London 2012 to be 'on time and under budget'

The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics are on track to be delivered under their £9.3 billion budget, with £476 million left in contingency funds, the British government said Wednesday.

A budget of £9.298 billion ($14.5 billion, 11.5 billion euros) was set in 2007 for the construction and delivery of the Games -- almost four times higher than the original cost estimates presented at the time of London's bid in 2005.

Culture, Media and Sport Minister Jeremy Hunt, whose role includes responsibility for this year's Olympics, said it was "fantastic news" that, with 44 days to go to the Games, uncommitted funds remain available.

"Britain has proved that not only can we put on a great show for the world to watch like we did with the Jubilee but that we can also deliver big construction projects on time and on budget," he said, referring to the four-day celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

The Olympic Park project, involving more than 46,000 workers, has seen the transformation of a contaminated former industrial site into a 2.5 square kilometre site containing six new sporting venues.

Some 75 percent of investment in the Games has gone on the regeneration of East London, one of the poorer areas of the capital, according to the government.

More than 2,000 apartments in the Olympic Village, which will house 23,000 athletes and officials during the Games, will be converted into new homes after the event.

The ODA, which is responsible for building Olympic venues and related infrastructure, says its work is 98-percent complete.

Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson said the Olympic Park was "the biggest construction project undertaken anywhere in Europe" and hailed it as a "blue print" for economic recovery in Britain.

He said all that remained to be done was "testing and refining".

In addition to spending on the park itself, some £6.5 billion has been invested in upgrades to public transport, he added.

Ministers played down fears that London could grind to a halt under the influx of visitors this summer and said 700 extra staff would be employed at London's Heathrow airport and other points of entry to Britain.

"We are as confident as we possibly can be that the transport system will hold," Robertson said.

The figures were announced as the Olympic torch continues its journey around Britain after being flown in from Greece on May 18. It will arrive at the Olympic Stadium in east London for the opening ceremony on July 27.

Loading...

Editor’s note:Yahoo! Philippines encourages responsible comments that add dimension to the discussion. No bashing or hate speech, please. You can express your opinion without slamming others or making derogatory remarks.

Odd Stories

  • College student snares record long Burmese python near Miami

    College student snares record long Burmese python near Miami

    Reuters - Wed, May 22, 2013
    College student snares record long Burmese python near Miami

    By Barbara Liston ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - An 18-foot, 8-inch Burmese python set a record for the longest snake ever captured in South Florida, where the exotic species has taken up residence. College student Jason Leon snared the female python in a rural area southeast of Miami earlier this month, when he saw part of it sticking out from brush along the roadside, said Carli Segelson, a spokeswoman for the state's Fish and Wildlife Commission. ...

  • A gnome grows in Chelsea - at the flower show, that is

    A gnome grows in Chelsea - at the flower show, that is

    Reuters - Tue, May 21, 2013
    A gnome grows in Chelsea - at the flower show, that is

    By Paul Casciato LONDON (Reuters) - Some spectators at London's Chelsea Flower Show wouldn't be caught dead with one in the trunk of their Bentley, but garden gnomes have turned up at the show's 100th edition this year, for charity. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which runs Chelsea in the grounds of the Christopher Wren-built Royal Hospital Chelsea, has lifted a ban on the ceramic figures with floppy hats and beards in order to raise funds for an RHS charity that supports the use of

  • Marijuana waste helps turn pot-eating pigs into tasty pork roast

    Marijuana waste helps turn pot-eating pigs into tasty pork roast

    Reuters - Tue, May 21, 2013
    Marijuana waste helps turn pot-eating pigs into tasty pork roast

    By Jonathan Kaminsky OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - With Washington state about to embark on a first-of-its-kind legal market for recreational marijuana, the budding ranks of new cannabis growers face a quandary over what to do with the excess stems, roots and leaves from their plants. Susannah Gross, who owns a five-acre farm north of Seattle, is part of a group experimenting with a solution that seems to make the most of marijuana's appetite-enhancing properties - turning weed waste into pig

  • Jon Stewart's humor a hit with millions of envious Chinese

    Jon Stewart's humor a hit with millions of envious Chinese

    Reuters - Mon, May 20, 2013
    Jon Stewart's humor a hit with millions of envious Chinese

    By Jane Lee SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Humor may not always translate well, but Jon Stewart is picking up millions of fans in China, where his gloves-off political satire is refreshing for many in a country where such criticism is a rarity - especially when directed at their own leaders. A recent segment on North Korea scored over 4 million views on microblogger Sina Weibo, and even stodgy state broadcaster CCTV has used Stewart's "The Daily Show" in a report, though they wouldn't let a Chinese

  • Winning ticket for $590.5 million Powerball lottery sold in Florida

    Winning ticket for $590.5 million Powerball lottery sold in Florida

    Reuters - Mon, May 20, 2013
    Winning ticket for $590.5 million Powerball lottery sold in Florida

    By Brendan O'Brien (Reuters) - A single winning ticket for a record Powerball lottery jackpot worth $590.5 million was sold in Florida, organizers said late on Saturday, but there was no immediate word about who won one of the largest jackpots in U.S. history. The winning numbers from Saturday night's drawing were: 10, 13, 14, 22 and 52, with a Powerball number of 11. The odds of winning were put at 1 in 175 million. The winning ticket was sold at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills, a suburb

  • Time matters little to world’s fastest jigsaw puzzle maker VERA Files - The Inbox

    By Maria Feona Imperial, VERA Files Perhaps for breaking a world record, she has already found the answer to every jigsaw puzzle ever made. But Georgina Gil-Lacuna has one more left unresolved: the puzzle of time. And she likes it … Continue reading →

  • Chinese, Taiwanese nationals with computer gadgets held VERA Files - The Inbox

    By LEILANIE ADRIANO, VERA Files LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte– At least 40 Chinese and 12 Taiwanese nationals who were found with several electronic and computer gadgets and accessories in a resort in Vigan were rounded up and detained for questioning, … Continue reading →

  • Ramos urges neutral probe of Taiwan incident, reminds Pinoys of Contemplacion case VERA Files - The Inbox

    By Ellen Tordesillas, VERA Files MAKASSAR, Indonesia—Former President Fidel V. Ramos has recommended the creation of a neutral investigation on the May 9 encounter between a Philippine patrol ship and Taiwanese fishing vessel in the disputed maritime boundary that resulted … Continue reading →

  • FVR leads call for reduction of budget for lethal weapons VERA Files - The Inbox

    By Ellen Tordesillas, VERA Files MAKASSAR, Indonesia—Former President Fidel V. Ramos Monday called on rich countries to reduce their budget for deadly weapons and realign resources for public safety, including navigation in the disputed waters in the South China Sea. … Continue reading →

  • Activism in art the Carlos Celdran way VERA Files - The Inbox

    By Matthew Reysio-Cruz, VERA Files The whole nation wondered who he was. Sporting a black overcoat and top hat, performer and tourist guide Carlos Celdran stood before a group of bishops at the Manila Cathedral in September 2010 holding up … Continue reading →

POLL
Loading...
Poll Choice Options