Inside Lines: Blair dithering at Ken's Olympic traffic lights

When a man named Livingstone starts exploring the jungle of sports politics we should not presume anything. These days he is known as Red Ken more for his tampering with London's traffic lights than his political hue, so caution should be exercised in thinking that the proposed 2012 Olympic bid is now on green. The signal has only turned to amber and more delays could lie ahead with Saddam Hussein blocking the prime ministerial road. The already delayed decision is now expected by Thursday week but no one is banking on it. With the Iraq crisis an obvious priority the Government may play for yet more time even though, as we predicted, the Cabinet has switched tack and decided to support it. But Tony Blair remains reluctant to nod it through. While he has now accepted that a London Games would have a fair and reasonable chance of deliverability, he is less comfortable about the deliverability factor of London's Mayor on the cash front. So, it would seem, are the London Assembly, whose Culture Committee chairman Meg Hillier has written to Livingstone questioning whether he has the power to impose a £20-per-household Olympic tax on Londoners. They want formal details of the agreement he says he has with the Government to split the projected £2.6 billion. "Broadly speaking we are in favour of having the Games but Londoners need to know exactly what they will be expected to pay for and whether the Mayor has the legal authority to impose such a tax," says Hillier. "Moreover, there has to be a clear understanding that any future mayoral candidate would be bound by such a commitment." Blair seems to be dithering. Will he now dither it to death?

Marbles man Christie is back on a role

The restoration of Linford Christie as an athletic icon continues apace. The former Olympic 100 metres champion, who was given a two-year ban when a drugs test showed him to be 100 times over the nandrolone limit, is back on the box and although not included in the BBC's celebrity-overloaded commentary team for the coming season can be expected to appear as a guest pundit. Barred from Britain's Gold Coast base during the Sydney Olympics, Christie was enlisted to fight London's Olympic corner on the BBC's David Frost breakfast show. And he is certainly not persona non grata with the Greeks. They are inviting him to Athens in April, along with a clutch of other British Olympians, including Jonathan Edwards, Daley Thompson, David Hemery and Torvill and Dean, who are supporting a campaign organised by MP Richard Allan to have the Elgin Marbles returned to "their rightful and original resting home in Athens". Just back from Athens is Sebastian Coe, who reports that work on next year's Games is now some three months ahead of schedule since the redoubtable Mrs Gianna Angelopoulos got the whip out.

Time the FA gave Moore's memory house room

It will be 10 years this month since Bobby Moore died at the age of 51 and there is still no proper memorial to the man who led England to World Cup triumph in 1966. When Adam Crozier was around there was talk of a statue at the new Wembley but that idea seems to have gone rather quiet. However, from the new issue of West Ham's official magazine, Hammers News, we learn that what is described as the most famous building in Barking, the three-bedroom end-of-terrace house in Waverley Gardens where Mooro was born, is being sold and the prospective new owner, obviously a Hammers fan, suggests that the Football Association should put a memorial plaque on the property. And why not?

The boxing manager Frank Maloney and several other licence holders will be up before the beaks of the British Boxing Board of Control on Wednesday. They face a reprimand for helping to prepare Ricky Gervais and Grant Bovey for their "celebrity boxing" bout on the BBC over Christmas.

Maloney says he will take his lumps, but he will also take the opportunity to accuse the board of double standards. He argues that they equally brought the sport in disrepute by sanctioning a recent Commonwealth title fight in Bridgend involving a quite hopeless 41-year-old Ugandan. "Ricky Gervais would have beaten him," says Maloney, who could have his licence revoked if he continues to coach "celebrity" boxers. He won't, but calls the board "dinosaurs who should drag themselves into this century". Maloney's partner Frank Warren backs the board. Me too. It ridicules the Beeb's claim to be serious about boxing again.

We await final word as to whether London will get to bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but would you believe that Britain has been asked to organise a Winter Games? Honest.

Actually it is the Gay Winter Olympics, which of course will not be held here but most likely in America's gay ski capital at Aspen in Colorado. Scheduled for next year, the event is the first of its kind, although several Gay summer Games have been held and Britain has successfully hosted football's Gay World Cup. The winter sports websbite www.firedupforsnow.com is advertising for "gay friendly" volunteers for the Games. They also want to attract some top competitors. Interesting to see who comes out of the cold?

insidelines@independent.co.uk

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