With 500 days until the start of the London 2012 Olympics, the organising committee decided it was the perfect time to unveil a giant digital clock to count down the days, hours and minutes until the momentous moment.

Clock-horror, though, the timepiece has stopped after just one day on 500 days, 7:06:56.

Let's all give them a big hand for that shall we? Although perhaps some of the pieces were second-hand knock-offs?

The company behind the digital sun-dial, Omega (which is set to be responsible for all event timings during the Olympics), has said it is a bit ticked off the bell has chimed so soon for the device.

"We are obviously very disappointed that the clock has suffered this technical issue. The Omega London 2012 countdown clock was developed by our experts and fully tested ahead of the launch in Trafalgar Square," a man with a clock for a face said.

"We are currently looking into why this happened and expect to have the clock functioning as normal as soon as possible."

Sneak wonders if really, what with technology these days being so fantastic, that there shouldn't have been something more impressive on display than just a bog-standard digital timer...that doesn't even work.

Perhaps they could have employed the speaking clock man to stand in Trafalgar Square, perhaps on the fourth plinth, to solemnly intone his way down to zero – he's been going for years.

Or maybe a giant Countdown-style clock that would have produced a satisfying "booop" sound at the moment the games began.

Best of all, though, would be a giant cuckoo clock, but instead of a cuckoo, a giant Boris Johnson would shoot forth and cry, "Come on chaps! The Olympics are starting! Last one on the whiff-whaff court is a rotten egg."

Anyway, Sneak's off to do some rigorous training until his personal trainer cries out, "Time gentleman, please!"

15 Mar 2011