London 2012 Olympics: News in brief

Olympics sparks spending spree; nearly nine out of 10 Brits turn on to watch coverage; ‘superfan’ dies following heart attack and a second arrest is made over athlete’s stolen kit.

It’s spend, spend, spend by visitors

INTERNATIONAL visitors to the UK spent more than £450 million on their Visa cards during the first week of the Olympic Games, up 8 per cent on the same time last year.

The electronic payments company said restaurants, nightclubs, theatres and tourist attractions all benefited from the increase.

Around £12.7m was spent on Visa cards in restaurants alone last week, an increase of almost 20 per cent on a year ago, while the amount spent in nightclubs was up 24 per cent to £2.1m.

Visa card spending on theatres and other ticket sales more than doubled.

Broadcasting success

ALMOST nine out of ten people in the UK have watched some coverage of the London 2012 Olympics, officials said yesterday.

More than 50.572 million people, some 88 per cent of the UK population, have tuned in as Britain closes in on its best Games in more than a century, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Timo Lumme, of the IOC’s television marketing services, said: “I think London 2012 heralds a new era in Olympic broadcasting.

“There are likely to be more than 100,000 hours of television footage of the Games, compared with 61,000 hours for Beijing four years ago.”

Digital output, online and mobile phone transmissions will exceed the amount of TV airtime for the first time.

Super-fan dies after heart attack

AN OLYMPICS fan who planned to attend every day of the Games has died after suffering a suspected heart attack while watching the cycling.

Sports fan Conrad Readman, 49, from Colchester, had booked two weeks off work and had tickets for events on every day of the Olympics.

After witnessing the opening ceremony and many of Team GB’s medal winning moments, Mr Readman visited the velodrome on Friday to watch Team GB.

But he was discovered ill in the venue toilets and taken to hospital, where he died.

Second arrest over athlete’s stolen kit

A SECOND person has been arrested by police investigating theft from an Australian Olympic athlete.

Items belonging to sprinter Andrew McCabe, including his national kit, were taken while he trained at Tonbridge School in London Road, Tonbridge, Kent, last Friday.

Kent Police said his running spikes were also stolen but they have since turned up.

McCabe had “got a little bit excited” and reported the spikes stolen when in fact they were in another bag, a spokesman for the Australian Olympics team said.