READY, STEADY, GO: London 2012

Posted on Fri, 14 November 2008 11:48:39 (266 Reads)

We've done it! Football has finally, if a little overdue, returned to its rightful, original birthplace. As an added bonus we've got 56 gold’s in tow. The year isn't 1966 of course but 1908, the last time Great Britain were champions of football at the Olympics and brought home a swagful of gold medals. Fast forward to 2008 and Team GB returns with 47 medals, 19 of which are gold, making this Olympics our most successful in a hundred years.

London and the nation

Riding on the crest of success, the return of our Olympic heroes has encouraged domestic support for the capital's games. A recent BBC phone poll, carried out by GFKNOP, indicated that “public enthusiasm had increased from 25% in February to 32% in August.”

Although Londoners will benefit the most from the Games, Lord Coe and pals from the London 2012 Organising Committee, have made huge efforts in making the whole nation feel involved by holding road shows and concerts up and down Britain. Furthermore, the preliminary stages of football will take place in prestigious stadia across the UK such as Old Trafford, Millennium Park, Hampden Park, St James' Park and Villa Park. And sports such as rowing, kayaking, canoeing will be held outside of Greater London. Despite this, the further away you stray from Greater London, the more Olympic mania seems to turn to indifference. Under 20% of people in North West England, the Midlands, Scotland and Wales feel that their region will benefit 'noticeably' from the XXX Olympiad. Their feelings are understandable but we should also remember that these games are not just for Londoners but for the nation as a whole.

Our athletes in Beijing were able to unite the nation in feeling proud of its overseas sporting success. Our medalists came from all corners of the UK and when they arrived home their own regional boroughs celebrated their success with them. British swimmer and double gold medalist, Rebecca Adlington, was given a no expenses spared homecoming. The 19 year old arrived back in style to her hometown of Mansfield, in a golden Rolls Royce, followed by an open top bus parade through the town. The mayor, Tony Egginton, rewarded her success with a golden pair of Jimmy Choos and to top it all off, the local pub and pool renamed itself the Adlington Arms and The Rebecca Adlington Swimming Centre respectively.

In Scotland, Chris Hoy and fellow Scots also received the star treatment, with a 50,000 crowd lining Edinburgh's Royal Mile to celebrate their achievements. Britain will continue to celebrate well into October when the capital will pay homage to team GB with an open top bus parade and a reception with the Queen.

Laying the foundations for Success

With over 27 Olympic and 20 Paralympic sports, London is gearing itself up for a host of temporary and permanent venues to hold the games.
The five Olympic boroughs of Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest are racing ahead with a multi million pound facelift including a much needed revamp in transport and building infrastructure.

Greenwich will host shooting at the historic Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, the O2 Arena will showcase gymnastics, basketball, badminton and Para Olympic volleyball. While equestrian will take place in Greenwich Park.

Hackney will get a new stop in The East London Line; it will also have its Northern Line upgraded. Along with improved transport links, Homerton University Hospital will be the games’s 'Olympic Hospital.'

Tower Hamlets although not having any refurbishment done to its public services, should benefit from improved employment chances due to its position in relation to the other boroughs.

In Waltham Forest, residents saw London win the bid live on a permanent Big Screen installed in the Town Square. Apart from having the giant plasma screen TV, Waltham will host Para Olympic tennis and archery. The facilities will then be transformed into a national hockey, tennis and 5-a side football centre.

However the Zeus of the Olympic boroughs is Newham. The venue for the Olympic Park will see athletes flexing their muscles in the 80,000 seat stadium, the Olympic village, and in Zaha Hadid's competition winning, Aquatics Centre.

Stars on the Rise

One of the most memorable faces of the summer games was 14 year old Tom Daley, who participated in the diving events. On Britain’s official Beijing 2008 website, he gushed
“to know that you’re going to an Olympics after all the hard work and speculation is unbelievable. I’m totally overwhelmed. It’s something I’ve dreamt about but this was meant to happen in 2012 and not in 2008.”

Another sporting spark is 19 yr old Shanaze Reade. The BMX world champion had a disappointing Olympics but will be back with avengence where the support of a home crowd should boost her medal chances.

If Team GB inspired you to rush down to your local pool or track now is the best time to join for 2012. Local athletic clubs in London are gaining from the Games by having their facilities revamped, in an attempt to attract new talent to a range of sports from athletics- hockey. If you are already a young athlete in full time education looking for funding, the Talented Athletic Scholarship Scheme (TASS) is an initiative sponsored by the Government to give financial aid and training support to prospective Olympic athletes to fulfill their potential. The scheme's success has already been seen in China where 9 medals were won from the 38 TASS alumni.

Count me in

With so many fast paced developments in construction and transport Deputy Council Leader Cllr Peter Brook captures the optimisitc mood in Greenwich when he says, "We predict up to 9,000 new jobs between now and 2012, because now is our time".

Dr John Coakley also echoes the feelings of positivity for Homerton Hospital. 'It's just very good to be associated with a major sports event which will leave a legacy we hope will improve the health of the local population. He hopes to encourage volunteer medical staff to help handle patients coming in the form of sports-people, coaches and officials.

Waltham Forest residents also gain, though its jobs which are a real attraction for its residents, where the unemployment rate is currently at 7.2 per cent.

Another boost to London will be its already bustling tourism industry. VisitBritain expects that London and the UK will gain a whopping £2 billion for 2012 and beyond with sports enthusiasts, officials, and global media descending on the capital.

If careers in construction, transport and tourism aren't up your street, how about securing one of the 70,000 volunteer jobs up for grabs? The Olympic committee is already in the process of planning its Volunteer Programme which will open in 2010 allowing you access to jobs in sport, medicine, language services, spectator services, technology, press operations and transport. The invaluable skills and experience you'll gain could help you to secure your future career and be a benefit to your community.

Paralympic Games

Sometimes overshadowed by its Olympic sister, the Paralympic Games features the world's elite disabled athletes participating in 20 sports in 2012. Already a nationwide talent search is in full swing to seek out the UK's best para olympians to bring Team GB medalling success. October 15th The Paralympic Talent Search hits Tower Hamlets and is looking for people aged 13 and upwards to continue Britain's winning streak at these Games.

Obviously we want to emulate the amazing success of the Beijing games but at the same time we are not in competition with them. Our games in 2012 will have their own unique identity. We need only to concentrate on delivering games that will leave a legacy of athletic endeavour.

As our London mayor commented on the Beijing Games: "We have been dazzled, we have been impressed, we have been blown away by these Beijing Games, but we have not been intimidated."

So, what will you be doing in the run up to London 2012?

Handy sites

Street Athletics
www.streetathletics.co.uk
Former Olympic duo Linford Christie and Darren Campbell organise races across the country for young people.

TASS
www.tass.gov.uk
Information for young people on getting sponsorship

London 2012
www.london2012.com
Offical website for the Games. Find out about sports, venues, volunteering and general news.

British Olympic Association
www.olympics.co.uk/boa
Offers advice for athletes includes a section on Youth games.

Sport for England
www.sportengland.org
Offers advice on where to get involved in a range of sport and get funding in England.

British Paralympic Association
www.paralympics.org.uk
Detailed friendly site on involvement in Paralympic sports. Gives more information about the Tower Hamlets talent search.



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