OLYMPIC sailing spectators are shocked that London 2012 Games organisers have banned fold-out chairs and packed lunches at Weymouth’s ticketed viewpoint.

The ticket holders, who have spent between £20 and £55 each, fear that the rugs they are permitted to bring will not withstand wet weather or be comfortable for the six-hour daily sailing events.

Spectators are also upset they can only bring ‘one small snack’ into the Nothe Gardens site, where racing will be viewed from July 29 to August 11.

Food on site will cost from £2.10 for toasted tea cakes to £8 for cod and chips and £8.50 for noodle dishes and curry, while drinks will cost from £1.60 for bottled water to £4.80 for red wine.

An email sent by the London 2012 team called Critical Information About Your Event at Weymouth and Portland - The Nothe also states there will be ‘limited shelter’, picnic hampers and cool boxes will be prohibited and liquids limited to 100ml bottles.


Portland holiday home owner Jackie Petty, of Kent, pictured right, said: “I’m coming as part of a group of four, all in our 60s, and now we’re told we haven’t got a seat and we’re not allowed to bring folding chairs.

“Our tickets cost £55 each. It’s a lot of money to spend on being stood up or sat on the ground for six hours in what is normally a public park.

“For the same priced ticket I got seat at number one court at Wimbledon.”

She added: “We really wanted to join in with the spirit of the Games but we feel cheated at the moment.”

Weymouth homeowner Gaye Mayger is upset on behalf of her friend’s 79-year-old dad Donald Stephens, who recently underwent a knee replacement and is ‘very concerned’ about the site’s lack of seating.

Mrs Mayger said: “Donald is a keen sailor and he’s determined to watch the Olympic sailing but the London Organising Committee (LOCOG) have been so vague about whether there will be a seat for him.

“He’s worried if he sits on a blanket he’ll never get up again.”

Spectator Sandy Lester said her group had spent more than £100 on sailing tickets and did not realise there would not be seating.

She said: “One of our group is 78, they can’t stand for long.”

Another ticketed spectator, who did not wish to be named, described the new rules as a ‘slap in the face’. 

He said: “I do think these issues represent a raw deal for local residents, who have already had to put up with a lot of disruption and inconvenience regarding the Olympics. Just because we are not in London, the London2012 team seem to feel they can treat us as second class citizens, denied the facilities available at other venues, even down to the freedom to bring a packed lunch.”

He added: “At every other Olympic venue you’re allowed to bring in a 200ml container of sun cream, but – quite extraordinarily – at the Nothe, the one Olympic venue by the sea and therefore where you are most likely to get sun burnt, you cannot bring in any liquids of over 100ml.”

A London 2012 spokesman said: “For health and safety reasons fold up chairs are not permitted in the Nothe Gardens which is an exposed and steeply banked site.

“We were clear about the site specifications at the point of sale, however, we will have limited fixed seating available for those that most require it.”