THOUGHT LEADERS INDUSTRY EXPERTS SHARE THEIR VIEWS ON THE CURRENT ISSUES AFFECTING SPORT
A SUMMER OF SPORT WE’LL NEVER FORGET HUGH ROBERTSON
T
he London 2012 Olympic and Para- lympic Games gave us a summer of world-class sport that we will never
forget. It surpassed expectations – my own included – and much of its success can be put down to the fact that these were Games that put the athletes and sport at its heart from the outset. The Olympic Delivery Authority built
venues that were truly world-class. This was reflected by the number of world re- cords broken in the Velodrome, Aquatics Centre and Olympic Stadium. The venues were fantastic for the
spectators too, with good sight lines and acoustics that helped generate electric atmospheres. Team GB and Paralympics GB fans were always going to get right behind our athletes but the noise in the Velodrome, for example, made it sound like there were 20,000 people in there rather than the 6,000 it held.
LOCOG deserves credit for how it built
in plans to look after athletes every step of the way – from food from every corner of the globe in the Athletes Village to the excellent warm-up and training facilities used ahead of competition. They had an Athletes Committee from
the start, led by Jonathan Edwards, who sat on the LOCOG board, which meant they had invaluable input from those who had competed at the highest level in sport who knew what athletes wanted. We have also been clear and consis-
tent about the sports legacy we want to leave behind. No one can argue that the Games did not live up to its motto and ‘Inspired a Generation’ and it is now up to all those involved in sports administra- tion to make sure that we play our part to keep up the momentum. In the last two years we have been doing all we can to ensure that the
foundations of a strong sports legacy were in place be- fore the Games begun which we can now build on. Sport England’s £135m ‘Places, People,
Play’ initiative has already made a big im- pact since it launched in November 2010. Hundreds of facilities up and down the country have been improved and it has encouraged hundreds of thousands of people to get involved in sport. London 2012 may be over but the
wealth of major sporting events we have secured for the coming decade will also help inspire people through sport and consolidate Britain’s status as one of the leading destinations for major sports events in the world. Hugh Robertson Minister for Sport @DCMS
GETTING READY FOR THE GLASGOW GAMES DAVID GREVEMBERG
T
he London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were truly inspira- tional events and we are beginning
to see their positive impact in terms of how people are now looking towards the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Already we have seen an increase in
interest not just on a Scotland-wide ba- sis, but UK-wide. The simple fact is that people want more of this. London 2012 has created a buzz. The baton has been passed and it is our
responsibility to deliver on our promises and ambitions and put on an outstanding Commonwealth Games. We want people to be excited about
our event and they should be because the Commonwealth Games is a fantastic competition, but at the same time, it is up to us to manage expectations. That is not to say the major sport-
ing event will be any less significant and Issue 4 2012 © cybertrek 2012
special than London 2012 – we will be just the same on those fronts. Yet along- side that there must be an awareness that the Commonwealth Games is differ- ent with a character of its own. It is not on the same scale but it has
these fantastic, distinctive elements that we can really capitalise on – such as the fact the home nations compete individu- ally in their own right. We have a very special sporting event
that we will be staging in a great city, but it is important for us to be respon- sible with the resources we have and find creative ways to get the most out of the budget we have. We know from our research that London
2012 has made people more excited about Glasgow 2014. The amount of people who said they would definitely or probably buy tickets for the Commonwealth Games dou- bled during the Olympics.
Now the chal-
lenge for us is to capitalise on that bounce. Ensuring that our Commonwealth Games are in- clusive and accessible for people of all backgrounds is at the core of what we are all about. That means having good policies, good principles and, in terms of ticketing, good pricing methods. Later this year we will launch our own
volunteering programme and will seek to build on the goodwill generated by the London 2012 Games Makers as we recruit 15,000 of our own. With less than two years to go, the
pace is quickening, but we’re up to speed and looking forward to sharing the next stage of our journey. David Grevemberg, CEO, Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games @Glasgow2014
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