2012 Summer Olympic development
Encyclopedia
The 2012 Summer Olympic development is a process running from 2005 to 2012, following the successful London bid
for the 2012 Summer Olympics
. While many of the plans were included in the bid portfolio, which gained the favour of the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) over the four other bids on 6 July 2005, there were more details released and decisions made afterwards. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) was created to oversee many of these developments, though such a large-scale event requires the co-operation of many other agencies. These organisations are sometimes integral parts of the London 2012 plans, while others are unrelated but can still have a great effect.
The day after the announcement saw one of the worst terrorist attacks
in Britain, as London was struck by four bomb blasts
. While the motivation was not linked specifically to the success of the bid it was to have an effect on the development and planning of the event.
in Sydney, Australia the IOC have developed a "master schedule" to ensure that the planning and development of the Games goes smoothly. Gilbert Felli, the IOC Executive Director for the Olympic Games, explained the master schedule as "a timeline of milestones that need to be met for the Games to be delivered on time." On 24 January 2006 LOCOG released full details of their plan, based partly on the IOC Master Schedule.
As of early 2005 60% of the venues and facilities were in place. The bid needed to detail the time plan for any further construction work that was required, and the London 2012 team came up with a schedule that would see all the facilities ready by 2011.
The British Government plans to spend £800 million on infrastructure improvements on the Lower Lea Valley
. This is not included in the Olympic budget. The total cost of public transport costs relevant to the Games is estimated at £7 billion, but most of these projects would probably have happened in any case, though much later.
In order to protect sources of licensing income, the phrase "London 2012" has been registered as a trade mark in addition to existing protection for the Olympic symbol and name. Further protective measures are proposed in forthcoming legislation, some of which have been seen as controversial. Trading Standards officers in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets have already seized unauthorised products.
and Horse Guards Parade
. In the wake of the problems that plagued the Millennium Dome
, the organisers' intention is that there will be no white elephant
s after the Games and instead that a "2012 legacy
" will be delivered. Some of the new facilities will be reused in their Olympic form, while others, including the 80,000 seater main stadium, will be reduced in size or relocated elsewhere in the UK. The plans are part of the regeneration of Stratford
in east London which will be the site of the Olympic Park
, and of the neighbouring Lower Lea Valley
.
This has required the compulsory purchase
of some business properties, which are being demolished to make way for Olympic venues and infrastructure improvements. This has caused some controversy, with some of the affected proprietors claiming that the compensation offered is inadequate. In addition, concerns about the development's potential impact on the future of the century-old Manor Garden Allotments
have inspired a community campaign, and the demolition of the Clays Lane housing estate
was opposed by tenants.
The majority of venues have been divided into three zones within Greater London
: the Olympic Zone, the River Zone and the Central Zone. In addition to these are those venues that, by necessity, are outside the boundaries of Greater London, such as the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy
on the Isle of Portland
in Dorset
which will host the sailing events, some 125 miles (200 km) southwest of the Olympic Park. The football tournament will be staged at several grounds around the UK.
was an element of the bid which was scored poorly in the IOC's initial evaluation. Transport for London
(TfL) are carrying out numerous improvements in preparation for 2012, including the expansion of the London Overground
's East London Line
, upgrades to the Docklands Light Railway
and the North London Line
, and the introduction of a new "Javelin" high-speed rail service, using the Hitachi Corporation
's "bullet" trains.
TfL also propose the construction of a £25m cable car
across the River Thames
to link 2012 Olympics venues. It will cross the Thames river between Greenwich Peninsula
and the Royal Docks
, carrying up to 2,500 passengers an hour 50 metres in the air. It is designed to cut journey times between the O2 arena
and the ExCel exhibition centre – both of which are Olympic locations. The privately-funded
system could provide a crossing every 30 seconds.
They also plan to have 80% of athletes travel less than 20 minutes to their event. This Park would be served by ten separate railway lines with a combined capacity of 240,000 passengers per hour. Park-and-ride plans are also among the many plans aimed at reducing road traffic levels during the games.
