OLYMPIC LEGACY
The Olympics and its legacy, one year on
Over the summer we will reach 12 months since London 2012. What was undoubtedly a fantastic event was partly justifi ed in the fi rst instance through the legacy it would create, but can we see that happening yet? It may to be too soon to judge now, but Luke Bradshaw assesses some of the indicators.
e actually did it. Nearly a year later, looking back at last summer and London 2012, we can say that it was a massive success, well certainly in
terms of the Games themselves. Everything seemed to fall into place – it was well organised, the volunteers were exceptional, there weren’t the travel/overcrowding issues that were feared, the British athletes did well and won a record haul of medals, the weather was pretty good; everyone simply seemed to be happier. Of course there was still the odd gripe – we are Brits after all – but everyone involved can be proud of what happened.
In the build-up to the Games the
buzzword was very much “legacy”. This had to be an Olympics that not only satisfi ed the wants and needs of the tournament itself, but also provided London, the rest of Great Britain and British sport with platforms to build on, to continue, to start up. Let’s not kid ourselves, the entire event was eye-wateringly expensive, so a year on, we can maybe begin to ask the question: was it worth it? This clearly can’t be answered fully
now, we will still be asking, answering and debating decades from now, but nearly 12 months later, where are we at? Just like the greatest fun fair you’ve ever been to, when it packs up and moves onto the next destination, what is left behind? One can look at previous host cities to see how they approached various aspects of hosting the event, but in terms of creating that “legacy”, you’re pretty
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much on your own. For London, the focus was on the regeneration of east London, economic growth, sport itself and community and volunteering. Four years beforehand, Beijing spent twice what London spent on their Olympics and will spend the next 30 years paying off the debt incurred to build the Bird’s Nest stadium. Athens, and the rest of Greece for that matter, has been in fi nancial meltdown for some years now, with complexes and stadia used in the Games severely neglected. London excelled in only building what they had to, with the permanent venues at the sight all going to be used in what is now the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (BT Sport have already moved into what was the press and broadcast centres, now branded iCity). Other venues were either temporary, or at least have undergone changes, such as the “wings” that provided the majority of
the spectator seating coming off the Aquatic Centre. Athens, on the other hand, has over twenty venues locked up and out of use. Rio are in contact with the relevant people in London regarding the construction of temporary venues, there is even talk of the Brazilians using the water polo centre from London, currently in different pieces in a warehouse in Nottingham. Qatar are thinking of something similar for the World Cup that they’ll be hosting in 2022. If we’re talking about legacy, then surely this recycling of material
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