A closer look at the 2012 Olympics.

It is undeniable that the Olympics offer unique opportunities. Not only in terms of publicity for its host country, but for the revenue generated from private investors. For providing jobs & for the upgrades to buildings and modernisation of less developed areas, such as Stratford, East London. This area will be, by far, subject to the most drastic changes in terms of the quality and services available. It could be argued that the Olympics will give a much needed boost the British economy, as we are still suffering from the effects of the recession.

In Beijing, is it estimated that more than 1 Million people were displaced by preparations for Olympics creating tension as Geneva claimed housing rights were violated. Nevertheless, though the final cost of the 2008 games exceeded its predicted costs , they still managed to make a profit pre-Olympics and the economy has grown further since. According to the National Audit Office, the committee that planned there Olympics, though the concluding expenditure was 20.5Billion ($2.999Billion), they made an operating profit of approximately RMB1.16 Billion ($170Million).

Similarly, the cost of the London 2012 Olympics have exceeded prior estimations. In March 2010, the ODA, the Olympic Delivery Authority which is the governing body behind the bid, confessed they had only £1.27Billion left from the original £2.75Bn contingency fund, giving them “limited flexibility”. The over all figure for the event is triple the original estimate, which currently is £9.325bn.
However, the ODA maintains the Olympics is still over flowing with opportunity as we witness the transformation of the Stratford to “Stratford City”. Infact, once completed the Olympic park will be the largest park built in Europe for 150 years. Currently, there are two operational stations in the area: MaryLand Station and Straford, but there will also be a third station added. Additionally, Stratford station is under going transformations to make it international with Eurostar links to Paris and Brussels in two hours. The new Westfields mall is also in the heart of the town. The ceremony for its its sister mall, WestFields White City – held a ceremony which was headlined by R&B Megastar Rihanna, which had her switching on the Christmas lights. Perhaps, to the disappointment of the hundreds that had gathered to see her, she did not perform and was only on stage for a few minutes. However, 18 year old Chanelle from Tottenham, who was front row, says she was not disheartend by her stunted appearance. “I LOVE Rihanna so i weren’t disappointed. I guess they didn’t pay her enough”

London Property claim 35,000 permanent jobs will be created and the ODA alone say that they will be providing almost 20,000 jobs for people from all walks of life, from University graduates to building & construction workers. They have also employed a “UK artist-in-residence” – Neville Gabie, who will be utilising the Olympic recruits to, according to their website, understand “the changing nature of locations and the diverse communities who live and work with them”. As well as this, they have planning consultations that allow the public to have their say on the London 2012 policies and plans. Unsurprisingly, the ODA have had over whelming support for this bid as they are operating so many community based projects to enhance the quality of life for people in surrounding areas.

Perhaps London was not prepared for the immense financial responsibility of hosting the Olympics and I went out to find out the real opinions of some residents of London, that feel the citizens are carrying the brunt of it. Chris David, who is a health manager for the NHS and works in Lewisham and surrounding areas, explains why he rides his bike from Sidcup, Kent, to work every day.

“the traffic is bad in the mornings in London... so it’s just easier for me ride my bike. Not to mention, transport is so unreliable with all the works their doing to the roads and upgrading the transport”.
When I asked him how he felt about the changes he said:
“London is so congested. The Olympics are still a year or so away and its already this bad. And, I expect it to get much worse when the tourists are here.”

Its evident there are mixed emotions towards the Olympic games as the financial and social implications are felt throughout London. nevertheless, It is important to focus on the future of London after the Olympics. In Beijing, The Birds Nest and its other Olympic associated venues were considered for other uses. It was announced in 2009, that Citic Group would be transforming the main building into a shopping and entertainment complex, in a similar way the o2 did, after the millennium dome became deserted and fell into disuse. Will the London Olympic venues suffer the same consequence? This seems to be the reoccurring theme, however, only time will tell what impact the games will really have on the City of the London and the UK.

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