Concerns have been expressed at the logistics of spectators traveling to the events schedule for outside of London. In particular, the sailing event
s at Portland are in an area with no direct motorway connection, and with local roads that are heavily congested by existing tourist traffic in the summer. There is also only limited scope for extra services on the South Western Main Line
beyond Southampton, without new infrastructure. The Olympic Games' organisers say that having analyzed past Olympic sailing events, they would expect fewer spectators than have attended recent events such as the Carnival and Tall Ships Race, this despite the United Kingdom being at the top of the sailing medal table at the previous three Olympic Games.
In January 2010 the South East England
regional transport board criticised plans published by the Olympics Development Authority for not providing plans of a credible long term coach network saying "The ODA has been working on an extensive network of coach services... [but] the lack of reference to this work [in the plan] is both intriguing and at the same time concerning." On 15 February 2010, the ODA announced that FirstGroup was the preferred bidder for the provision of bus and coach services for the games. This will involve the provision of venue shuttle and park and ride services, services connecting peripheral park and ride sites on the M25
with the Olympic Park
and Ebbsfleet
, and a nationwide network of express coaches to the Olympic Park, and the Weymouth and Portland sailing venue
. The services will require around 900 vehicles in total, although some will be sub-contracted.
On 15 March 2007 Tessa Jowell
announced to the House of Commons a budget of £5.3 billion to cover building the venues and infrastructure for the Games, at the same time announcing the wider regeneration budget for the Lower Lea Valley budget at £1.7 billion.
On top of this, she announced various other costs including an overall additional contingency fund of £2.7 billion, security and policing costs of £600 million, VAT of £800 million and elite sport and Paralympic funding of nearly £400 million. According to these figures, the total for the Games and the regeneration of the East London area, is £9.345 billion. Then Mayor Ken Livingstone
pledged the Games Organising Committee would make a profit.
The costs for staging the Games (£2 billion) are funded from the private sector by a combination of sponsorship, merchandising, ticketing and broadcast rights. This budget is raised and managed by the London 2012 Organising Committee. According to Games organisers, the funding for this budget broadly breaks down as:
On 18 August 2007 The Belfast Telegraph
reported that jubilation over winning the right to stage the Olympic Games was becoming more muted as realisation dawns on the public of the enormous costs involved in creating facilities for the athletes. Grassroot sport cuts will fund the Olympics, government figures suggested on 19 August 2007.
In November 2007, Edward Leigh
MP, criticised the organisers for significantly under-estimating the cost of staging the games, suggesting they had either "acted in bad faith or were incompetent".
On 10 December 2007 Tessa Jowell announced confirmation of the budget announced earlier in 2007. In June 2007, the Ministerial Funders’ Group (established to manage the allocation of contingency to the ODA within the overall budget) met and agreed a first allocation of contingency to the ODA, being £360m out of the £500m of initial contingency announced in March, to enable the ODA to manage early cost pressures.
Following its second meeting on 26 November 2007, the Funders’ Group has now agreed a baseline budget and scope proposed by the ODA. The total budgeted base cost to be met by the public sector funding package remains at £6.090bn including tax and excluding general programme contingency as announced in March. This includes the allocation to the ODA of the remaining £140m from the initial £500m contingency announced in March.
There have, however, been concerns over how the Olympics are to be funded. In February 2008, a London Assembly culture and sport committee report expressed concerns over the funding of the games taking away money from London's sports and arts groups. There have also been complaints that funding towards the Olympics has been to the detriment of funding other areas of the UK. In Wales
, there has been criticism from Plaid Cymru
about the games depriving Wales of money, by using UK-wide funding rather than English funding. The Wales on Sunday newspaper claimed former UK Prime Minister
Tony Blair
broke his promise to not use National Lottery
funding for the Olympic games.
As at December 2009, the Delivery Authority had allocated £702 million of Programme and Funders’ contingency, largely to cover the decisions to publicly fund the Village and Media Centre after it became clear private funding could not be secured on acceptable terms during the 2008 to 2010 economic crisis. According to the Government Olympic Executive
and Olympic Delivery Authority
risk assessments the remaining £1,270 million contingency is sufficient to manage risks to the Delivery Authority’s programme.
Also from May 2010, the Olympic budget will be cut by £27 million as part of the £6.2 billion cuts by the new Conservative-Liberal coalition government.
