Boris tells Londoners to ‘stop whining’ as Olympic chaos continues
Boris Johnson demanded Londoners stop whining about the Olympics today, despite draconian rules over brand usage and continued security and strike threats.
The comment came as Olympic organiser Seb Coe was mocked online for saying people could not go to the Games wearing a Pepsi T-shirt, because of Coca-Cola's sponsorship of the Olympics.
"Cut out the whining. And as for you whingers, put a sock in it, fast," the London Mayor demanded in the pages of the Sun today.
"We've got an advanced case of Olympo-funk."
The comments reflect growing concerns at the continued ambivalence in London over the presence of the Games – and nervousness at the threat of strike action and security failure.
Many opponents of the Games have pointed to highly prohibitive brand recognition rules imposed by Locog [the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games], which include bans on non-approved images of the Olympics Rings and the unofficial use of the phrase 'twenty-twelve'.
Those rules also extend to the clothes visitors to the Games wear, with attendants being warned not to sport competitors' brands while in the Olympic Village.
Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme this morning Coe said: "You won't be able to wear a Pepsi T-shirt but you can probably wear Nike trainers''.
The comment was mocked by many listeners online, with some highlighting the fact that Coe works as a paid special adviser to Nike.
The organiser and former long-distance runner admitted the capital was not entirely jubilant about the Games.
"Negativity comes with the territory but people are overwhelmingly very positive," he insisted.
Meanwhile, the Home Office and the Department for Culture Media and Sport were left reeling yesterday after the PCS union announced strike action next Thursday – just as thousands of last-minute guests will be arriving in the country.
Thousands of Home Office and border staff could walk-out, in a move Theresa May branded "shameful".
Organisers say the strike, which received 57.2% backing on a turn out of 20% -was in response to job losses, pay and conditions and concerns over privatisation.
But the home secretary had questions to answer herself after a Home Office document to the home affairs committee suggested she was aware of G4S security failures in late June – over a week before she had previously told MPs.
