Fuelling the flames of the games: Golden Olympic 2012 torch unveiled that will be carried by 8,000 runners

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Golden triangle: London 2012 chairman Lord Coe holds the three-cornered torch aloft as he unveils the design today


Lord Coe forced to defend ticket allocation process

This is the golden torch that will be carried by the 8,000 runners on the London 2012 relay, it was announced today.

The Olympic Flame will burn from a curved triangular aluminium tube which has a lace-like mesh complete with 8,000 holes - one to represent each torchbearer.

The triangular shape of the torch also symbolises the three times that London has staged the Games - 1908, 1948 and 2012. This is a special feat in Olympic history.



New and old: The 2012 torch, left, contains 8,000 holes to represent every runner, and right, the 1948 versions from the last time London hosted the Games


The torch, which will carry the Olympic Flame to the London 2012 Games opening ceremony, has been created by design duo Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby.

London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: 'The torch that carries the Olympic Flame during the Olympic Torch Relay is one of the most recognisable and significant symbols of an Olympic Games.

London 2012's Olympic torch relay will start on May 19 in Land's End and travel as far as the outer Hebrides.


Denise Lewis, who won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2000 Olympics in sydney, with London 2012 torch


An average of 110 people a day will take centre stage by carrying the Olympic Flame on its journey around the UK before it arrives at the Olympic Stadium on July 27 for the lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony, signifying the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

They won a competitive tender, run by London 2012 and the Design Council, to create the torch.



They described it as 'quite simply the best project going - to design an icon for the Games'.

In a statement they said: 'We've wanted to be involved since July 2005 when we were celebrating winning the bid with the rest of the UK.

'We have worked hard to develop a torch that celebrates the relay, and reflects the passion for London and the Olympic Games.

'We wanted to make the most of pioneering production technologies and to demonstrate the industrial excellence available in the UK - it's a torch for our time.





Lord Coe and Denise Lewis at St Pancras station in London for the launch of the torch design



Visits: The 8,000 runners will carry the torch across Britain taking in these major areas during the 70-day relay


source: dailymail

Fuelling the flames of the games: Golden Olympic 2012 torch unveiled that will be carried by 8,000 runners

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Golden triangle: London 2012 chairman Lord Coe holds the three-cornered torch aloft as he unveils the design today


Lord Coe forced to defend ticket allocation process

This is the golden torch that will be carried by the 8,000 runners on the London 2012 relay, it was announced today.

The Olympic Flame will burn from a curved triangular aluminium tube which has a lace-like mesh complete with 8,000 holes - one to represent each torchbearer.

The triangular shape of the torch also symbolises the three times that London has staged the Games - 1908, 1948 and 2012. This is a special feat in Olympic history.



New and old: The 2012 torch, left, contains 8,000 holes to represent every runner, and right, the 1948 versions from the last time London hosted the Games


The torch, which will carry the Olympic Flame to the London 2012 Games opening ceremony, has been created by design duo Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby.

London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: 'The torch that carries the Olympic Flame during the Olympic Torch Relay is one of the most recognisable and significant symbols of an Olympic Games.

London 2012's Olympic torch relay will start on May 19 in Land's End and travel as far as the outer Hebrides.


Denise Lewis, who won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2000 Olympics in sydney, with London 2012 torch


An average of 110 people a day will take centre stage by carrying the Olympic Flame on its journey around the UK before it arrives at the Olympic Stadium on July 27 for the lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony, signifying the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

They won a competitive tender, run by London 2012 and the Design Council, to create the torch.



They described it as 'quite simply the best project going - to design an icon for the Games'.

In a statement they said: 'We've wanted to be involved since July 2005 when we were celebrating winning the bid with the rest of the UK.

'We have worked hard to develop a torch that celebrates the relay, and reflects the passion for London and the Olympic Games.

'We wanted to make the most of pioneering production technologies and to demonstrate the industrial excellence available in the UK - it's a torch for our time.