London 2012 Olympic bid
London 2012 was the successful bid for the 2012 Summer Games, to be held in London with most events taking place in Stratford, Newham. The British Olympic Association had been working on the bid since 1997...
for the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
. While many of the plans were included in the bid portfolio, which gained the favour of the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC) over the four other bids on 6 July 2005, there were more details released and decisions made afterwards. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) was created to oversee many of these developments, though such a large-scale event requires the co-operation of many other agencies. These organisations are sometimes integral parts of the London 2012 plans, while others are unrelated but can still have a great effect.
The day after the announcement saw one of the worst terrorist attacks
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
in Britain, as London was struck by four bomb blasts
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
. While the motivation was not linked specifically to the success of the bid it was to have an effect on the development and planning of the event.
Timelines
Since the 2000 Summer Olympics2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney, Australia the IOC have developed a "master schedule" to ensure that the planning and development of the Games goes smoothly. Gilbert Felli, the IOC Executive Director for the Olympic Games, explained the master schedule as "a timeline of milestones that need to be met for the Games to be delivered on time." On 24 January 2006 LOCOG released full details of their plan, based partly on the IOC Master Schedule.
As of early 2005 60% of the venues and facilities were in place. The bid needed to detail the time plan for any further construction work that was required, and the London 2012 team came up with a schedule that would see all the facilities ready by 2011.
| Year | IOC Master Schedule | Initial plan | January 2006 plan |
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| 2007 |
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Channel Tunnel The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep... /Stratford rail link |
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| 2008 |
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Olympic Stadium (London) The London Olympic Stadium will be the centrepiece of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The stadium is located at Marshgate Lane in Stratford in the Lower Lea Valley and has capacity for the Games of approximately 80,000 making it temporarily the third largest stadium in Britain behind... begins (Summer) Aquatics Centre (London) The London Aquatics Centre is an indoor facility with two 50 metre swimming pools and a 25 metre diving pool, which will be one of the main venues of the London 2012 Summer Olympics and the London 2012 Summer Paralympics.-Design:... and Velopark London Velopark The London Velopark is a cycling centre which was built in Leyton in east London, United Kingdom. It will serve as one of the 'Big Five' permanent Olympic and Paralympic venues for the 2012 Games. The Velopark is situated at the northern end of London's Olympic Park... (end of the year) |
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| 2009 |
Millennium Dome The Millennium Dome, colloquially referred to simply as The Dome or even The O2 Arena, is the original name of a large dome-shaped building, originally used to house the Millennium Experience, a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium... is converted into the O2 Arena The O2 arena (London) The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest... in order to host the World Gymnastics Championships World Gymnastics Championships The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique organises World Gymnastics Championships for each of the gymnastic disciplines:... |
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| 2010 |
East London Line The East London Line is a London Overground line which runs north to south through the East End, Docklands and South areas of London.Built in 1869 by the East London Railway Company, which reused the Thames Tunnel, originally intended for horse-drawn carriages, the line became part of the London... extension |
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Sports
- 27 October 2005: Women's boxingWomen's boxingWomen's boxing first appeared in the Olympic Games at a demonstration bout in 1902. For most of the 20th century, however, it was banned in most nations. Its revival was pioneered by the Swedish Amateur Boxing Association, which sanctioned events for women in 1988. The British Amateur Boxing...
is officially ruled out of the 2008 Summer Olympics2008 Summer OlympicsThe 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing, China by the IOC, but Kelly Fairweather, their director of sport, says that it is being considered for the 2012 Games. - 11 November 2005: The Scottish Football AssociationScottish Football AssociationThe Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
(SFA) rule out the participation of their players in a Great British team in the footballFootball at the 2012 Summer OlympicsFootball at the 2012 Summer Olympics is scheduled to be held in London and several other cities in the United Kingdom, from 25 July to 11 August. The finals will be played at Wembley Stadium. Associations affiliated with FIFA are invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23...
events. Players from England and Northern Ireland will compete together in the team, with the Football Association of WalesFootball Association of WalesThe Football Association of Wales is the governing body of association football in Wales. It is a member of FIFA, UEFA and the IFAB.Established in 1876 , it is the third-oldest national association in the world, and is one of the four associations The Football Association of Wales (FAW) is the...
