For a man who doesn’t strike you as a sports fanatic, Boris certainly spends plenty of his Mayoral time dealing with professional sports related business. And, this week is no exception.
According to World of Rugby League, London’s only Super League rugby league club has this week announced the rebranding of the club from Harlequins Rugby to London Broncos Rugby League. The side will also bring in a new kit, colour scheme and overall look and feel.
Now, I’d love to ask Boris whether he could name a rugby league side, player or rule (or whether he’s actually watched a game of rugby league) although this lack of knowledge didn’t stop him having a view on the rebrand. “London is one of the world’s greatest sporting cities and rugby league has an increasingly important role to play in helping to maintain this status.
“I am delighted to be working with the RFL on their community development programme in London, and I am equally pleased to see a team like the London Broncos reclaiming their original moniker and proudly displaying the London brand.”
And, this week Bozza is also off to Monaco as part of the delegation determined to win the right to host toe 2017 World Athletics Championships – the third biggest sporting event in the world after the Olympic Games (which we did win) and the World Cup (which we didn’t).
London is up against Doha, Qatar for the right to stage the competition which means that bribes paid by oil rich billionaires Lord Coe and Boris’ speeches are bound to win the day…
Well that’s interesting. Boris being rude about corruption in oil – rich nations of the Gulf?
Is this the same Boris whose “Please come and invest in London” piece I’ve just read in the Qatar Airways in-flight magazine? Yes, I do believe it is.
On a more serious note Boris, are you able to use your influence to nudge the Emir in the direction of paying attention to working conditions of South Asian migrant workers on the vast construction sites of Qatar? The Grauniad story on the subject last week is getting quite a bit of traction around the world, as you may have noticed. It would be great if a high-profile British public figure could stick his oar in and make a difference.