Wednesday 1 August 2012

Olympic mascots already in the pound shop


Day 5 of the London Olympics and there are already mountainous displays of its spectacularly ill-conceived one-eyed official mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville, on sale at Hoxton Poundland - at the knock-down price of £1 each!


Update (8 August): A colleague attended athletics events at the main Olympic stadium last Saturday, and was mightily impressed. He said Wenlock and Mandeville mascots matching the description of the ones in Hoxton Poundland were on sale in the stadium shop for £12.


London Olympics judge's limo just went past the EL Gazette office


Just arrived at work on Day 4 of the London Olympics. As I turned off Leman Street into the backstreets of Aldgate where EL Gazette's office is, an official black BMW of the London Olympics went past.

My source who does massage at the Olympic Press Centre heard - via a driver who was in the (long) queue for accreditation passes - that the judges refused to stay in their purpose-built accommodation at the Olympic Village, and could they stay in the luxury Dorchester Hotel instead, please. There is now a fleet of these black BMWs with green Olympic logos ferrying Olympic judges from the Dorchester to points around the Olympic City.