Hospitality offers accepted by Olympic officials

Hospitality offers accepted by Olympic officials

The Sunday Times has revealed that executives responsible for building London’s 2012 Olympic venues have accepted junkets and expensive hospitality from companies to whom they have awarded contracts worth millions of pounds.

Officials on the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) have received theatre tickets, seats at rugby matches and days at the races worth thousands of pounds from firms that have received or are bidding for work.

The ODA disclosed the details after months of pressure from the Open Society Institute (OSI), using freedom of information laws. But it gave OSI researchers only 90 minutes to view hundreds documents, would not allow copies to be made and is now refusing to let anyone else see the names of the officials.

The list shows City legal firms, construction businesses and consultancies are among those courting the key executives as they vie for a share of the £9 billion Olympic budget.

Sweeteners include days out at Ascot, free tickets to international and cup rugby matches at Twickenham, the last night of the Proms at the Albert Hall, the Stella Artois tennis tournament and dinner at Claridge’s.

Olympic chiefs take contractors’ junkets (Sunday Times, 14 October 2007)