The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge has formally opened the Olympic Truce Wall in the Olympic Village.

The Wall, which has been a fixture in the Olympic Villages since Sydney 2000, forms the backdrop for the Team Welcome Ceremonies and provides a place of reflection and inspiration of peace through sport. The wall features images and statements from St John’s Roman Catholic Comprehensive school in Gravesend, Kent, which reflects what the idea of the Olympic Truce meant to them.

Continuing the tradition from past Games, athletes and officials were yesterday invited to sign the Wall as a symbol of their support. Approximately 10,500 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) are in London to compete. Following the Games, the British Olympic Association will display the Wall at the British Olympic Museum in the Olympic Park.

At yesterday’s Ceremony President Rogge said “Sport is not immune from, and cannot cure all the ills of the world. But sport can help bridge differences and bring people together. We can see proof of that at these Games.”

At yesterday’s unveiling, tribute was also paid to the victims of the attacks during the 1972 Munich Games. President Rogge said “The 11 victims of the Munich tragedy … came to Munich in the spirit of peace and solidarity. We owe it to them to keep that spirit alive and to remember them”.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “In ancient Greece the Olympic truce would see arms laid aside across the lands to ensure safe passage for athletes and spectators. Now in 2012, the Truce Wall here in London’s Olympic Park allows us to record for posterity a shared commitment to the ideals excellence, respect and friendship. I hope the gathering of the many nations who have travelled to the Olympic Village this summer and the manner they will conduct themselves, will act as a beacon to inspire people around the globe to follow this ancient tradition of harmony during Games-time and beyond. I’d also like to thank Jacques Rogge and the IOC for the appropriate, heartfelt observation of remembrance held today in memory of victims of the tragic events that unfolded in Munich 40 years ago and which should never be forgotten.

Seb Coe, LOCOG Chair, said “As an athlete and as Chair of LOCOG, I have seen firsthand how sport can bring people together. Through our Truce Inspire programme, we have recognised local and neighbourhood projects across the UK which use sport or culture to address local conflict, to bring different neighbourhoods together and to raise awareness of the Olympic Truce. The UK Government has supported this vision too, working with NGOs in the UK and their embassies and High Commissions around the world.”

To commemorate the Olympic Truce, traditionally the Host Country presents a resolution to the United Nations (UN) calling for a truce during the Olympic Games. For the first time, all 193 UN member states unite to co-sponsor the Olympic Truce Resolution for the 2012 Games.

At yesterday’s Ceremony, athletes also made their first donations to the Giving Is Winning programme.  This is a worldwide campaign led by the International Olympic Committee in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and LOCOG.  Athletes and officials are encouraged to donate sports and casual clothing which will then be distributed by the UNHCR to various refugee camps around the globe and to people affected by violence, famine, and other catastrophes.

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Olympic organisers for London 2012 say the technology systems for next year’s games have tested thoroughly and can withstand the danger of cyber attacks.

The Technology Operations center, which will monitor security, power, telecommunications and the results systems that will send Olympic data to fans and the world’s media, opened Monday in the Canary Wharf section of London.

Paul Deighton, chief executive of London organizing committee LOCOG, said: “Security is a big concern of the games and cyber security is a major part of that. We are obviously very attentive of the risks involved.

“The key steps we’ve taken to protect these systems are really to make sure we have an independent Olympic-dedicated network which gives us an insulation from the rest of the world that makes it much harder to penetrate.”

A quarter of LOCOG’s overall budget of $3.1 billion has been spent on technology, with organizers expecting to process 30 percent more results than at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

A 450-member team of experts has been working out of the center, trying out the technology in a series of Olympics test events this year.

“It went very well,” Deighton said. “It was a good way to break in the kind of coordination and monitoring we’ll need.

“All the testing we’ve put in place on technology ahead of the games— that’s one of the prime purposes of these test events—gives me a lot of confidence that the technology would be capable of withstanding any problems.”

Deighton is confident there will be no repeat of the technological problems that occurred at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Since 2002, Atos—a Europe-based information technology firm—has been the lead technological company for the Summer and Winter Games.

“Every part of the system has a contingency arrangement,” Deighton said. “Many of the tests we have exercised on have worked on the basis that, if we do that instead of that, how do we recover and how does the show go on?

“If Usain Bolt breaks the world record, the timing system needs to work. We don’t want to ask him to do it again.”

