Britain's Olympics minister says planning is going so well for the 2012 London Games that the challenge of the coming year will be managing the disappointment of ticket-seekers and volunteers unable to participate.
Speaking to The Associated Press on the eve of the one-year-to-go mark, Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson said Tuesday the crush of people seeking to buy tickets shows an unprecedented interest in the London Games.
Robertson said there are a quarter of a million people requesting 70,000 volunteer spots. He added it's likely more people will be nominated to be torch bearers than can be accommodated.
''I think one of the challenges facing us is probably going to be managing disappointment,'' he said. ''Because if actually you look at the level of public demand and anticipation surrounding this, it is shown by the fact that if you put 6.5 million tickets on sale, you get 22 million applications. That level of demand is almost impossible to satisfy and we are going to have disappointed people.''
Britain's government and Olympic officials are gearing up efforts to make sure the major objectives are achieved. The prospects look good, with most of the venues already finished. Organizers say they are certain to remain within the $15.6 billion budget for the event.
But as July 27, 2012, approaches, attention is certain to focus on whether the British public will be getting good value for money. The question is sensitive in this time of economic austerity and government cutbacks - and any suggestion that the public may not be getting a fair shake can touch off a media firestorm.
The organizers have already been criticized in the British press for a ticket lottery that left many people angry and disappointed.
The public relations setback began after thousands of people took part in the complicated process of blindly submitting requests for tickets in a lottery, together with the payments. Organizers were flooded with requests and some two-thirds of ticket seekers failed to get any in a first round that ended in April. A similar outcry followed a second round of ticketing.
Organizers were criticized by a public who felt they had to pay for the games only to be shortchanged at the ticket counter. Stephen Timms, a member of Parliament whose constituency is in East London, said he understands Robertson's concerns.
But he said, people in his East Ham district are eager to take part.
''We are delighted that the whole world is heading in our direction,'' Timms said. ''People who haven't been paying much attention in the East are paying attention now.''
Robertson said his major operational challenge remains security, a subject highlighted in recent days by the attacks that left at least 76 people dead in Norway. Anders Behring Breivik allegedly set off an explosion in the Oslo before going on a rampage and shooting teenagers at a summer camp.
Robertson said planners have prepared for every scenario, including the so-called ''lone wolf'' seemingly epitomized by Breivik. Robertson said Britain will learn from Norway's experience, as well as draw on its long history of handling terrorist incidents.
The other big problem is transportation. Though billions of dollars have been invested in upgrading the city's public transit network, it is unclear whether it will be enough.
Organizers love to talk about the jauntily named Javelin train - which connects central London to Olympic Park - but London's older underground promises a hot and uncomfortable journey during the summer months. Strikes are not ruled out.
London's roads are often congested, and efforts to ease the way for the Olympics are certain to bring frustration. Special traffic lanes for competitors and officials have been criticized by drivers of London's iconic black cabs, who are concerned the economic boom promised by the games will bypass them.
But Robertson, a former army officer, sees handling all these issues as part of the process. There's more than a hint of precision and pride as he faces the one- year-to-go milestone on Wednesday.
''Quite a lot of the next year is going to be to manage demand, manage expectations, manage people who want to be part of this fantastic event and that is going to be difficult,'' he said. ''The only thing I will leave you with is that it is a better problem than the reverse.''
