

The flame's trip around the UK ends with the lighting of the cauldron during this evening's opening ceremony, but the identity of the person who will take on the honour remains a mystery.

Europe's largest bell will ring inside the Olympic Stadium at 21:00 BST (20:00 GMT) at the start of the opening ceremony, said to be a quirky take on British life.

Some 15,000 sq m of staging and 12,956 props will be used, and the event will boast a million-watt PA system using more than 500 speakers.

The crowd of about 80,000 will include the Queen and a host of dignitaries and celebrities.

The Olympic cauldron will be lit at the close of the ceremony - but the identity of the person who has been given the honour remains a tightly-guarded secret.

Thousands of fans are also gathering at other outdoor locations across the capital to watch the show on big screens. But the BBC's John Maguire says thousands are likely to be turned away at east London's Victoria Park because of "huge" queues for the London Live event.

The Queen and Prince Philip earlier hosted a Buckingham Palace reception for foreign dignitaries, where she wished guests a "successful, enjoyable and memorable Games".

Coverage of the opening ceremony is on BBC One and Radio 5 live now. UK users can also watch it via the BBC News website.

Collection of BBC News

Olympic ceremony just hrs away

In this photo provided by LOCOG, Daniel Mccubbin holds the Olympic Flame inside St Pancras International Railway Station on Day 69 of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, Thursday July 26, 2012, in London. Photo: APBBC Online

The opening ceremony of the London Olympics is just hours away after seven years of preparations.

The three-hour spectacle in the Olympic Stadium will be viewed by a global TV audience of around a billion people.

The day of celebration began at 08:12 BST with a mass bell ringing. Big Ben rang for three minutes for the first time since King George VI's funeral.

Lord's cricket ground has turned away spectators trying to get in to watch archery amid confusion over ticketing.

The London 2012 website advertised the event's preliminary rounds as "unticketed", which some members of the public interpreted as open to the public.

But Olympic organiser Locog said it had not advertised or sold tickets for the ranking event and had always made it clear preliminary rounds were not open to spectators.

South Korea later claimed the first two world records of London 2012 in the men's team and individual archery.

Meanwhile, the Olympic flame is heading along the Thames on the Queen's rowbarge Gloriana on the final day of the torch relay.

It wove through the famous maze at Hampton Court Palace before setting out along the Thames.

The relay ends late in the evening with the lighting of the cauldron during the opening ceremony but the identity of the person who will take on the honour remains a mystery.

Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain was ready to welcome "the greatest show on earth".

Speaking in Downing Street, he said: "It's a great opportunity to show the world the best of Britain, a country that's got an incredibly rich past but also a very exciting future.

"Someone asked me yesterday what face of Britain do we want to put forward - is it Blur or the Beefeaters? - and frankly it's both."

The chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority, Dennis Hone, said he was thrilled the big day was finally here.

He told BBC Radio 5 live: "When you look around at the park, you look at the venues, the 100 hectares of landscaping, the 2,000 trees, all the plants in bloom, it's looking fantastic. It's going to be a great day, it's going to be a great 17 days of sport."

Mayor of London Boris Johnson told the programme: "What's so amazing is just the wave of excitement seems to pass from person to person like some benign form of contagion. Everybody is getting it."

Organisers of Oscar-winner Danny Boyle's opening ceremony have released a video clip giving a sneak preview, featuring groups in colourful stage outfits dancing to Tiger Feet by 1970s rock group Mud and cyclists with wings pedalling along to Come Together by the Beatles.

Europe's largest bell will ring inside the Olympic stadium at 21:00 BST at the start of the £27m extravaganza, featuring a cast of 10,000 volunteers and said to be a quirky take on British life.

Some 15,000 square metres of staging and 12,956 props will be used, and the event will boast a million-watt PA system using more than 500 speakers.

The crowd of about 80,000 will include the Queen and a host of dignitaries and celebrities.

As late as Thursday night, Games organisers said that the ceremony had not sold out and tickets in the two highest price categories - costing £2,012 and £1,600 - were still available.

The Queen and Prince Philip will host a Buckingham Palace reception for heads of state and government and an opening ceremony celebration concert featuring Snow Patrol, Stereophonics, Duran Duran and Paolo Nutini will be held in Hyde Park.

More than 10,000 athletes from 204 nations will take part in the London Olympics. Some £9bn of public money has been spent on staging the Games.

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Polls without BNP won’t be acceptable: Akbar Ali

Dr Akbar Ali KhanUNB, Dhaka

Voicing doubt about the next general election amid opposing stance of the two major political parties, former adviser to a caretaker government Dr Akbar Ali Khan on Friday said any election without participation of the main opposition will not be acceptable.

“Participation of the opposition parties is a must to make the election meaningful. If the main opposition doesn’t take part in the polls, it won’t be meaningful and acceptable at home and abroad,” he said.

Dr Akbar Ali came up with the observation at a discussion, titled ‘Ongoing Political Crisis: Way Out’, at the National Press Club.

Addressing the programme, the former adviser said the countrymen are in doubt whether the next election will be held or not. The scrapping of the caretaker system has raised uncertainty as to who will conduct the polls. “The ongoing political crisis has pushed the people into a dark abyss.”

He also suggested the government restore the caretaker government system for the sake of holding a free, fair and credible election.

Emphasising taking initiative to resolve the political crisis, Dr Akbar Ali said that if the political parties fail to reach understanding before the polls, the democracy will be at stake and people may lose their voting rights.

