London olympics - the big question ???

[KatieBun]

Originally Posted by BIGBrian

It seems FIFA - which last time I looked weren't sponsoring the Olympics - have been given a substantial allocation of tickets, very few of which are for football events.

Do they really expect people not to ask.... "why?" ?

That's a total disgrace.

I wrote to Hunt and copied my MP in at the weekend. No response yet.

Don't have an email address for Seb Coe but he is on Twitter.

[lane 2]

I wonder how many of Seb Coe's family had tickets to watch him compete in the Olympics???????

[Silver Fox]

That is just what I was thinking....if only I could ask him that question!!!!

[SwimMumx2]

Originally Posted by Silver Fox

Many thanks Katie for your support and encouragement...COME ON SWIMCLUB MEMBERS LET US TELL THE WORLD ,well at least Jeremy Hunt MP,Secretary of Culture,Olympics,Media and Sport at enquiries@culture.gsi.gov.uk
about the way GB Olympic competitors are being treated so unfairly...ESPECIALLY ONE TICKET ONLY for swimmer's families...this is ridiculous...TELL JEREMY HUNT MP !

... as usual, I got a bit carried away, and emailed this (but with my real name ):

"Dear Mr. Hunt MP,

I am writing to express my dismay at what seems a callous oversight or insensitive snub by your department of people who have given years of sweat and sometimes blood, literally, to represent their country - GB, in the Olympics.

It doesn't take being a rocket scientist to appreciate that an athlete's journey is not a solo one. There is a lot of family and other support and immense sacrifice that goes into producing an elite athlete. However, GB has not ensured that such supporters can share in their 'family dream' culminating in the athlete representing GB in LONDON! Ticket allocations are limited to 2 per athlete, and in the case of swimming, 1! This is insulting to the effort that the country seems to be taking for granted from these athletes. Rhetorically, is there no one in your department with an athletic background? I am just baffled as to how we got to this situation at all. I am also writing as I hope that it is not too late for the country to treat its top athletes honourably.

Yours sincerely

xxxxxxxx

p.s. for the avoidance of doubt, I do not have any family member competing in the London Olympics."

[SwimMumx2]

Auto reply received (literally within 1 min):

Thank you for emailing the Department for Culture, Media and Sport with your enquiry.

We will respond to you as quickly as possible. However, if your enquiry is on one of the following topics, the latest advice can be found on our website and we will not be sending individual responses.


Digital Economy Act Judicial Review

If you are writing about the Digital Economy Act judicial review, please see our website for more information: http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/news_stories/8060.aspx


Arts Council England National Portfolio Announcements

Arts Council England announced their new National Funding Portfolio on Wednesday 30th March 2011. Please visit their website for further details.

If your query is regarding this announcement, please note that the Department is not responsible for individual funding decisions, which are made by Arts Council England at arm’s length from Government.


News Corp's proposed merger with BSkyB

On 3 March the Secretary of State announced that, following advice from Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), he intends to accept undertakings from News Corporation on their proposed merger with BSkyB in lieu of a referral to the Competition Commission. A notice of consultation on the undertakings expired on 21 March.

The full statement and related documents, including details of the consultation, are available on the DCMS website at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/news_stories/7883.aspx


London 2012 Olympics

If you are writing in about tickets for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, please see the information on our website here:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/hot_topics/7492.aspx


Arm's Length Bodies

If your query is regarding the review of Arm’s Length Bodies, including the UK Film Council, the Museums Libraries and Archives Council, or UK Sport and Sport England, please visit our website: http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/news_stories/7484.aspx


Free Swimming

If your query is regarding the Free Swimming Programme announcement please go to the DCMS website at:

http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/hot_topics/7192.aspx

[Silver Fox]

Brilliant SwimMum ! What a great letter ! Surely Jeremy Hunt MUST respond positively to an appeal like this ... please let us know if and when you receive a reply

[Silver Fox]

Swim Mum...I note the phrase 'we will not be sending individual responses'...is that because they have received so many complaints ...or they are not really bothered what people think... or is this is a way of avoiding having to give us an answer to a question IT APPEARS THAT THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS NOW ASKING !!!

[SwimMumx2]

SF, I suspect it is probably more of the first, because after the LibDem meltdown in the last local elections, I doubt any serious politician would risk the wrath of the electorate by not being bothered about people's opinions. On the other hand, they might reckon that the athletic world is small enough to be ignored!

I am assuming you have someone who will be competing. If so, all the very very best to your swimmer and all the others, and I hope all the families can watch their loved ones. Good Luck!!!

[SwimMumx2]

... oops, and if you are the one competing, the same wishes to you!!!!

