London 2012 - London Olympics 'to be held in French'
The official language of the London 2012 Olympics will be French according to secret contracts seen by the Daily Telegraph.
French is the first language of the International Olympic Committee and as such that means that it must take precedence at all Olympic ceremonies including when medals are being handed out.
The presentations will also take place in English but any statement in English "should be read after the French".
All "billboards and pageantry" must also be in French, with English relegated to a second language for the duration of the Games.
The stipulations are listed in the legally binding "Olympic technical manuals" that were signed by London officials when they were awarded the Games in 2005. They were obtained under freedom of information laws by The Spectator magazine and the Games Monitor website after a two-year battle.
Among the other requirements thrust upon the city by the IOC are:
- At least 40,000 hotel rooms for IOC members, foreign sports administrators and other official guests - 1,800 of which must be four or five star. London will be expected to pay for at least 7,000 of the rooms.
- Making sure the Queen is available for a "ceremony planned by the IOC" just before the Games open.
- The Union Jack should only be flown fifth in precedence behind the Olympic flag, the London 2012 symbol, the United Nations flag and the flag of Greece.
- A recommended 700 people will have to be given a dedicated car and chauffeur, while another 400 should get a pool car and a driver.
- The city must also "obtain control of all billboard advertising, city transport advertising, airport advertising etc for the duration of the Games and the month preceding", to make sure only official Olympic partners are advertised.
- All spectators "must be prohibited from wearing clothes or accessories with commercial messages other than the manufacturer's brand name", which if taken literally would prevent people from wearing football jerseys to events.
- All IOC meeting rooms must be provided with "photocopy paper in various colours – white, pink, green, blue – according to the precise instructions of the IOC".
A spokesman for the Games tried to play down the significance of the manuals.
"This is information provided to cities to get them thinking about all the things they need to do," he said.
"The hotel room numbers are guidelines and we may not necessarily need, for instance, 100 rooms for the ceremony stars. The ambush marketing provisions are targeted on mass ambushes, not people wearing their football shirts."
Comment 668 - 687 of 687
Gordon you r wrong i don't support man ut. I am a b'ham fan. I am not english, i am only stay here to work as a professional as has said 70k a year ha ha hah. you and samson r the same anti- egnlish @#$% head
LONG TRAN
70K and I'm the KIng of Siam.
As I said before - When you can write a coherent sentence someone might take a miniscule notice of your comments. If the only way you can express yourself is to swear it indicates a reduced level of intelligence. As far as I can gleen your only saving grace is that you support Man U
Long Tran, earning over 70k doesn't make you clever, yr previous comments prove otherwise!!!
Anything that pisses off the Brits is alright with me.
Gordon for you information I am a professional earning over 70k a year that is for intelligence.
hudson94 well said. stop buy the @#$% froggy products. for starter @#$% their wine & smelly cheese and tasteless apple and the lot of it and don't buy any @#$% french care and petrol. for those who don't know which is froggy petrol. It is the @#$% total
LONG TRAN????
When you can write a coherent sentence someone might take a miniscule notice of your comments.
If the only way you can express yourself is to swear it indicates a reduced level of intelligence
dltphotography you got your fact wrong David Cameron and his party did not involved in the bidding process so please don't blame him and his party. If you want to blame politician you you should blame Tony"faultney" and his party. They sold this country short on many things not just this matter. So be fair. bu the way I do'nt in this country
Graham i agreed with most your view except one thing. You can't blame David Camoron for this he did not involved in the bidding process. If any body is spineless it is Tony "faultney " Blaire and his party. They are the one who sold this country short. By the way I don't vote.
Westfroggy @#$% off you don't want to mention wars because you @#$% @#$% lost every you involved. let me remind you of Dien Bien Phu
Long Tran i know about Dien Bien Phu and other historical events. My general knowledge is much better than yours but unlike you, i don't need to brag about it. Peace
@#$% head Joel, let me remind you of something. Do you know Dien Bien Phu? perharp not because i bet you has not come out @#$% hole by then. If you don't known what it is i suggest that you to @#$% hell and the @#$% de gaugal to explain to you. you @#$% @#$%.
adamvince66 well said, yes paris street's pavement is full of dog @#$%. french is stink of garlic. @#$% them all we should close the tunnel
well state Damon, yes what the @#$% our politican and organiser doing they should tell the froggy to @#$% off and shut the tunnel also they should be remind of waterloo. I don't understand why we bother saving them 55 years ago
by the way tarek man ut will thrash your guner on moday.
tarek as usual you r a @#$% anti-English. what the it got to do with the froggy. the game is help in uk so why the @#$% first language is french. @#$% the froggy please should any one remind the froggy of Dien Bien phu.
samson and gordon you r @#$% @#$% head and talk through your bum. you r a jock & paddy by any chance @#$% head
Type - 'London 2012 - should be in English' and join the group on Facebook.
What else can one expect from our spineless politicians. We must be the laughing stock of the world, an easy pushover who can be relied upon to get aid from, 'borrow' money from,use as required and then snubbed whenever another country feels like it.
I can't see a Muslim country being prepared to suffer these kinds of insults. Come to think of it, perhaps when we are a Muslim majority, (Estimated to be by 2070) and therefore a Muslim government we might regain some more strength of character. I have never been a great lover of the ungrateful French, but as for Lord Coe my great admiration for this 'man' has sunk to just about as low as it could possibly be. He not only negotiated under these terms, but failed abysmally to inform us of the conditions.
I am of the view that when French is spoken as the first language in England all the spectators should start chattering loudly and making sufficient noise to drown out the French announcement, and then quieten for the English announcement.
French should be obliterated from all posters and signs where it takes priority over English
learning French and other lnaguges will set you apart from the average Joe. It will prevent you from looking silly and yelling in the market place "does anyone speak english"
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