Lord Coe and Denise Lewis at St Pancras station in London for the launch of the torch design



Visits: The 8,000 runners will carry the torch across Britain taking in these major areas during the 70-day relay


source: dailymail

Fuelling the flames of the games: Golden Olympic 2012 torch unveiled that will be carried by 8,000 runners

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Golden triangle: London 2012 chairman Lord Coe holds the three-cornered torch aloft as he unveils the design today


Lord Coe forced to defend ticket allocation process

This is the golden torch that will be carried by the 8,000 runners on the London 2012 relay, it was announced today.

The Olympic Flame will burn from a curved triangular aluminium tube which has a lace-like mesh complete with 8,000 holes - one to represent each torchbearer.

The triangular shape of the torch also symbolises the three times that London has staged the Games - 1908, 1948 and 2012. This is a special feat in Olympic history.



New and old: The 2012 torch, left, contains 8,000 holes to represent every runner, and right, the 1948 versions from the last time London hosted the Games


The torch, which will carry the Olympic Flame to the London 2012 Games opening ceremony, has been created by design duo Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby.

London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: 'The torch that carries the Olympic Flame during the Olympic Torch Relay is one of the most recognisable and significant symbols of an Olympic Games.

London 2012's Olympic torch relay will start on May 19 in Land's End and travel as far as the outer Hebrides.


Denise Lewis, who won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2000 Olympics in sydney, with London 2012 torch


An average of 110 people a day will take centre stage by carrying the Olympic Flame on its journey around the UK before it arrives at the Olympic Stadium on July 27 for the lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony, signifying the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

They won a competitive tender, run by London 2012 and the Design Council, to create the torch.



They described it as 'quite simply the best project going - to design an icon for the Games'.

In a statement they said: 'We've wanted to be involved since July 2005 when we were celebrating winning the bid with the rest of the UK.

'We have worked hard to develop a torch that celebrates the relay, and reflects the passion for London and the Olympic Games.

'We wanted to make the most of pioneering production technologies and to demonstrate the industrial excellence available in the UK - it's a torch for our time.





Lord Coe and Denise Lewis at St Pancras station in London for the launch of the torch design



Visits: The 8,000 runners will carry the torch across Britain taking in these major areas during the 70-day relay


source: dailymail

Is Ryan Giggs the new Tiger Woods? Love-rat footballer faces exodus of sponsors like shamed golfer

By JAMES TOZER

United in public: Stacey Giggs has so far stayed with the shamed footballer and the couple are currently out of the country as further revelations come to light


Reebok declines to comment if they are standing by him following claims

Rhodri Giggs could demand paternity test over possibility footballer is son's father

Brothers' aunt describes Ryan as: ‘a dirty dog’ with ‘no morals’

Ryan and Stacey cancel plush Spanish hotel break, opting to stay in private villa


Ryan Giggs could become the ‘new Tiger Woods’ as sponsors abandon him over his

alleged philandering, marketing experts believe.

They predicted that the firms which have helped amass a £34million fortune would react unfavourably to the wrecking of his family-man image.

And they warned that, unlike the golfer who still has a long career ahead of him, 37-year-old Giggs is unlikely to have enough time to rebuild his reputation before he ends his playing days.


More to come: Natasha Giggs is understood to have signed a six-figure tabloid deal following the revelation that she had an eight-year affair with Ryan Giggs, the brother of her husband Rhodri, pictured right


Giggs’s biggest deal, which has earned him £20million, is with the sportswear giant Reebok, but it declined to respond yesterday when asked by the Mail whether it would be standing by him.

The Manchester United star’s downfall came after he was revealed to have taken out an injunction forbidding reporting of an alleged relationship with former Big Brother contestant Imogen Thomas.



Big deal: Giggs' sponsorship with sportswear company Reebok has helped to earn him £20m


Then, at the weekend, his brother Rhodri’s wife Natasha revealed that she and Giggs had an eight-year affair.

She is said to have regularly slept with the £80,000-a-week star until April this year, during which time she and Rhodri had a son who will be five this summer.


Struggle: Marketing experts have said that Giggs will find it extremely difficult to recover his image in the time he has left in his playing career


The alleged affair raises the prospect that Rhodri could now demand a paternity test to examine the possibility that his brother is actually the father of the child.

‘He looks just like Rhodri – but then the two brothers also look very similar,’ a friend was quoted as saying.