(FAW) still deciding on their position. The team gained automatic qualification to the competition because the UK is the host nation – as there is no British team competing in the UEFA Under-21 Championships (the qualifying tournament) it is likely to be the only time such a team will compete in the Olympics. The BOA appealed for both the SFA and WFA to reconsider their positions, quoting statistics showing the apparent public support for the team.(11 November 2005). "BOA wants Scots rethink on 2012" at BBC News. Accessed 11 November 2005. - 9 February 2006: An appeal against the removal of baseball and softball from London 2012 is rejected by the IOC.
- On 15 January 2008, AldershotAldershotAldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
Army Base is chosen over BathUniversity of BathThe University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
and LoughboroughLoughborough UniversityLoughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
universities to be the training camp for the British Olympic team. - 29 May 2009: After last-ditch talks prompted by a FIFA deadline, the four national federations within the UK come to a compromise regarding football participation at the Games. By that time, Northern Ireland had pulled out of any potential "Team GB". On that date, the four federations sent a letter to FIFA stating that while the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Ireland federations would not participate in unified Olympic men's and women's football teams, they would not prevent England from fielding teams under the Great Britain banner for the Games.
Organisation
- 5 October 2005: Lord MoynihanColin MoynihanColin Berkeley Moynihan, 4th Baron Moynihan PC is a former Olympic coxswain who became a businessman, politician and sports administrator.-Early life:...
is chosen as the new chairman of the British Olympic AssociationBritish Olympic AssociationThe British Olympic Association is the national Olympic committee for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It was formed in 1905 in the House of Commons, and at that time consisted of seven national governing body members from the following sports: fencing, life-saving, cycling, skating, rowing,...
, beating David Hemery by 28 votes to 15. - 7 October 2005: The London Organising Committee for the Olympic GamesLondon Organising Committee for the Olympic GamesThe London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is a limited company, owned by the Government of the United Kingdom, that will oversee the planning and development of the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. After the successful London 2012 Olympic bid, LOCOG was...
(LOCOG) has its first board meeting. - 1 November 2005: Mike Lee, a communications director and advisor for the London 2012, resigns from his role and is replaced by Jackie Brock-Doyle.
- 18 November 2005: Jack LemleyJack LemleyJack K Lemley CBE was the Chairman of the United Kingdom Olympic Delivery Authority, which is responsible for delivering the infrastructure for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, until his sudden resignation on October 18, 2006 ....
is appointed chairman of the Olympic Delivery AuthorityOlympic Delivery AuthorityThe Olympic Delivery Authority is the statutory corporation responsible for ensuring delivery of venues, infrastructure and legacy for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in London...
(ODA). - 22 November 2005: David Higgins is appointed Chief Executive of the ODA.
- 19 December 2005: Paul DeightonPaul DeightonPaul Deighton is a British investment banker, formerly a partner at Goldman Sachs who studied economics at Cambridge University. Paul Deighton was named as chief executive of the London Organising Committee of the Games on 19 December 2005.-External links:*...
resigns his role as Chief Operating Officer at Goldman SachsGoldman SachsThe Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
to take over from Keith MillsKeith MillsSir Keith Mills DL is an English entrepreneur who was knighted in the 2006 New Year Honours in recognition of his services to sport.-Early life:...
as the Chief Executive of LOCOG. Mills retains his position of vice-chairman. - 11 January 2006: LOCOG and the ODA move into new premises in Canary WharfCanary WharfCanary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...
, co-locating in order to improve their communications. - 17 October 2006: Legacy Trust UKLegacy Trust UKLegacy Trust UK is a charitable trust in the United Kingdom, established in 2007 to support a range of cultural and sporting activities in connection with the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, with the aim of creating a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the Games...
announced as new body to fund legacy cultural and sporting projects - 18 October 2006: Jack LemleyJack LemleyJack K Lemley CBE was the Chairman of the United Kingdom Olympic Delivery Authority, which is responsible for delivering the infrastructure for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, until his sudden resignation on October 18, 2006 ....
resigns as chairman of the Olympic Delivery AuthorityOlympic Delivery AuthorityThe Olympic Delivery Authority is the statutory corporation responsible for ensuring delivery of venues, infrastructure and legacy for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in London...
