London 2012 PR Initiative On Hold

A PR initiative from London 2012 organisers to sail an ocean clipper around the
world following the 2008 Beijing Olympics to promote the Games has been put on
hold.

The idea for the boat, which was to be manned by ‘young people, artists,
philosophers and students’, is being reconsidered after it met with resistance
from some corners of the Olympic movement.

According to the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone: ‘The sentiment behind the
proposal is still very much alive but LOCOG are investigating how best to meet
the stated aims of promoting friendship and intercultural exchange between young
people. This review includes considering whether a physical ship is the best way
to meet these objectives.’

At the end of the voyage the ship was to make a ‘triumphant entrance up the
river Thames’, formally proclaiming ‘the renaissance of east London’. However it
now looks like spiralling costs have made such a grand ceremony impossible.

One option being considered is to solely use a ‘virtual vessel’, which would
have ‘sailed’ the internet in parallel with the real ship, forming the basis of
a four-year education program linked to the national curriculum.