sport regularly but that attributing this to the games is difficult. It’s hoped that the post-games report will shed more light on whether London 2012 is having a lasting impact at a grass-roots level, but with Team GB registering their best ever Winter Games performance at Sochi, and similarly high levels of elite sport funding committed to 2016’s Rio Games, the signs are promising. Some conclusions from the OGI are already much clearer. “One of the things London did right is including legacy from the beginning,” says Professor Brimicombe. “If you are not planning with legacy in the beginning then it is highly unlikely legacy will happen – as has been the case in many previous Olympic Games.” The infrastructure in east London was planned with its post-games future in mind, and the development included large-scale experiments for soil clean-up and water recycling. Compared to similar developments and some people’s expectations the reduction of environmental impact was quite pronounced. The planning practices employed for 2012 can help not just future Olympic hosts, but organisers of other mega-events in the UK and worldwide.
One of the most significant impacts so far, though, is in the nature of the OGI itself. London 2012 was the first summer Games to feature such a study, and UEL’s work will provide a blueprint for Olympic nations for years to come. “The IOC feels that the London 2012 OGI is the exemplar which others should try and emulate”, explained Professor Brimicombe, following a progress meeting with the British Olympic Association and the IOC. The UEL approach looked at impact on a number of
scales – from the host borough level, to the level of London, to the level of the UK as a whole, giving a detailed insight on how effects grew or diminished with proximity to the Olympic park. Advice from the UEL team is already being sought from other host and candidate cities wishing to embed legacy in their plans early on. “We’ve set a standard. I’ve commented on
South Korea’s OGI to the IOC, and we’ve strong links with Rio,” Professor Brimicombe adds. “One of the things that’s really helped us is the open data policy in the UK, and now our reports are freely available and are given to a lot of people researching London 2012, and doing OGI in other places.” The team also organised a mega- events conference last year, sharing their expertise developed throughout the OGI process. As more of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
opens this April, some insights into Olympic impact are only just revealing themselves, and will continue long after the UEL delivers its final OGI report in 2015. “This is a 30-50-year journey,” emphasised Professor Brimicombe, highlighting the House of Lords’ recommendations to ensure a continuing legacy is achieved. “We are only just beginning.” n
Aaron Boardley is an ESRC Communications Officer i
Professor Allan Brimicombe Email
a.j.brimicombe@
uel.ac.uk Telephone 020 8223 2352 Web
www.uel.ac.uk/geo-information/documents/UEL_TGIfS_ PreGames_OGI_Release.pdf
SOCIETY NOW SPRING 2014 19
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