Sport & Politics
upgrades in place and we have already made many enhancements to our service.’ Deighton was more generous to the public
transport system in London. He pointed out that the underground and bus service already dealt, reasonably successfully, with some of the highest populations in the world. He added: ‘I think London 2012 will be the place
everyone on the planet will want to be at. It is the greatest show on earth, taking place in the greatest cultural city on earth.’
DESTINATION LONDON In response to the suggestion that the Games would be a Games for the south east, Campbell replied that: ‘A lot of time and energy has gone into making people across the UK feel that these are everybody’s Games, not just the London Games or an event for the south.
WE NEED AN INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE TO KEEP THE MOTIVATION GOING
I think the British public who, let’s face it, love their sport, will be there in great numbers.’ A student who lived in the east end of London,
questioned whether the youth would be gaining anything from the Games, considering that a lot of the developments would be prestigious, and prohibitively- priced housing. Deighton replied that much of the transformation
of the area would be providing aff ordable housing. Robertson agreed, saying that of the 2,000 new houses being built, 1,379 would be aff ordable. Westfi eld Retail Park would off er a new shopping
facility for the area, leading to hundreds of new jobs, and the value of land on the site was already attracting some of the highest levels of overseas investment ever seen in the UK. McQuaid added that the new BMX and cycle routes would provide great facilities for the local residents when the Olympics and Paralympics had long gone. Would the spending cuts impact upon the legacy
in the future, Ruscoe asked. T is question was dealt with diplomatically by Campbell, who has been a
fi erce opponent of government cuts to school sports partnerships. She praised the government for adding physical
education to maths and English as a statutory subject to be taught at school, and lauded the government for its plans to raise the profi le of school competition through the UK school games. She also referred to the ‘outstanding settlement’
enjoyed by UK Sport in last year’s comprehensive spending review. T is would, she said, see athletes through both the 2012 and the 2016 Rio cycle of development.
DEALING WITH THE DRUGS PROBLEM Steve Wilson of the Associated Press asked whether the government planned to take extra steps to combat doping, including giving enforcement agencies the right to search athlete’s rooms in the Olympic Village. T e panel were unanimous in their abhorrence of
doping, and all agreed that the UK doping agency should have all the necessary powers invested in it to minimise the risk of athletes using drugs. McQuaid, whose own sport of cycling is notorious for doping incidents, said that athletes should expect and accept that their rooms would be searched. Robertson added that, although the drugs policy
was robust, if additional resources were needed then the Metropolitan Police would become involved in the clampdown. John Goodbody, of the Sunday Times, asked
whether the government had any plans to make possession of steroids a criminal off ence. T e sports minister replied that if the UK doping agency provided advice that proved it should be deemed a criminal off ence then he would take steps to action this. T is was part of the government’s policy of ‘zero tolerance.’
A SUSTAINABLE GAMES? When Abrahamson fl ew into London, he said that one of the sights that struck him was the large green space that has appeared in the past couple of years. ‘T ere is a splodge of green that wasn’t there before, and while the sustainable buildings and green processes are all great, the thing that people will see is the product.’ Robertson added that the whole government
BELOW LEFT TO RIGHT Checking out the Olympic Village, the Olympic
Stadium from above and a call to all to join the fun
has now adopted the environmentally-friendly procurement process. A further question from Goodbody raised the issue of increasing participation. T is is an area that has
22« May 2011 Sportphysical activity &
www.imspa.co.uk
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