Ed Warner, chairman of UK Athletics, has been appointed to the prestigious position as chairman of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics Sport Technical Committee (STC), meaning he will play a leading role in the development of the sport beyond London 2012 to Rio 2016.

The announcement comes as somewhat of a consolation to Warner after his embarrassing failure to get a seat on the ruling Council of European Athletics last month, leaving Britain without any representation at the top table of the sport in Europe for the first time in its history.

Warner will now be a key figure in the development of disability athletics following his four-year appointment and stated: “I’m delighted to take on this role.

“While it further cements UKA’s positive working relationship with the IPC, it is also recognition of Great Britain’s commitment to the development of Paralympic sport globally.

“I hope that we can build on the great work that has taken place in recent years and continue to evolve Paralympic athletics in this crucial period through to the London 2012 Paralympics and onto Rio [in 2016].

“The profile of our sport has never been higher and I’m excited to be involved with the key decision makers going forward.”

The appointment of Warner follows the publication of the IPC’s new four year strategic plan to propel Paralympic Games to the next level while increasing the number of people participating in disability sport at all levels around the world and Xavier Gonzalez, the IPC’s chief executive, revealed he was delighted to secure an individual of Warner’s calibre to take on the role.

“I am delighted that Ed Warner will take on the position as chairperson of the IPC Athletics Sport Technical Committee,” said Gonzalez.

“For many years he has worked in a professional capacity with the sport of athletics, both non-disabled and athletes with a disability, and his strategic leadership, sports knowledge and experience will contribute greatly to further establishing a strong foundation for the sport.”

ParalympicsGB chairman Tim Reddish added: “Ed’s appointment is great news and it is testament to the high esteem in which Ed and his work at UKA is held internationally.

“I am especially delighted because in Britain we are proud to be a leading nation in Paralympic sport, not just in terms of winning medals but in relation to the development of all of the sports.

“Ed’s appointment is recognition of this.”

English Championship club Nottingham Forest have announced losses of £17.1million for the last financial year, putting them in peril of breaking Financial Fair Play rules this season.

The club breached FFP limits in 2012/13, when allowable losses were £10million.

Crucially, there were no punishments in place for breaching the rules last season – but there are this season with Sky Bet Championship clubs allowed to lose£8million.

If Forest fail to reduce the deficit for the current campaign, they could be hit with fines and a transfer embargo next season.

When asked about the club’s financial situation recently, Reds chairman Fawaz Al Hasawi said that the issue would be addressed in the form of sponsorship deals from several companies in his homeland of Kuwait.

The end-of-year accounts submitted on Wednesday morning showed that staff costs were up from £17.6million in 2011/12 to £21million, with wages accounting for £18.4million, dwarfing the club’s turnover figure of £14.4million.

Kuwaiti owners, the Al Hasawi family, backed Forest considerably with £35.4million owed to them in the form of interest free loans, which would only be repayable when the club was in a position to do so, according to the accounts.

The average league attendance at the City Ground increased last season from 21,969 to 23,083, with the team performing better on the pitch following their fight against relegation during the 2011/12 campaign.

This also meant there was a raise in income from gate receipts, growing 6% to£7.1million. However, this was offset by a £700,000 reduction in the basic award from the Football League to £1.8million.

Tommy Smith has been named the CEO and President of the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday, one day after late owner Bud Adams was laid to rest. 

In a statement, Smith, Adams’ son-in-law, first thanked friends and fans for their support before saying he will take over the organization. Adams’ daughters will also play a role in the organization.

“As for the Titans organization, we are moving forward with the same goals and a similar structure.  As a family, we have agreed that I will be President and CEO of the Titans; and additionally Susie Adams Smith and Amy Adams Hunt will serve as Co-Chairpersons and Kenneth Adams IV will join the Titans board as a Director.”

Smith continued that he will continue both Bud’s passion for the game and his commitment to the city of Nashville and the Mid-South region.

“We are excited for what lies ahead for this franchise and our fans,” he said.

Following Tuesday’s announcement, Titans head coach Mike Munchak said, “[Smith] always stayed involved with the team. He’s always been very knowledgeable about what is going on with the team when we have talked.”

Titans Executive Vice President Don MacLachlan added, “[He] has had a vision for the organization for a long time. He wants what’s best for the city of Nashville and the State of Tennessee.”

Both Munchak and MacLachlan have known Smith for decades.

“Football is always something [Smith] stayed on top of.  He understands the game very well, the players very well and the talent level it takes to win, so he’s got a great handle on this football team and he wants a winner just like Mr. Adams did,” Munchak said.