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4 children visit Humayun's grave

Children of Humayun Ahmed visit the grave of their father at Nuhash Palli in Gazipur on Friday afternoon. Photo: Focus BanglaStar Online Report

Bipasha, Nova, Sheela and Nuhash -- children of illustrious writer and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed –– visited the grave of their father at Nuhash Palli in Gazipur Friday afternoon.

The four children from the first wife of Humayun visited the grave a in a litchi garden around 2:00pm, Bangla daily Prothom Alo reports.

Nuhash Palli has become flooded on the holiday with visitors who came there from different places to pay tributes to their beloved writer, said Saiful Islam Bulbul, manager of the Palli.

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Bangladesh vs Netherlands at The Hague- Jul 26, 2012

Bangladesh lost the 2nd T2o match against Netherlands. Netherlands won by 1 wicket (with 0 balls remaining). Bangladesh needs more & more improve in T20 match.

Bangladesh in Netherlands 2 match T20I Series 1-1. 

Bangladesh 128 (20/20 ov)

Netherlands 131/9 (20.0/20 ov)

Netherlands won by 1 wicket (with 0 balls remaining)

• 
  
• 
  
• Bangladesh in Netherlands T20I Series - 2nd T20I
• T20I no. 254 | 2012 season
• Played at Sportpark Westvliet, The Hague
• 26 July 2012 (20-over match)

	Bangladesh innings (20 overs maximum)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	Tamim Iqbal	c Borren b van der Gugten	50	70	46	2	1	108.69
	Junaid Siddique	c Borren b Gruijters	0	2	4	0	0	0.00
	Shakib Al Hasan	b Swart	0	1	3	0	0	0.00
	Mushfiqur Rahim*†	c Mudassar Bukhari b Swart	2	6	6	0	0	33.33
	Mahmudullah	c Borren b Jamil	41	29	31	6	0	132.25
	Ziaur Rahman	c Borren b van der Gugten	22	20	17	2	1	129.41
	Nasir Hossain	b Mudassar Bukhari	4	13	7	0	0	57.14
	Jahurul Islam	c †Barresi b van der Gugten	2	2	2	0	0	100.00
	Abdur Razzak	c Jamil b Mudassar Bukhari	2	3	2	0	0	100.00
	Shafiul Islam	not out	1	1	1	0	0	100.00
	Elias Sunny	run out (Seelaar/Mudassar Bukhari)	1	3	1	0	0	100.00
	Extras	(lb 2, w 1)	3
	Total	(all out; 20 overs)	128	(6.40 runs per over)

Fall of wickets 1-1 (Junaid Siddique, 0.5 ov), 2-4 (Shakib Al Hasan, 1.4 ov), 3-8 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 3.1 ov),4-70 (Mahmudullah, 11.4 ov), 5-106 (Ziaur Rahman, 16.4 ov), 6-120 (Tamim Iqbal, 18.3 ov), 7-123 (Jahurul Islam, 18.6 ov),8-126 (Abdur Razzak, 19.2 ov), 9-126 (Nasir Hossain, 19.4 ov), 10-128 (Elias Sunny, 19.6 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	TGJ Gruijters	2	0	5	1	2.50
	MR Swart	3	1	18	2	6.00
	TLW Cooper	2	0	18	0	9.00
	PW Borren	3	0	22	0	7.33
	T van der Gugten	4	0	18	3	4.50
	MAA Jamil	4	0	32	1	8.00
	Mudassar Bukhari	2	0	13	2	6.50	(1w)

	Netherlands innings (target: 129 runs from 20 overs)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	W Barresi†	b Abdur Razzak	13	16	18	2	0	72.22
	MR Swart	st †Mushfiqur Rahim b Mahmudullah	61	68	49	4	2	124.48
	TLW Cooper	b Shakib Al Hasan	0	3	3	0	0	0.00
	PW Borren*	c Abdur Razzak b Shakib Al Hasan	16	22	16	1	1	100.00
	TN de Grooth	b Elias Sunny	7	7	10	1	0	70.00
	ES Szwarczynski	run out (†Mushfiqur Rahim)	2	5	3	0	0	66.66
	Mudassar Bukhari	c Jahurul Islam b Shafiul Islam	7	5	4	0	1	175.00
	TGJ Gruijters	b Shafiul Islam	3	10	5	0	0	60.00
	PM Seelaar	not out	3		3	0	0	100.00
	T van der Gugten	lbw b Abdur Razzak	12		8	0	1	150.00
	MAA Jamil	not out	4		1	1	0	400.00
	Extras	(b 1, lb 1, w 1)	3
	Total	(9 wickets; 20 overs)	131	(6.55 runs per over)

Fall of wickets 1-24 (Barresi, 4.6 ov), 2-25 (Cooper, 5.4 ov), 3-59 (Borren, 10.2 ov), 4-72 (de Grooth, 12.6 ov),5-77 (Szwarczynski, 14.1 ov), 6-86 (Mudassar Bukhari, 15.2 ov), 7-112 (Swart, 17.5 ov), 8-114 (Gruijters, 18.2 ov),9-127 (van der Gugten, 19.5 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	Abdur Razzak	4	1	23	2	5.75
	Shafiul Islam	4	0	26	2	6.50	(1w)
	Shakib Al Hasan	4	0	28	2	7.00
	Elias Sunny	4	0	28	1	7.00
	Mahmudullah	4	0	24	1	6.00

Match details

Toss Bangladesh, who chose to bat Series 2-match series drawn 1-1

Umpires IN Ramage (Scotland) and RP Smith (Ireland) Match referee D Govindjee (South Africa) Reserve umpire H Jansen Collection of Cricinfo.com