The boy was born in August 2006, two months before Ryan and Stacey Giggs’s own son was born.

DNA testing experts confirmed that there would be sufficient markers in samples from brothers who were not genetically identical twins to establish paternity.

Rhodri fled abroad yesterday after apparently telling friends that his marriage is over.

Meanwhile, Ryan was due to stay, with wife Stacey, at their favourite hotel in Spain.

But the couple cancelled their room at the plush Marbella Club and are now believed to have switched to a more private villa.

A source at the exclusive resort told The Sun: 'Their booking was suddenly cancelled. It's a shock to hear of the trouble in their marriage.'


Serial adulterer: Tiger Woods lost several sponsorship deals when his affairs came to light


It was reported at the weekend that 28-year-old Natasha decided to speak out from a sense of betrayal after Giggs took out his ill-fated injunction to keep his alleged affair with Miss Thomas secret.

Marketing experts said firms would now be loth to associate themselves with him.

Along with Reebok, Giggs signed deals to publicise the Swiss watch firms Patek
Philippe and Cyma, car manufacturer Citroen and phone company Saudi Telecom.


Fleeing abroad: A tired looking Rhodri was driven from his £170,000 terrace home yesterday by his best friend, the actor Will Mellor


‘A little like Tiger Woods, he had this untouchable air about him, almost Mr Perfect – he was seen as a model professional and a really good guy.

‘Once that image goes, he’s likely to find his whole unique selling point has gone, too.’


Before the storm: Rhodri Giggs and his wife Natasha enjoy a meal on holiday



The Giggs boys: Rhodri, left, with brother Ryan as children. Rhodri is three years younger than his brother


source: dailymail

Is Ryan Giggs the new Tiger Woods? Love-rat footballer faces exodus of sponsors like shamed golfer

By JAMES TOZER

United in public: Stacey Giggs has so far stayed with the shamed footballer and the couple are currently out of the country as further revelations come to light


Reebok declines to comment if they are standing by him following claims

Rhodri Giggs could demand paternity test over possibility footballer is son's father

Brothers' aunt describes Ryan as: ‘a dirty dog’ with ‘no morals’

Ryan and Stacey cancel plush Spanish hotel break, opting to stay in private villa


Ryan Giggs could become the ‘new Tiger Woods’ as sponsors abandon him over his

alleged philandering, marketing experts believe.

They predicted that the firms which have helped amass a £34million fortune would react unfavourably to the wrecking of his family-man image.

And they warned that, unlike the golfer who still has a long career ahead of him, 37-year-old Giggs is unlikely to have enough time to rebuild his reputation before he ends his playing days.


More to come: Natasha Giggs is understood to have signed a six-figure tabloid deal following the revelation that she had an eight-year affair with Ryan Giggs, the brother of her husband Rhodri, pictured right


Giggs’s biggest deal, which has earned him £20million, is with the sportswear giant Reebok, but it declined to respond yesterday when asked by the Mail whether it would be standing by him.

The Manchester United star’s downfall came after he was revealed to have taken out an injunction forbidding reporting of an alleged relationship with former Big Brother contestant Imogen Thomas.



Big deal: Giggs' sponsorship with sportswear company Reebok has helped to earn him £20m


Then, at the weekend, his brother Rhodri’s wife Natasha revealed that she and Giggs had an eight-year affair.

She is said to have regularly slept with the £80,000-a-week star until April this year, during which time she and Rhodri had a son who will be five this summer.


Struggle: Marketing experts have said that Giggs will find it extremely difficult to recover his image in the time he has left in his playing career


The alleged affair raises the prospect that Rhodri could now demand a paternity test to examine the possibility that his brother is actually the father of the child.

‘He looks just like Rhodri – but then the two brothers also look very similar,’ a friend was quoted as saying.

The boy was born in August 2006, two months before Ryan and Stacey Giggs’s own son was born.

DNA testing experts confirmed that there would be sufficient markers in samples from brothers who were not genetically identical twins to establish paternity.

Rhodri fled abroad yesterday after apparently telling friends that his marriage is over.

Meanwhile, Ryan was due to stay, with wife Stacey, at their favourite hotel in Spain.

But the couple cancelled their room at the plush Marbella Club and are now believed to have switched to a more private villa.