MacLachlan, who is in charge of the team’s off-field endeavors, told News 2 he “believes the community will embrace” the new CEO “because he wants to make sure we keep this on the right track, that we keep giving back to this community as they have given to us and its not something lost on Tommy or anyone in the organization.”

Smith will likely make his first appearance in Nashville as the team’s CEO in the coming weeks.

Adams died last week of natural causes at his Houston home.  He was 90.  On Monday, hundreds of people attended a memorial service honoring Adams.

The race to host the 2020 Summer Olympics will now intensify after Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo officially submitted their bids to be the host city for the 2020 summer Olympics.

The three cities handed over their files to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne on Monday – exactly eight months before the vote which will decide who wins.

The books run to several hundred pages and represent the cities’ master plan of venues, budgets, financial guarantees, security, accommodation and other key aspects of the projects.

The files are to be released publicly by the bid cities on Tuesday.

Tsunekazu Takeda, IOC Member and President of both the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) and Tokyo 2020, said: “With tremendous support from people in Tokyo and across Japan, we have celebrated a memorable milestone today with the submission of our Candidature File. Based on lessons from our bid for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we have retained the best of that bid plan while adding important new strengths. Now that our Candidature File is complete, Tokyo is one step closer to implementing an innovative and inspiring Games plan. The Games in 2020 in Tokyo will offer athletes, spectators and Olympic and Paralympic Family members a true once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Hasan Arat, leader of the Istanbul 2020 Bid Committee, said: “We are delighted to be here in the Olympic capital with this group of unified stakeholders to share our vision with the IOC. This milestone is the latest step in our 20-year journey to win the honour of hosting the Games. For the very first time, our desire to host the Games is matched by our capacity. We have been learning and evolving every step of the way, and today we are submitting a brand new and dramatically enhanced Games concept. Istanbul 2020 has a technically outstanding master plan and delivery structure, and we would grab the world’s attention with a breathtaking setting and a series of groundbreaking firsts, such as being the first ever Games held in two continents simultaneously. Now is the time for Istanbul; now we are ready to deliver.”

The IOC’s evaluation commission, headed by Craig Reedie of Britain, will visit the cities in March and prepare a report for IOC members in June.

The full IOC will select the host city in a secret ballot in Buenos Aires on 7 September.

The 2020 field initially included six candidates, but Rome dropped out when the Italian government refused to offer financial support and the IOC cut Doha, Qatar and Azerbaijan’s capital Baku from the list last year.

The new Technology Operations Centre is to be officially unveiled today by London 2012 and Atos, the worldwide information technology partner for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will facilitate as the command centre for all 94 Olympic competition and non-competition venues

The launch follows the first phase of the London Prepares Series, during which the London 2012 technology team together with Atos, the lead integrator and the other technology partners have worked in partnership to deliver the IT for all the test events.

The Technology Operations Centre monitors and controls the IT systems that deliver the results from all the Olympic and Paralympic sports competitions to the world’s media in real time.  

For the London 2012 Games, Atos expects to process 30 per cent more results data than in Beijing in 2008 ensuring the world’s media meets the increasing demand of fans for information as it happens. 

With 8.5 billion PCs, smart phones and tablets predicted to be connected to the internet by 2012, London is set to be the biggest smart Games ever.

One of the technology improvements for the London 2012 Games is that, for the first time ever in the Summer Games, all 26 Olympic sports and five of the Paralympic sports have been added to the Commentator Information System (CIS).  

Managed, centrally from the Technology Operations Centre, the CIS provides commentators and journalists with touch-screen technology that gives results in real time, so quick they can see the results before they hear the roar of the crowd, officials claim.

It is also the first time broadcasters will have access both in London and their home countries to the system for all Olympic and five Paralympic sports.

During Games time, the Technology Operations Centre will operate at full capacity with about 450 business technologists covering 180 positions, to manage and monitor 24/7 the technology infrastructure and systems including IT security, telecommunications, power and the results systems. 

It will be staffed by a combined team comprising the London 2012 technology team, Atos and the other technology partners.

The first phase of the London Prepare Series serve as the first real life practice events for not just athletes, but also the technology team, as well as the media, and the venues themselves.

During the 79 days of competition, the London 2012 technology team, Atos and all the technology partners set up and took down almost 180 servers, over 1160 PCs and laptops, 190 network and security devices and more than 400 printers and copiers.