London mayor wants friendlier Olympics

LONDON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- London's mayor has proposed giving every spectator at the city's 2012 Olympics a hand-held device that provides action replays and live updates.

The idea is just one of many London Mayor Boris Johnson is proposing to make the London Games "more friendly" than the recently concluded Beijing Olympics, The Independent reported Wednesday.

"One of the things that we were thinking of doing was to have hand-held devices, BlackBerry-type gizmos, that you could be issued with when you come in the (Olympic) park telling you what's going on, or giving you instant replays," Johnson told the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sports Committee.

He also said he would like to have specially constructed boats to ferry spectators to the Olympic site on the Thames, The Independent said.

The mayor said his goal was to avoid what he called the "great soulless piazzas" of Beijing, the newspaper reported. He said he felt the Chinese facilities were "vast" and "intimidating."