LONDON – Tanned and toned Olympic athletes in skimpy outfits will beserving and spiking outside the prime minister's Downing Streethome — but it's lower-ranked civil servants who will have thebest view of beach volleyball at the London Games. The sedate, staid neighborhood in the heart of London will betransformed into a slice of California beach during the SummerOlympics, with about 5,000 tons of sand trucked in from a quarry insouthern England. A temporary 15,000-seat arena will rise next month in the HorseGuards Parade, a storied square better known for a lavish annualmilitary ceremony featuring hundreds of troops dressed in scarletjackets and bearskin hats. All the bikinis and shorts, the raucous crowds, the pumped-up musicand the cheering will provide plenty of distractions for thegovernment workers during the July 27-Aug. 12 games. The sandy venue is flanked by the usually low-key Scotland Office,next to the home of Prime Minister David Cameron at No. 10 DowningStreet, the residence of Treasury chief George Osborne, andAdmiralty House, the office of Britain's Deputy Prime Minister NickClegg. Because of the temporary stands, Cameron and his Cabinet willstruggle to get a glimpse of the sport's digs, dinks and floaters,and lesser-known workers with desks on the top floors will have thebest views. Already, those officials are preparing for a surge ofpopularity. Cameron has joked that he'd have to "stand on the roof of No. 10Downing Street," to have any chance of seeing the athletes. "I'll be at my desk working of course. OK, I might sneak upstairsfor the final," Moore said, jokingly acknowledging his department'snewfound popularity. Usually neglected civil servants are already preparing for a rushof requests for meetings in their top floor suites. "As we approach the Olympics, the Scotland Office staff have neverbeen busier. Desks are being moved, chairs rearranged, and meetingrooms booked out on the second floor of the Horse Guard's side ofthe building," Moore joked. Beach volleyball became a medal event at the 1996 Atlanta Games,and it has proved to be a favorite at every Olympics since then. It's one of the most sought-after tickets for London, with thosefor medal matches selling for up to 450 pounds ($715) each. Even former Prime Minister Tony Blair has acknowledged the sport'spopularity, cheekily suggesting organizers got his backing for theOlympic bid by promising to put bikini-clad female athletes outsidehis office window. "It is definitely has been one of the popular sports, and that'sbecause of where the venue is and because it's something a littlebit different," according to a spokeswoman for the Londonorganizing committee. Half a million spectators are expected to pack the arena for about100 Olympic matches. While Cameron might struggle to see the action, he won't be able tomiss the players' shouts and the crowd's cheers. During a trial run last summer, Downing Street officials had to askorganizers to turn down their sound system, as blaring music andannouncements drowned out the prime minister as he met with thecountry's crisis committee on England's riots. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China LED Wall Wash Light , T5 Fluorescent Lights, and more. For more , please visit LED Recessed Downlights today!
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