Bring on the games

RETIRED Portlander Roger Fullbrook is throwing his support behind the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing events being hosted in the borough.

The 66-year-old from Fortuneswell is proud to show off one of 10,000 window stickers produced by the Dorset Echo, the borough’s 2012 operations team, the Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce and NHS Dorset’s Team Dorset Challenge.

He said: “I actually know a guy who’s got Olympic sailing medals, I used to work with him.

“I want to support the team; crikey, a lot of the teams have been based here in the lead-up to it, we see them all around the island.

“It’s good, we need a bit of something to happen to the island, Weymouth’s jumped on the bandwagon but we know it’s happening on Portland. And I want to see the Paralympians in action.”

2012 merchandise

THE London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has opened a 2,000sq ft Team GB and ParalympicsGB shop in the new Westfield Stratford City.

The 2012 Team GB and ParalympicsGB teams will be the largest ever to represent Great Britain in any sporting event for over 100 years, and the shop, on the doorstep of the Olympic Park, will offer more than 1,500 products by Games time including T-shirts, sweatshirts, cushions, bed sheets, books, jewellery, luggage and even scooters and bicycles.

It is anticipated that the London 2012 merchandise programme will generate more than £1billion-worth of sales, contributing more than £80million to the staging of the Games.

Merchandise is also available at ‘all good high street retailers’, London 2012 shops at key transport hubs and online at www.london2012.com/shop

Sailor of the Year?

SKANDIA Team GBR sailors Ben Ainslie and Alexandra Rickham, above, along with Britain’s record-breaking round-the-world yachtswoman Dee Caffari have been nominated for the prestigious ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award.

Five male and four female sailors have been shortlisted for the 2011 awards, from which one male and one female winner will be decided.

Ainslie, who made history in 2008 by winning the award for a third time, is up against Italy’s Melges 24 and 32 world champion Lorenzo Bressani, USA’s outright world speed record holder Rob Douglas, Spain’s 49er sailors Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez and Australia’s International Moth and 49er champion Nathan Outteridge.

Paralympian Rickham was nominated after she claimed a third consecutive IFDS Disabled Sailing World title this year with Portland-based crew Niki Birrell, while Watford’s Dee Caffari, 38, earned another place in the records by completing the Barcelona World Race.

Other female nominees are double professional windsurfing association world champion Sarah-Quita Offringa of Aruba and USA’s Laser Radial champion Anna Tunnicliffe.

Winners will be announced on Tuesday November 8.

Official song is out

THE video for ‘Spinnin for 2012’ – official song of the London 2012 Olympic Torch relay is out now.

Dionne Bromfield has recorded the track with Tinchy Stryder. Watch and listen online at http://l2012.cm/p91ZlB