The organizers of the Sochi Winter Games in 2014 have been planning to build an ice rink in the middle of London. They hoped that this rink would draw attention to the 2014 event. Unfortunately this unique idea will not be put into action as it was turned down by city organizers.
If the idea had been approved, a rink would have been erected at the Marble Arch near the gates to Hyde Park. Sochi had hoped to build a rink that was capable of accommodating 8000 people. Russian figure skating stars had agreed to give classes to children in the lead up to the 2012 Olympics.
There is no doubt that this attraction would have worked. Families, couples and singles in London for the Olympics would have flocked to this attraction. Not only would it generate buzz for the London Olympics but it may have convinced sports fans to head to Sochi for the 2014 winter games.
However Olympic organizers are simple unprepared to extra traffic to this area. They fear that the attraction will cause overcrowding and congestion. These fears can be understood and London will be experiencing an influx of tourists during this time. The Metropolitan police have also stated that this area needs to be clear in case of emergencies. They plan on using it as an evacuation route when events such as the triathlon and open water swimming are hosted at Hyde Park.