A source at the exclusive resort told The Sun: 'Their booking was suddenly cancelled. It's a shock to hear of the trouble in their marriage.'


Serial adulterer: Tiger Woods lost several sponsorship deals when his affairs came to light


It was reported at the weekend that 28-year-old Natasha decided to speak out from a sense of betrayal after Giggs took out his ill-fated injunction to keep his alleged affair with Miss Thomas secret.

Marketing experts said firms would now be loth to associate themselves with him.

Along with Reebok, Giggs signed deals to publicise the Swiss watch firms Patek
Philippe and Cyma, car manufacturer Citroen and phone company Saudi Telecom.


Fleeing abroad: A tired looking Rhodri was driven from his £170,000 terrace home yesterday by his best friend, the actor Will Mellor


‘A little like Tiger Woods, he had this untouchable air about him, almost Mr Perfect – he was seen as a model professional and a really good guy.

‘Once that image goes, he’s likely to find his whole unique selling point has gone, too.’


Before the storm: Rhodri Giggs and his wife Natasha enjoy a meal on holiday



The Giggs boys: Rhodri, left, with brother Ryan as children. Rhodri is three years younger than his brother


source: dailymail

Ruthless Rafa! The Spanish juggernaut rolls on but Federer goes down fighting in Paris

By MIKE DICKSON

King again: Rafael Nadal stormed to a sixth French Open title beating Switzerland's Roger Federer


Roger Federer came to Roland Garros and made his point, but he could not make it loud enough to suppress the extraordinary Rafael Nadal.

We get the message that Federer is no spent force, and when Wimbledon starts in a fortnight nobody will be underestimating him as they did here and writing him out of the sport's remarkable narrative of 2011.

Yet that is something different from actually beating Nadal and interfering with the private duel he is waging with the records of Bjorn Borg from more than 25 years ago



While Federer was often brilliant and always adventurous in his attempts to stop his greatest rival he was ultimately powerless to prevent a 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 defeat that took three hours and 40 minutes.

This was Nadal's 10th Grand Slam title and his sixth at Roland Garros, tying with the tally amassed by the great Swede at this stadium.

Of the seven men in history who have reached double figures when it comes to the game's major trophies, only Borg reached 10 at a younger age than the Spaniard's 25 years and two days.


Mutual respect: The game pitted the two greatest players to ever play against each other


Of more current significance is that going into Wimbledon Nadal will still be the world No 1, having defended the position against the odds from the frantic assault of Novak Djokovic.

Federer facilitated that by his semi-final defeat of the Serb and, most unwillingly, played his part again by losing in what was his first Grand Slam final since last year's Australian Open. Nonetheless he was pleased at least to be back in the conversation about who belongs where in the game's highest echelon.

'At the Australian Open when people thought me and Rafa were done I told them to wait six months. Now the talk is different again. I feel really good physically and the priority is to win Wimbledon,' he said.


Holding court: Nadal was at his imperious best, reaching almost everything Federer could throw at him


The slightly scary thing is that Nadal has not been quite at his best in this Championship. 'The fact that I didn't start so good and was able to change and play my best is the most satisfying thing,' said Nadal, who in the final three rounds faced the world No 5, four and three, none of whom played below themselves, and ended up dropping just a set to them.

Poor old Andy Murray. Still no Grand Slam title in the cupboard and now he is up against a rejuvenated Federer, a man who hardly ever loses in Djokovic and the No 1 in full working order.

In line with his usual routine the victor will be on the Eurostar this lunchtime and later in the day will take his first steps on to a grass court to practise for this week's AEGON Championships at London's Queen's Club. There will be a quick break at home in Majorca when he is finished there and then it is on to Wimbledon. This has worked beautifully in recent years.



Well supported: Fans of the Spaniard, who is a firm favourite at the French, packed into the stadium


Federer got off to an explosive start. At 5-2 up, with an aggressive policy of going for lines and attacking the net paying off, his career's crowning glory of a victory over Nadal at Roland Garros did not look out of the question.

But to beat the Spaniard here, as Murray will attest, requires sustained brilliance that is beyond the bounds of other humans' endeavour, plus huge nerve.


