Lollipop Olympics

With olympic fever gripping the nation, and the escalating costs of staging the games, there is ever increasing pressure to find innovative uses for the expensive facilities once the main event is over. The para-olympics are a good example of this. Lollipop olympics would further extent the useful life of the stadia, as well as providing a grandstand for more elderly competitors. The events in these games would all use the traditional lollipop, familiar to all (well.. most. See link for a lollipop picture).

Many events are already lollipop friendly (javelin, rowing, tennis, relay races, for example), while others may require some modification. There is also the possibility for new events, not seen in the traditional olympics (pancake races, for instance).

Although probably too late for the Beijing games, London 2012 presents the ideal opportunity for the inaugural lollipop olympics. The international olympic movement should throw its full weight behind this idea at once.