Sir Chris Hoy to carry flag at Olympics opening

In a further boost to the profile of British cycling following Bradley Wiggins‘ Tour de France victory, Beijing medallist Sir Chris will carry the union flag and lead the British team around the Olympic stadium.

Meanwhile, criticism of the Games’ strict rules regarding the visibility of brands other than those sponsoring the event continues. But according to the head of the International Olympic Committee, spectators visiting Olympic venues in, say, a Pepsi branded t-shirt will not be turned away. The aim, it seems, is to dissuade anyone who deliberately undermines the exclusivity of multi-million pound sponsorship deals.

According to Alastair Macdonald, director of the sponsorship consultancy Havas Sports Entertainment, Games sponsors are right to want to buy into the Olympics because the association can radically change consumers’ view of a company for the better, even when its reputation has been seriously damaged.

He pointed to a recent example: “Obviously BP has had some issues with its brand after what happened a few years ago.

“What you see from the research is that those who are aware that they are sponsoring the Olympics feel much more positively toward the BP brand and recognise the work that BP has been doing to improve its brand image over the last couple of years and what is interesting is that they feel that much more toward BP than its competitors which suggests it’s the Olympic sponsorship itself that is having that affect.”

And sponsors themselves defended their right for their sponsorship not to be undermined. Speaking to Channel 4 News’ Cathy Newman, Herbert Hainer, chief executive of Adidas Group, said: “As you know people sometimes use the Olympics even if they are not allowed to do things, and I’m sure the local police will do whatever they can to protect the rights of the sponsors and of course of the Olympic rings and the rights that have been given by the IOC.

“You also have to make sure that you protect your brand and don’t dilute it.”

You can’t bring that in here! Channel 4 News’ round up of what you can and cannot take into Olympics venues

Prohibited
Tents, placards, spray paint or any other item which could be used to demonstrate within the venue or sabotage property
Personal / private wireless access points and 3G hubs (however, smart devices such as phones and tablets are permitted inside venues)
Glass bottles larger than 100ml (excluding medication contained in glass bottles)
Alcohol
More than one soft-sided bag of 25 litre capacity (you must be able to fit your bag under your seat)
Weapons

Restricted
Items which will obstruct others’ views (such as golf umbrellas, large flags and over-sized hats)
Excessive amounts of food (you can take in sandwiches, but not a hamper)
Noisemakers such as hunting horns, air horns, klaxons, drums, vuvuzelas (remember them?) and whistles
Any objects or clothing bearing political statements or overt commercial identification intended for ‘ambush marketing’
Flags of countries not participating in the games.
Balls, rackets, frisbees or similar objects or projectiles

Elsewhere, the countdown to the opening ceremony continued. The Olympic torch was carried by Doreen Lawrence, mother of the murdered teenager Stephen. Mrs Lawrence said she was “quite emotional” as she carried the Olympic flame to the learning centre in Deptford which she set up in memory of her son.