(ODA).http://sport.independent.co.uk/olympics/article1902188.ece - July 2007: Tessa JowellTessa JowellTessa Jowell is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood since 1992. Formerly a member of both the Blair and Brown Cabinets, she is currently the Shadow Minister for the Olympics and Shadow Minister for London.-Early life:Tessa Jane...
appointed Minister for the Olympics, Paralympics and London, and Paymaster General - July 2007: Jeremy Beeton appointed Director General, Government Olympic Executive
- 1 August 2007: John ArmittJohn ArmittJohn Alexander Armitt, CBE FREng , is the Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, the body charged with building the venues, facilities and infrastructure for the 2012 Olympic Games. The appointment commenced on 1 September 2007.He is also Chairman of the Engineering and Physical Sciences...
takes up post as chairman of the Olympic Delivery AuthorityOlympic Delivery AuthorityThe Olympic Delivery Authority is the statutory corporation responsible for ensuring delivery of venues, infrastructure and legacy for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in London...
(ODA). - 16 January 2009: Justin KingJustin King (businessman)Justin Matthew King, CBE is a British businessman, who is the CEO of J Sainsbury plc, parent company of the supermarket chain Sainsbury's.King was previously Director of Food at Marks and Spencer and has held senior positions at Asda...
appointed principal adviser on the 2012 Olympics to Boris JohnsonBoris JohnsonAlexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
.
Venues and infrastructure
Some plans for 2012 Summer Olympics venues have had to change since the bid was developed.- 12 October 2005: London Mayor Ken LivingstoneKen LivingstoneKenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
announces that some venues may need to change based on the security issues raised by the 7 July 2005 terrorist attacks7 July 2005 London bombingsThe 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
. - 20 October 2005: Tottenham Hotspur F.C.Tottenham Hotspur F.C.Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
are told that they will not take over the Olympic Stadium after the Games finish as it will be used as an athletics venue. - 4 November 2005: The London Development AgencyLondon Development AgencyThe London Development Agency is the Regional Development Agency for Greater London, England. It is a functional body of the Greater London Authority...
(LDA) gives a compulsory purchase orderEminent domainEminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
to London and Continental RailwaysLondon and Continental Railways-History:Created at the time of the privatisation of British Rail it bid for and won the contract from the UK government in 1996 to build and operate High Speed 1 between London and the Channel Tunnel...
(LCR) for land required for the Olympic Park, not giving negotiations enough time to reach a settlement. - 4 November 2005: ConstructionSkills, placed in charge of ensuring that there are enough construction workers, predicts a serious shortage of labourers.
- 10 November 2005: Airport operator BAABAA plcBAA Ltd. is the Spanish-owned operator of six British airports and Naples Airport in Italy, making the company one of the largest transport companies in the world. BAA stems from British Airports Authority and is owned by a consortium led by Grupo Ferrovial, a Spanish firm specialising in...
announces plans to rebuild one of Heathrow Airport's terminals as part of the transportation arrangements for the Olympics – it hopes to have planning permission approved in 2008 and to begin construction the following year. - 15 November 2005: The LDA and LCR complete their negotiations for land and infrastructure at the Stratford City development.
- 1 December 2005: ArchitectArchitectAn architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Zaha HadidZaha HadidZaha Hadid, CBE is an Iraqi-British architect.-Life and career:Hadid was born in 1950 in Baghdad, Iraq. She received a degree in mathematics from the American University of Beirut before moving to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.After graduating she worked...
is ordered to revise her designs for the Aquatics Centre after a specification change leads to a doubling of the £75 million estimated cost. - 6 December 2005: The Docklands Light RailwayDocklands Light RailwayThe Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London...
(DLR) extension is officially opened, connecting the London City AirportLondon City AirportLondon City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...
to the London UndergroundLondon UndergroundThe London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
at Canning TownCanning Town stationCanning Town station is an inter-modal transport interchange in Canning Town, northeast London, England. It is served by the London Underground Jubilee line, the Docklands Light Railway and local buses operated for London Buses. It is in Travelcard Zone 3...
as well as providing a direct line to Canary WharfCanary WharfCanary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...
and Central LondonCentral LondonCentral London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
. - 19 January 2006: An investigation by the Thames tideway strategy group suggests that sewageSewageSewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
could overflow from the River Lea unless £1.7 billion is spent to upgrade 22 miles (35.4 km) of sewers. - 9 February 2006: In an interview with BBC Radio Five LiveBBC Radio Five LiveBBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
, Lord Coe says that comparisons between the Olympic venue development is not comparable to that of the delayed Wembley StadiumWembley StadiumThe original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007... - In October 2006, ODA chairman Jack LemleyJack LemleyJack K Lemley CBE was the Chairman of the United Kingdom Olympic Delivery Authority, which is responsible for delivering the infrastructure for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, until his sudden resignation on October 18, 2006 ....
