By Jugjet Singh
COMMENT
ITS 14 days before London welcomes its third Olympics, and being the only city in the world to have achieved the milestone, it is armed to the teeth with experience and ready to welcome the best athletes around the globe.
The whirlwind trip to London was arranged by Queens Park Rangers to showcase their GBP5 million signing Park Ji-Sung and also the unveiling of a plan to build a new home for QPR.
Naturally, QPR chairman Tony Fernandes was all smiles after snaring the Manchester United super-sub, and also announcing a 45,000 seater stadium to replace their present 17,000-seater at Loftus Road.
And also naturally, the British soccer news-hounds who packed the press conference held at the Conservative Party’s HQ Millbank Tower, were sceptical of the almost relegated side’s second Premier League season under new owners.
Back to the Olympics, the vibes can be felt right at the bustling Heathrow Airport in London itself.
Signages have been placed welcoming the athletes from around the world with a smile, but security is so tight, that nothing is left to chance.
Shoes, and belts were flying off, and laptops, watches and anything that rattles placed in trays. Then the scan is done but all with a smile from the immigration officials who are ready to make London a safe city for every one.
Special Olympic lanes have been drawn on almost every road around London to allow buses ferrying athletes to reach their destinations on time for events.
The special lanes would be a welcome to the athletes and officials, but is expected to cause traffic woes for the rest, but not many locals are expected to be around to experience the congestion.
A travel agent confirmed that there have been overwhelming bookings to fly out of London to overseas holiday destinations during the Games, as Londoners make their escape
The vibrating City, which speaks more than 200 languages, is going to be busting at its seams during the Games but one would be hard-pressed to find a local Englishman.
As only after two days of walking around street names made familiar by the Monopoly board, this scribe finally met a local by the name of Billy.
“Yes, I will be going to the Games to watch Volleyball. But that is not by choice, as all the other tickets have been sold out. But after that, I’m off to Italy for a long holiday,” said Billy.
And that would leave the working brigade from all over Europe, Asia, Africa and South America to welcome the world to the London Olympics.