Out of reach: Federer had, until the final, been showing signs he was back to his best


The crucial game was at 5-3 when Federer landed in only one first serve out of six and was broken back after missing a set point with a drop shot. The Nadal hammer came slamming down as he reeled off seven games in sequence to reach 2-0 in the second set.

Federer stuck to his attacking policy and was rewarded with a break back for 4-4.

Further breaks were swapped - it will be a crumb of encouragement to others that Nadal's serve has been less than watertight here - but in the tiebreak the Swiss made a couple of early errors and could not recover from the 4-0 deficit that opened up.


Disruption: Even a small rain delay couldn't upset Nadal's rhythm


Federer is revered in Paris like nowhere else and the Court Philippe Chatrier roared him back into the match when he came with a surge from 4-2 down in the third. Having little to lose he hit out, and with Nadal unable to stem the flow his tactic of trying to break down the Federer backhand was met with a flurry of winners.

More than three hours was on the clock, and it was worth remembering that, with Federer only three months shy of his 30th birthday Nadal is five years younger.


Net gains: The win ensures Nadal goes into Wimbledon into high spirits after seeing his No 1 spot threatened


The second most crucial game was the opener of the fourth set, which saw Nadal carve out a hold from 0-40 that palpably put a break on his opponent's momentum.

As had happened when 5-3 up in the first, Federer seemed to second guess himself, and once Nadal had secured the break for 3-1 there was no doubt he would pick up the Coupe Des Mousquetaires for the sixth time.

He leaves Paris with a staggering 45-1 record in this tournament. A huge amount of physical and mental energy goes into these triumphs and at times you wonder how much more he can have left, but on days like this Nadal looks as if he will go on for ever.



This much difference: The defeat for Federer merely highlighted his fall from the summit of the world game


rafael nadal vs roger federer 2011


source: dailymail

Awesome Federer ends Djokovic hot streak to set up French Open final against Nadal

By MIKE DICKSON

The true No 1: Roger Federer celebrates beating Novak Djokovic in the French Open semi-finals


Novak Djokovic's brilliant winning streak met a dramatic, murky end when Roger Federer announced he was far from finished.

At 9.37pm and with an overnight suspension due, the Swiss brought Roland Garros to its feet by becoming the first man to beat Djokovic this year as he inflicted on him a 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 defeat.

Federer was the last man to overcome the Serb back in November at the O2 Arena, and now he may have put a stop to his ambitions of becoming world No 1.

If Nadal wins Sunday's final he can retain the position threatened by Djokovic's 41 straight victories, a sequence which is one fewer than John McEnroe's run in 1984.



Mutual respect: Federer embraces Djokovic after an enthralling match of the highest quality


What a sight: The Swiss maestro guides another mesmeric backhand down the line


With the start of play ridiculously put back an hour, they looked like gatecrashing women's finals day when Federer, 30 in August, was twice a break down towards the end of the fourth set.

Yet he broke back both times and in the tiebreak, played through badly fading light, pumped down an 18th ace to clinch it 7-5.

Federer has been desperate to show he is not a spent force at a time when he has been shunted out of the top two and the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry is all the rage. It is a powerful motivating force, as his form all fortnight has demonstrated.


When you're hot, you're hot: Djokovic came into the match on the back of a 43-match winning streak


Tough day at the office: Djokovic feels the strain as he loses the first two sets


The confident Djokovic nonetheless forced two set points at 5-4 in the opener before the Swiss went on to edge the tiebreak 7-5.

Then we saw vintage Federer as, roared on by a crowd who have always adored him, he produced superbly fluent groundstrokes to blast through the second set 6-3 before the inevitable Djokovic comeback.

But Federer reached his first Grand Slam final since beating Andy Murray in Melbourne nearly 18 months ago.

A shattered Djokovic immediately pulled out of next week's Aegon Championships at Queen's.


You said it: Federer fans show their support for the 16-time grand slam champion



Celebrity spotting: Actress Salma Hayek was in the stands to watch Federer's brilliant display


FEDERER VS DJOKOVIC - ROLLAND GARROS 2011 | FULL HIGHLIGHTS | OFFICIAL HD



source: dailymail