resigned over political delays to development. Lemley claimed that in the 15 months since London won the Games, no remediation work has begun on the 757 acres (3.1 km²) site in east London. He accused the organisers of failing to move quickly enough to tackle a threat posed by German bombs buried on the Olympic site, among contaminants also thought to include low-level radioactive waste and poisonous metals - On 22 May 2008, construction began on the Olympic StadiumOlympic Stadium (London)The London Olympic Stadium will be the centrepiece of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The stadium is located at Marshgate Lane in Stratford in the Lower Lea Valley and has capacity for the Games of approximately 80,000 making it temporarily the third largest stadium in Britain behind...
, three months ahead of its original August start date, due to the quicker than expected clearing of the Lea Valley site. - On 27 May 2008, the IOCInternational Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
completed a three day visit to London to assess the progress of the development. The Committee was pleased with London's Olympic preparations, awarding the capital a score of 9.75 out of 10. IOC co-ordination commission chairman Denis Oswald stated: "From what we have seen, we are very confident we will have excellent facilities for the Games."
Financing
The bid team believed that London could end the Games with a surplus of more than £100 million.The British Government plans to spend £800 million on infrastructure improvements on the Lower Lea Valley
Lower Lea Valley
The Lower Lea Valley is the southern end of the Lea Valley, surrounding the River Lea , which runs along the boundary of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on its western bank and the London Boroughs of Waltham Forest and Newham on its eastern bank, into the River Thames. The river forms the...
. This is not included in the Olympic budget. The total cost of public transport costs relevant to the Games is estimated at £7 billion, but most of these projects would probably have happened in any case, though much later.
In order to protect sources of licensing income, the phrase "London 2012" has been registered as a trade mark in addition to existing protection for the Olympic symbol and name. Further protective measures are proposed in forthcoming legislation, some of which have been seen as controversial. Trading Standards officers in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets have already seized unauthorised products.
- 28 July 2005: The "Go For Gold" National LotteryNational Lottery (United Kingdom)The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
scratch card game is launched. - 21 September 2005: The "Go For Gold" game is announced to have raised £2 million.
- 25 October 2005: Culture SecretarySecretary of State for Culture, Media and SportThe Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport is a United Kingdom cabinet position with responsibility for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The role was created in 1992 by John Major as Secretary of State for National Heritage...
Tessa JowellTessa JowellTessa Jowell is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood since 1992. Formerly a member of both the Blair and Brown Cabinets, she is currently the Shadow Minister for the Olympics and Shadow Minister for London.-Early life:Tessa Jane...
announces that she cannot guarantee that there will be a cap on the amount that London council taxpayers will have to contribute towards the Games, but reiterates that the budget had been carefully planned. - 22 November 2005: Lord Coe attempts to reassure the London public, denying reports of a massive increase in the cost to host the Olympics.
- 20 December 2005: Jacques RoggeJacques RoggeJacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
, the IOC president, announces his support for the BOA's request for additional funding – they have asked the Treasury for an additional £100 million a year. - 1 February 2006: Seven months after the bid victory the lottery has raised £7 million for the events.
- On 15 January 2008, British Members of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
vote overwhelmingly to extract £1.1 billion of National LotteryNational Lottery (United Kingdom)The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
funds to pay for the Olympics. - On 5 February 2008, British AirwaysBritish AirwaysBritish Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
becomes the fourth official sponsor for the games, alongside bank Lloyds TSBLloyds TSBLloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810...
, energy company EDF EnergyEDF EnergyEDF Energy is an integrated energy company in the United Kingdom, with operations spanning electricity generation and the sale of gas and electricity to homes and businesses throughout the United Kingdom...
and sportswear manufacturer AdidasAdidasAdidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
.
Ticketing
- 18 October 2005: Lord CoeSebastian Coe, Baron CoeSebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, KBE , often known as Seb Coe, is an English former athlete and politician...
, the chairman of the London organising committee, announces that half of the eight million tickets on sale will be priced at £20 or less.
