Empty seats overshadow Olympics Games

LONDON – Organisers fought to quell growing public outrage on Sunday over empty seats across venues at the London Olympics, where China has laid down an early marker with a world record win in the pool and a commanding early lead in the medals table.Dispiriting images of rows of vacant rows at football stadiums, Wimbledon, the aquatic centre and beyond has angered Britons who tried and failed to buy tickets in the buildup to the Games having been told they had sold out.More empty seats were reported on Sunday including at the equestrian dressage at Greenwich Park, despite the draw of Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter Zara Phillips making an Olympic debut.Heavy rain after a hot, dry spell also put a dampener on outdoor events on the second day of full sporting contest, as did the announcement that Uzbek gymnast Luiza Galiulina was provisionally banned from the Games for a positive drugs test.Olympic organisers launched an urgent inquiry into the seating fiasco to nail down precisely who had not taken up their places and why, given the degree of public outcry.“It is a shame this happened but we are going to do everything we can to make sure we fill up those stadia,” said Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the British minister responsible for the Olympics.China jumped to the head of the rankings with four gold medals on Saturday, the first full day of competitive sport at the July 27-August 12 tournament.Chinese dominationChina added to that tally on Sunday when Guo Wenjun won the women’s 10 metre air pistol shooting gold from France’s Celine Goberville. And still to come is the women’s synchronised three-metre springboard diving final, where few would bet against victory for He Zi and Wu Minxia.China’s Yi Siling became the first gold medallist of the Games in the 10-metre air rifle while compatriot Wang Mingjuan extended a 10-year unbeaten international record to win the women’s 48-kg weightlifting crown.Chinese swimmers Sun Yang and Ye Shiwen also took gold on Saturday, with 16-year-old Ye wiping more than a second off the world record in the women’s 400 metre individual medley final.Sun, who became the first Chinese man to win an Olympic swimming title to take gold in the men’s 400 freestyle, is overwhelming favourite to win the 1500 and is also targeting the 200, where he will square off against American Ryan Lochte.

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Empty seats overshadow Olympics Games