Originally Posted by
jonnie
IOC/IPC Presidents Heads of State Heads of Governments Guests of the above
IOC Members IPC Members Presidents and CEO’s of partners Guests of the above
So if i'm flying Club for example as Gold and one of these GFMRs turn up with no status what would BA ground staff / cabin crew procedure be?
I ask because I’d be interest to know how cancelled flights / bad weather / strikes etc. would prioritise one over the other.
I have been a member of that group!
Any person holding an Olympic/Paralympic Identity and Accreditation Card is allowed visa-free entry into the host country in advance of the Games.
In addition, airports set aside immigration, customs and security checkpoints for their exclusive use. There are also dedicated pick-up and drop-off areas for official vehicles. I have not noticed any different treatment by airline staff but I am sure these passengers will be given a higher priority in event of disruption. In any case, IOC Members and their spouse are entitled to first class cabins whenever they travel on Olympic business.
Cost of flights to the host city for athletes and their teams, as well as judges, referees and technical officials are the responsibility of the organizing committee.
Media and Athletes are transported by coach but certain categories of accredited persons have access to a fleet of several thousand cars with drivers to ferry them between hotels and venues. These cars have access to Olympic Lanes on congested roads from which public vehicles are banned. There are also exclusive entrances to venues away from crowds and congestion. IOC Members each have a car and driver dedicated to their use and will take them anywhere they want and at any time.
http://www.london2012.com/documents/...-transport.pdf
http://www.london2012.com/documents/...ion-venues.pdf
http://www.london2012.com/documents/...d-20110606.pdf
Originally Posted by
TravellerFrequently
What about the Head of FIFA...?
Originally Posted by
Jordan D
He's an IOC member, sadly.
And his predecessor was an IOC member for over 40 years until he was removed recently due to allegations of corruption.
Originally Posted by
YClass
I suspect that this is not BA's choice (per se) but rather demanded by IOC for the sponsoring airline. Wouldn't be surprised to see "if there is an available seat, IOC members (and their family and guests) are automatically upgraded to the highest class".
There used to be link on the web somewhere to extracts of the IOC's demands for the Olympic city. IIRC they take over most control - private lanes on roads, undercover [police] officers to monitor advertising, paying for 5000 5* hotel rooms for IOC members and their families, chauffer driven cars (with details on chauffer dress code), yada yada. It definitely seems to me that IOC members are considered more important than World/Olympic Record holders. It does not surprise me at all that they would put the IOC president above Heads of State or the Pope. That said, hearing the President is a nice person and not DYKWIA is a relief!
Rumour has it they tried to divert heathrow flight paths so they wouldn't go over stadiums (and hence people see airlines advertising).
London will be a nightmare during the Olympics. I have one event to watch and then I'm out of here!
Most chapters of the Candidate File are available on the LOCOG website (the part covering Finance is missing, something to hide, perhaps?) and you can see the promises that candidate cities have to make in areas like hotels, transport, even medical services. To placate taxpayers, promises on legacy are also required but the IOC does not punish breaches of these.
http://www.london2012.com/about-us/p...Candidate+File
Immediately after the winning bid is announced, the Host City Contract is signed. This and the Technical Manuals specify in great detail what is required, for example, hotel rooms at subsidized rates, hospitality facilities including a lavish one for exclusive use by IOC Members and even standards of catering in VIP areas of sports venues. I am sure somebody will have uploaded these to the www.
Originally Posted by
pennineuk
I know it's rather surprising, but the presidents of the IOC and the IPC do pull the most amazing rank. That said, the IPC president travels a lot through a well known northern airport (that's seen better days as far as BA is concerned) and a nicer bloke you couldn't meet; certainly not a DYKWIA type.
Sadly, some of them do have a sense of entitlement. They are very good at taking care of themselves at other people's expense. They expect chauffeur driven cars and lavish hospitality but demand that the public be kept out of their way. Remember the scandals during the bid for the 2002 Winter Games. It is shocking to learn how much corruption there has been during bids for the previous games. The recent allegations made against FIFA executives show that corruption has still not been eliminated.
Originally Posted by
Jordan D
As for the aforementioned Olympic Lanes (call them 'Zil Lanes' if you will), they've been used successful in Sydney, Athens, Beijing and also, I believe, in Salt Lake City, so I'm not sure why everyone imagines they won't work.
Exactly, the Olympic Lanes will work, for accredited persons at least. It is other people, such as residents and workers trying to get on with their daily lives, who will have the problems.
Don’t forget Inaugural Youth Olympic Winter Games starts tonight!