6 July 2005 marked the day when London was awarded the
Olympic Games. I remember well watching the announcement during lunchtime at
school. The reaction, which I experienced personally and which was replicated
across the country, was one of joy and excitement. A home Olympics is now more
than ever a truly once in a lifetime experience. Everybody immediately
appreciated how, despite being billed as ‘London 2012’ and with the majority
(though not all) of the events situated in London, this would be a British
Games. So we have been led to believe, the Opening Ceremony will encapsulate
this British spirit. Choreographed by the Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle,it will follow an ‘Isles of Wonder’ theme. Meanwhile, the nation as a whole has
been further brought together by the Olympic Torch Relay. Despite its definite shortcomings, the relay has achieved its goal of making the games accessible to
all, albeit only a small, yet significant part of them. It is difficult to
assess the extent to which those who hold tickets for Olympic events are spread
evenly across the country. It would be fair to expect more to be concentrated
in London and the south-east (with the exceptions of, for example, football
events which are spread across the country). Yet it could be argued that it is
for those who do not attend the events, but follow most closely at home, who
will get a true Olympic experience.
Although 6 July 2005 is one fondly remembered by those
involved in the bidding process, the following day put events into sharp focus.
The 7 July London terrorist attacks of 2005 caused 52 fatalities in four
co-ordinated attacks, so close after the city was awarded the games,
immediately highlighting the important role that security would play in the
Games. There has been no suggestion that the attacks were linked to the Olympic
bid. Yet the coincidental timing of these two events has, in hindsight, served
to remind us that the major sporting events and security concerns are
inextricably linked. The organisers have clearly put much effort into allaying
fears, but have inevitably encountered problems. The controversy of missiles mounted to the roofs of residential buildings has showed the problems of what
people see as excessive security measures. The residents themselves fear that
they may be targeted as a result of the missiles. They surely can’t be opposed
to the security measures, just against their deployment near their home.
Organisers would probably be happy if the only situations they had to deal with
were ones where security was seen as excessive. It is better to deal with
complaints of this variety than to suffer from the consequences of laxity. The
recent G4S debacle, which on Tuesday saw over one thousand troops officially deployed to handle security at the Games, was thankfully discovered before the
start of the Games. Security will be a high priority. But clearly it is crucial
that problems such as the G4S situation do not occur during the Games. The work
that the organisers have put in for approximately a decade will count towards
that.
The Olympics clearly take a lot of preparation. Yet it is
not just the Games themselves which have been the focus of the organisation. ‘Legacy’
has also been an important part of the London 2012 dream, none more so than
with regard to the East London regeneration. This has been one of the most promoted aspects of the Olympic Legacy. Improved transport links are another
important part of the Legacy. Together, it is hoped that these redevelopments
will help bring East London closer to its more wealthy counterparts to the
west. The money which has been pumped into the local community, plus the
infrastructure required for the Games to be held in Stratford, would suggest
that this might be the single greatest long-term success of London 2012. It is
this long-term outlook, as important as the smooth-running of the Games
themselves, which has been of great importance to the organisers. Yet it has
not been plain-sailing, and perhaps the biggest disappointment would be the inability to find a tenant for the stadium, post-Games. West Ham United F.C. was
originally earmarked to move in to the stadium, but a deal fell through and now
a bidding process has started again from scratch. It would be a shame if the
state of the art facilities which have been built for the Games were wasted
after the main event is over.
London 2012 may be a one-off. But it is important to see it
as a process. It began even before 2005, with the bid preparation, and will
continue well beyond the Closing Ceremony. It will be of direct benefit to
some, particularly in East London but also elsewhere. Benefits will in some
cases be financial, but for many the Olympics will simply provide inspiration.
It is for this reason that the Olympics should be seen as a national event, and
will be even more so if Team GB has great medal success. For those in charge of
organising the Games, it is the pinnacle of their hard-work. But the true
measure of their success will not be the running of the Games themselves, but
the people’s response to them, and the long-term impacts on East London and the
nation as a whole.
NB. It may or may not be close to real life, but the BBC
spoof comedy show Twenty Twelve is highly recommended, an enjoyable watch. It
follows the lives of those responsible for organising the Games and was
remarkably often ahead of the game with some of the problems that the real
organisers faced. The final episode was aired last night on BBC2 and it is now
available on iPlayer. For those who have not seen it, it is certainly worth a
watch.
No comments:
Post a Comment