Tourism
- 3 November 2005: Keith Mills, the Deputy Chairman of LOCOG, speaks at the Annual General Meeting of Visit London and states that the Games could be worth £2 billion to London's visitor economy.
- November 2005: Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Tony BlairTony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
and Culture SecretarySecretary of State for Culture, Media and SportThe Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport is a United Kingdom cabinet position with responsibility for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The role was created in 1992 by John Major as Secretary of State for National Heritage...
Tessa JowellTessa JowellTessa Jowell is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood since 1992. Formerly a member of both the Blair and Brown Cabinets, she is currently the Shadow Minister for the Olympics and Shadow Minister for London.-Early life:Tessa Jane...
meet with Lord Coe and the leaders of major tourism and leisure groups, telling them that quick action could lead to a 25% growth in tourism.
Events and visits
- 1 September 2005: Thousands of people gather in Trafalgar SquareTrafalgar SquareTrafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
to celebrate the Olympic win. - 12 October 2005: Elizabeth II visits the site of the Olympic Park and expresses how she thinks that it is "exciting" and "fascinating".
- 31 October 2005: Over 200 of the organisers of the London 2012 bid attend a celebratory party at Downing StreetDowning StreetDowning Street in London, England has for over two hundred years housed the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers: the First Lord of the Treasury, an office now synonymous with that of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an...
. - 8 November 2005: Visiting London as part of a Presidential State Visit, Chinese business delegates meet with the London organising committee, highlighting the similarities between the London and Beijing games. Tony BlairTony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
says that the events will help "create a bond between the two Olympic cities and our two countries". - 24 November 2005: A delegation from the IOC arrives to check on progress and offer planning advice.
Awards and recognition
- 8 November 2005: Various aspects of the bid win awards for business and technology :
- The London 2012 logo wins the "Best International Brand" award at the 2005 International Business Awards
- The British Association of Communicators in Business (CIB) names the bid team "Communicators of the Year"
- The research team wins "Research Client of the Year" at the Market Research Society Excellence & Effectiveness Awards
- The London 2012 web site is recognised for its search engine optimisationSearch engine optimizationSearch engine optimization is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid search results...
programme.
- 9 November 2005: Accountancy AgeAccountancy AgeAccountancy Age is a trade magazine for accountants and financial staff in the United Kingdom. After running from 1969 to 2011 with a circulation of over 60,000 in print, it changed with effect from May 2011 to an online-only publication.-History:...
readers vote Neil Wood "Personality of the Year 2005" for his work as financial director for the London 2012 bid and as LOCOG financial director. - 16 November 2005: Lord Coe is awarded the Walpole Medal of Excellence by the Walpole Group, and Keith Mills is named as "Business Leader of the Year" in the 2005 London Business Awards.
- 12 December 2005: Lord Coe is given a special award at the BBC Sports Personality of the YearBBC Sports Personality of the YearThe BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it originally consisted of one titular award. Several new awards have been introduced, and , eight awards are presented. The oldest of these are the Team of the Year and...
awards ceremony for his role in the bid. - 31 December 2005: In the New Year's honoursBritish honours systemThe British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery, achievement, or service to the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories...
list numerous members of the bidding team are given recognition and join The Most Excellent Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
:- Lord Coe becomes a Knight Commander (KBE), and Keith Mills and former BOA chairman Craig Reedie are given knighthoods
- CBEs:
- Simon CleggSimon CleggSimon Clegg OBE is the Chief Executive of Ipswich Town Football Club, a position he has held since April 2009 working directly for the Clubs owner Marcus Evans where he replaced Derek Bowden...
, BOA Chief Executive - Dick Palmer, Technical Director
- Simon Clegg
- OBEs:
- Mike Power, London 2012 CEO
- Mike Lee, Communications director
- Catharina Reynolds from the Olympic Games Unit at the Department for Culture, Media and SportDepartment for Culture, Media and SportThe Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
(DCMS)
- MBEs:
- David Magliano, Director of Marketing
- Jon Armstrong, Co-ordinator of the Nations & Regions Group
- Ayesha Qureshi, Community Affairs Manager
- Richard Sumray, Chairman of the London ForumLondon ForumThe London Forum, or sometimes Kentish Town Forum is a well-known venue for concerts in Kentish Town, London, United Kingdom owned by the MAMA Group. The venue was built in 1934 and was originally used as an art deco cinema. After the closure of the cinema, The Town & Country Club was established...
