Live as one

When the 2012 Olympic Games begin in London on July 27, 2012, it will mark the third time the Olympiad has been held in the United Kingdom’s capital. The Paralympic Games, beginning on August 29, 2012 will be held in London for the first time. For over six years London and the UK has been preparing for its time to shine, and the opportunity to show the world of its progression into a sporting powerhouse.

The raw numbers for the Games are staggering. The Public Sector Funding Package is nearly £10bn, the global audience is estimated to be 4 billion people and over 130000 businesses are competing for contract opportunities linked to the 2012 Games. Over 8000 unemployed and economically inactive people have participated in schemes designed to engage the community in volunteering opportunities, and over 22000 people have worked on the Olympic Park site for at least five days since April 2008.

Whichever way you look at it, the goal of the 2012 Games is to create a lasting legacy for the UK. A report published by the Government Olympic Executive (GOE), a unit of the UK’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport stated that there were four key areas of the Olympic legacy, including, “ensuring that the Olympic Park can be developed after the Games as one of the principal drivers of regeneration in East London.”

East London has undergone a transformation similar to that of Homebush Bay, which, prior to the 2000 Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games, was used for industrial purposes. However, after its redevelopment, Sydney Olympic Park and surrounding areas are thriving residential and commercial precincts. The East London site has the same potential.

“Beyond 2012, we want to ensure these Games deliver a strong legacy – not just regenerating this part of East London, but boosting our national economy and inspiring a new generation to get active and get into sport,” said UK Prime Minister David Cameron in December 2010.

“In the longer term the Park, together with Stratford City, will provide the foundations for a new growth economy built around cultural, sporting, leisure and tourism business opportunities,” said the GOE’s report. “The Park is expected to support some 8000-10000 jobs, over and above the employment of 20000 forecast for Stratford City.”

To couple the regeneration of East London, the UK Government is putting plans in place to increase grass roots preparation in sport, particularly young people, and to encourage the entire population to become physically active.

This includes utilising facilities created for the Olympic and Paralympic Games post competition and creating the “School Games” which focuses on hosting annual events at school, district, county and national level. The plan to increase physical activity has been launched worldwide through the International Inspiration programme, which aims to increase access to high quality sporting opportunities.

The report said, “The programme has reached more than 6 million children globally, while in the UK over 300 schools have forged educational partnerships by becoming International Inspiration partner schools,” a reflection of the global reach of the Olympic and Paralympic movement.

One of the driving forces behind London’s successful bid is Lord Sebastian Coe, a two time Olympic gold medallist and now Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. Coe, a great ambassador for the Olympic movement, was recently in Australia and discussed the impact the success of the Sydney Games will have in 2012.

"Australia’s status in the Olympic movement is pre-eminent," said Coe when speaking at Parliament House in Canberra. "This country has created a template for a strong sporting culture that supports immense diversity."

"From Sydney I want the party atmosphere that was driven by athlete-led performance in the venues, and that permeated the city and I think the whole country."

Under Coe’s guidance, the development process of the Games has been largely untroubled; the Lee Valley White Water Centre was unveiled in December 2010, the first of the new venues for the Games, and the Olympic velodrome was opened shortly after in February this year. The Olympic Stadium and the external structure of the Olympic Village are also scheduled to be completed during 2011, with the Olympic Village scheduled to be transformed into 2800 homes after the completion of the Games.

The development of venues naturally leads to the development of transport infrastructure for London, most notably the Stratford District which sits adjacent to the new Olympic and Paralympic precinct. According to the GOE’s report, “the aim is to host the first ‘public transport’ Olympic and Paralympic Games with 100 per cent of spectators travelling by public transport, walking or cycling.” Given that nearly 500000 spectators are expected daily, on average, across the Olympics and Paralympics, it is understandable why improvement to the public transport system is imperative.

The expected spectator numbers are incredible, so it is no surprise the Games’ ticket allocation is not meeting the demands of spectators. There were nearly 7 million tickets available for 650 sessions of Olympic competition, with more than half of those sessions already over-subscribed. Two million tickets for the Paralympics will go on sale in September this year, with the prices being structured to ensure as many people as possible will be able to see the action. 

“The London 2012 Paralympic Games will be the pinnacle for many of our Paralympic athletes and will be a fantastic spectacle of competitive sport,” said Hugh Robertson, the UK’s Minister for Sport and Olympics. “I would encourage everyone to apply for tickets not to miss out on this once in a lifetime chance to see the Games.”

Nearly 4 billion people around the world are expected to watch the Games on television, and the key for the London Games is to unite the UK like never before. The Olympic and Paralympic mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville, were ‘created’ by drops of steel from a Bolton steel works factory and incorporate iconic British imagery, such as headlights from London taxis. Contracts for infrastructure could have easily gone to companies outside the UK, but a conscious effort has been made to tie everything to the Games’ home soil.

It’s hard to believe that the 2008 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games are nearly four years passed; it seems like it was only yesterday. However, the City of London has been waiting for this moment since 2005, and it seems no expense has been spared in order to make sure these Games are not only the world’s sporting showpiece, but a lasting legacy of success for the UK.