rude

there is no doubt that zaha hadid is a fine architect. she is world renowned. she has designed the aquatic centre for the london 2012 olympics. she is also a bit miffed that she hasn't been invited by the london organising committee of the olympic games (locog to me and you) to the opening or closing ceremony or any of the events at the aquatic centre. "i think (it) is just rude, when you've designed a building like this you want to see how it's used." said ms. hadid to the evening standard. she isn't alone in her moan, sorry reasoned and reasonable complaint. several of the british competitors have complained that they are not getting enough tickets for their families to come along and see them perform at the games. in both cases i am not at all sympathetic. as it is more than likely that ms hadid did not design and draw every last nook and cranny of aquatic centre to give her tickets would probably mean several other people from her architectural practice would also have to be invited. more importantly ms. hadid was paid for her work on the aquatic centre, which according to the daily telegraph ended up being three times over budget. if she had not been paid by locog then i would have said that they had been more than rude to her. not giving her free tickets (which she will now more than likely receive) is just her expectations and desires running counter to locogs. it is the same with the competitors - 'oh we can't get enough/any tickets' cry many of them. well join the queue fellows as there are an awful lot of people who wanted to be viewing the olympic events yet saw their ticket requests denied. 'oh have a heart, pat', i can hear you cry, 'after all it is their home olympics they should have their families there'. if the competitors were paying for the training and the event out of their own pockets i would be in agreement with them. the problem is they are not. most of the senior competitors are able to be at the olympics because somewhere along the line they have been supported by sporting grants provided by the state, or more bluntly: our taxes. their coaches and support systems have been provided and funded by the state. the olympic facilities are being provided by the state. all of it our tax money. i am sure some will talk of the sacrifice they have made to get to the top of their sport. good for them. i admire them and i wish i were more like them. yet their sacrifice is no more or no less than that of a student nurse, student doctor, a student teacher - or anyone who puts a large chunk of their life to one side to achieve their dream. the difference being that the state will provide sportsmen with funding. in the case of a student who wants to go into law or business their funding comes in teh form of a loan. i could also mention that physical undertaking of the games in london has meant that many have lost their jobs, even more have suffered large scale disruptions to their lives so that the venues can be constructed. personally i have always thought as many ticket as possible should be going to the people of the uk who want them and can afford to pay for them. it really is that simple. ms. hadid could have applied for tickets to the swimming like the rest of us. the same goes for the competitors families. ms. hadid has been paid (or should have been) for her work on the aquatic centre. the competitors have been provided with support to get them to the olympics. anything else they get is a bonus, and while it would have been appreciated by all and sundry to expect it is wrong as by its very nature a bonus is a discretionary extra. instead of understanding that; what we have are people who should know better letting their expectations and desires get out of control. besides i am sure they can all watch it live on tv.