London Bid team gather momentum

A former rower, a hockey player and the co-founder of a budget airline were yesterday unveiled among key appointments to the team leading the London Bid to stage the 2012 Olympic Games.

David Magliano, a director at easyJet, will be responsible for the bid's image, including a logo, as marketing director.

"Creating a brand for London 2012 is a marketer's dream. I rapidly want to build a brand to convey our passion for the Games and capture the unique spirit of London," Magliano said.

Roger Jackson, who won a rowing gold at the 1964 Games, and Dick Palmer, an authority on major sports facilities, will work jointly on technical aspects of the bid to be submitted to the International Olympic Committee by January 2004.

David Luckes, a Great Britain hockey player, has joined from the British Olympic Association where he spent nearly six years researching the feasibility of staging the Games in London.

The Bid chairman, Barbara Cassani, aims to fill six executive positions and is interviewing 16 candidates for the role of chief executive.

The company, called "London 2012", will be overseen by a board occupied by two representatives of the three stakeholders: the Government, the British Olympic Association and the Greater London Authority.