[Silver Fox]

Exclusive: Public urged to protest to Culture Minister over London 2012 tickets
By Tom Degun - Inside The Games
June 7 - A new initiative urging the public to write to the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport Jeremy Hunt to request that more tickets for London 2012 are given to the family members of the athletes, rather than to dignitaries and sponsors, has been launched by the relative of a British swimmer who hopes to qualify for the Games.
Laurie Denton, who is the grandfather of a swimmer hoping to compete in the Olympics next year, has claimed that the public must contact Hunt after it emerged that athletes competing in the pool will only be able to purchase one ticket for a family member at the 17,000 capacity Aquatics Centre at the Olympic Park in Stratford.
Earlier this year Australia's triple Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice claimed it was "unfair" that the swimmers got such a small allocation, a situation which left her with the prospect of having to choose between her parents, her sister and boyfriend Quade Cooper, the Australian rugby star, as to who would be able to watch her in action in London.
"I don't know how it is fair that the likes of [FIFA President] Sepp Blatter gets the best Olympic tickets in the house while the family members of athletes, who put in endless hours of time and huge amounts of money to make sure their children get to the top level, get nothing," said Laurie Denton, who has refused to identify which swimmer he is the grandfather of for fear of her being victimised as a result of his campaign.
"All competitors should have the right to be able to purchase more than one ticket so that their family support team can see them on the biggest day of their life and I urge everyone to write to Jeremy Hunt to see if he can intervene in what London 2012 is doing as they have clearly ignored all rational calls from the public.
"It is not so much about the grandparents like me, but surely both the mums and dads deserve to be there.
"All they want is to support their daughter or son at the biggest event of their young lives.
"Is this too much to ask?"
The petition comes following the news that over half of the amount of people who applied for tickets to the London 2012 Olympic Games did not receive any in the controversial random ballot to decide where they are allocated.
Hunt can be contacted at enquiries@culture.gsi.gov.uk .
You can contact the writer of this story at tom.degun@insidethegames.biz

[broomhillsaved]

Good SF - I'm glad people are making a fuss about this. The offer of one ticket is really insulting.

[saturdaynighter]

It would probably be 'good PR' if the ASA/British Swimming (in conjunction with it's regional governing bodies) was able to make a simple 2-ticket provision for its succesful athletes. There can hardly be more than 10 or 15 athletes swimming in any evening session - 30 tickets max, of which 15 will come through the allocation system anyway. That's the equivalent of a small Junket a la FIFA/FINA/FIA/...!

The athletes swim for, and are affilliated to, the ASA - the glory of success will return huge dividends to British Swimming. Perhaps it's time for somebody at the top to recognise the problem and sort it before it becomes a running sore.

[Leprechaun]

Originally Posted by saturdaynighter

It would probably be 'good PR' if the ASA/British Swimming (in conjunction with it's regional governing bodies) was able to make a simple 2-ticket provision for its succesful athletes. There can hardly be more than 10 or 15 athletes swimming in any evening session - 30 tickets max, of which 15 will come through the allocation system anyway. That's the equivalent of a small Junket a la FIFA/FINA/FIA/...!

The athletes swim for, and are affilliated to, the ASA - the glory of success will return huge dividends to British Swimming. Perhaps it's time for somebody at the top to recognise the problem and sort it before it becomes a running sore.

Completely agree but don't expect the Organisation to work this out.

We are all affiliated to one or other Region so shouldn't we be writing to the Regional Boards asking them to unilaterally state they will provide, on a first call face value basis two tickets for all sessions for all their aquatics athlete, ie swimmers polo synchro and open water

If you don't ask they probably won't act

[saturdaynighter]

Originally Posted by Leprechaun

Completely agree but don't expect the Organisation to work this out.

We are all affiliated to one or other Region so shouldn't we be writing to the Regional Boards asking them to unilaterally state they will provide, on a first call face value basis two tickets for all sessions for any aquatics athlete, ie swimmers polo synchro and open water

If you don't ask they probably won't act

very valid point

I was trying to think of a way to get across-the-board action initiated by somebody who ''has the power'' to make the regional bodies act.

it's very likely that everybody else from the Minister, through the Games glitterati, will refer the problem on to somebody else - a political hot potato

a directive from the ASA to the regional bodies (assuming they have adequate tickets allocated to them anyway) would nip the issue in the bud

it's not as if anybody has proposed 8 tickets per athlete family!!!

[Leprechaun]

Originally Posted by saturdaynighter

very valid point

I was trying to think of a way to get across-the-board action initiated by somebody who ''has the power'' to make the regional bodies act.

it's very likely that everybody else from the Minister, through the Games glitterati, will refer the problem on to somebody else - a political hot potato

a directive from the ASA to the regional bodies (assuming they have adequate tickets allocated to them anyway) would nip the issue in the bud

it's not as if anybody has proposed 8 tickets per athlete family!!!

A Directive would take forever let's just pick up our pens and keyboards and write

Such a deluge of communication may even help their KPIs :-)