Preparations for the 2012 Olympics will continue ``seamlessly'' even if there is a change of government after next month's general election in Britain, London organizers said Thursday.
London officials assured the International Olympic Committee that the multi-billion dollar project will not be affected by the May 6 vote, which could lead to the defeat of Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Labour Party.
``The words Olympic Games have not tumbled from the lips of a single politician in this campaign,'' London organizing committee chairman Sebastian Coe said. ``It's not become a political football.''
Organizers also unveiled the London Olympics mascot to the IOC executive board, but details were kept under wraps until an official unveiling in the next two months.
``You are going to love it,'' London chief executive Paul Deighton said.
Brown, who succeeded Tony Blair as prime minister, has trailed in most opinion polls against the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Britain appears headed toward a hung Parliament in which no party will hold a majority.
Coe said organizers have worked hard to maintain cross-party support throughout the bidding and organizing process.
``We will go on delivering seamlessly with whatever the political landscape looks like,'' he said. ``We will continue to build those strong relationships that will help us deliver the project.''
IOC president Jacques Rogge said his committee was ``absolutely at ease'' with a possible change of government.
``There is multi-party support for the Olympic Games in the United Kingdom,'' he said. ``There is no doubt about that.''
A defeat for Labour could lead to the departure of Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, a key figure in London's winning bid campaign and games' preparations.
Coe said that whatever happens in the election, there will be no delays or extended transition period in the Olympic project.
``There can be no time to adapt,'' he said. ``We have very clear timelines. We know exactly what we need to deliver and when we need to deliver. There is an immutable deadline.''
London's $14 billion construction budget involves turning a disused industrial area of east London into an Olympic Park featuring an 80,000-seat main stadium and other new flagship venues and facilities.
Despite the economic downturn, London has already raised about $942 million from its domestic sponsorship program. Deighton said several other deals are in the pipeline.
``We are pleased by the pace of construction, the pace of preparations and also very pleased by the pace of marketing and fund raising,'' Rogge said. ``That is something that is going extremely well.''
Rogge and his 15-member board, meanwhile, got a sneak peek of the London mascot through photographs and video.
``It was less about revealing the mascot,'' Coe said. ``It was much more about the narrative behind it.''
The board enthusiastically gave the mascot its blessing.
``It was very, very well received,'' IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.
The exact date for the mascot's unveiling hasn't been determined, but it will be ahead of the two years-to-go celebrations on July 27.
Deighton said the sale of mascots will be an ``important driver'' in reaching London's merchandising budget of $106 million.
The switch of two of London's sports venues is close to being finalized.
Organizers proposed last year that badminton and rhythmic gymnastics be moved to Wembley Arena in northwest London rather than be held at a planned temporary venue near the Olympic Park in east London. Scrapping the temporary facility would save organizers tens of millions of dollars.
``We believe we are almost at the end of that,'' IOC executive director Gilbert Felli said. ``We still need a little bit of time to finalize it, a few little details to solve.''
The IOC board also heard from organizers of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
Sochi organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko confirmed that Alexander Zhukov, the deputy prime minister overseeing games preparations, is the only candidate and will become the new president of the Russian Olympic Committee in elections on May 20.
Leonid Tyagachev resigned as ROC president following Russia's poor performance at the Vancouver Olympics, where the traditional winter powerhouse won only three gold medals and 15 medals overall.
``It's impossible to have successful games without the national team collecting a big number of medals,'' Chernyshenko said. ``No doubt the situation will change.''
On another matter, Rogge said Dubai's hot weather would be an ``important factor'' if the city decides to bid for the 2020 Olympics. Temperatures here can exceed 122 degrees.
``We would have to find an ideal period,'' Rogge said. ``The weather is not a disqualifying factor but it is an important factor.''
