It’s been a busy couple of days for our Boris. Not only has he had to deal with complaints about the organisation of London’s forthcoming Olympics, but he’s also been schmoozing sport’s top brass in order to try and secure another major sporting event for the capital.
First off, Bozza had to respond to criticism of the change in marathon route for the London Olympics. In an attempt to avoid having to close Tower Bridge on one of the busiest days of the Games, the event will now begin and end in The Mall, not in the Olympic Stadium. The IOC approved the decision despite objections from East Londoners.
Boris was pretty unwavering in his support of the amended route, calling opponents to the changes ‘stark raving bonkers’. The mayor said: “To say that east Londoners have been short-changed because of the re-routing of a twenty-minute marathon route that no longer goes through Tower Hamlets I think people will think that you’re stark raving bonkers. I didn’t challenge it because I agree with it! I’ve said what I think about it. I think I’ve given a very robust view. That is my view and you can like it or lump it.â€?
Even though the Olympics are two years away, the campaign to bring the 2018 World Cup to England gathers pace. FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been in London this week, meeting FA officials, players and David Cameron. Boris also got in on the act, welcoming the FIFA delegation as part of his role in the ‘Back the Bid’ campaign.
And if sports weren’t enough, Boris has also been involved with the arts world this week. Bozza was at the Frieze Art Fair this week, launching the Green Visual Arts Guide.
From the event’s website: “The Guide, commissioned by the Mayor of London and written by Julie’s Bicycle, with input from over a thousand galleries, studios, fairs and transport companies, is the fourth in a series specifically for the creative industries. The Guides set out the tools to tackle climate change issues which directly affect the visual arts. Case studies from visual art organisations of varying sizes are included to illustrate what can be done.”