- Neil Wood, Financial Director
- Patricia Hindley of the DCMS
Opinions and comments
- 19 August 2005: There are calls to relax firearms laws which prevent British pistol shooters training.
- 17 October 2005: Lord Redesdale requests that morris dancingMorris danceMorris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, handkerchiefs and bells may also be wielded by the dancers...
is represented in the opening ceremony. - 17 October 2005: Peter KeenPeter KeenPeter Alan Keen is an English professional football goalkeeper.Keen was born in Middlesbrough and began his career as a trainee with Newcastle United, turning professional in August 1995...
, in charge of planning for British success at the Olympics, expresses his concerns that the "fourth place in the medals table" target is not achievable without a significant increase in funding. - 30 November 2005: A survey conducted by the Association of London Government's (ALG) shows that 68% of Londoners (78% in the 18–34 age group) believe that the Games will have long-term benefits for people living in London.
- 23 January 2007: Andrew Culf opines reasons for optimism for successful games outweigh reasons for worry
Venues and infrastructure
The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will use a mixture of new venues, existing and historic facilities, and temporary facilities, some of them in well-known locations such as Hyde ParkHyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
and Horse Guards Parade
Horse Guards Parade
Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London, at grid reference . It is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the monarch's official birthday, and Beating Retreat.-History:...
. In the wake of the problems that plagued the Millennium Dome
Millennium Dome
The Millennium Dome, colloquially referred to simply as The Dome or even The O2 Arena, is the original name of a large dome-shaped building, originally used to house the Millennium Experience, a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium...
, the organisers' intention is that there will be no white elephant
White elephant
A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable but burdensome possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth...
s after the Games and instead that a "2012 legacy
2012 legacy
The London 2012 Olympic bid included bid chairman Lord Coe placing a pledge to use the events to inspire two million people to take up sport and physical activity at the heart of the bid...
" will be delivered. Some of the new facilities will be reused in their Olympic form, while others, including the 80,000 seater main stadium, will be reduced in size or relocated elsewhere in the UK. The plans are part of the regeneration of Stratford
Stratford, London
Stratford is a place in the London Borough of Newham, England. It is located east northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an agrarian settlement in the ancient parish of West Ham, which transformed into an industrial suburb...
in east London which will be the site of the Olympic Park
Olympic Park, London
The Olympic Park in London is a new sporting complex currently under construction, adjacent to the Stratford City development in Stratford, Bow, Leyton & Homerton in East London for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics....
, and of the neighbouring Lower Lea Valley
Lower Lea Valley
The Lower Lea Valley is the southern end of the Lea Valley, surrounding the River Lea , which runs along the boundary of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on its western bank and the London Boroughs of Waltham Forest and Newham on its eastern bank, into the River Thames. The river forms the...
.
This has required the compulsory purchase
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
of some business properties, which are being demolished to make way for Olympic venues and infrastructure improvements. This has caused some controversy, with some of the affected proprietors claiming that the compensation offered is inadequate. In addition, concerns about the development's potential impact on the future of the century-old Manor Garden Allotments
Manor Garden Allotments
Manor Garden Allotments were allotment gardens occupying between the River Lea and the Channelsea River in Hackney Wick, London, England. They are also sometimes referred to as Eastway Allotments, particularly in the 2012 Summer Olympics planning application documents...
have inspired a community campaign, and the demolition of the Clays Lane housing estate
Clays Lane Estate
The Clays Lane Estate was a housing estate in Stratford, East London, and the UK’s largest purpose built housing cooperative. It was an experiment in building close-knit communities as a way of helping vulnerable single people...
was opposed by tenants.
The majority of venues have been divided into three zones within Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
: the Olympic Zone, the River Zone and the Central Zone. In addition to these are those venues that, by necessity, are outside the boundaries of Greater London, such as the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy
Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy
Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is a centre for the sport of sailing on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, on the south coast of England, United Kingdom. The academy building is located in Osprey Quay on the northern tip of the island, and the waters of Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay,...
on the Isle of Portland
Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
which will host the sailing events, some 125 miles (200 km) southwest of the Olympic Park. The football tournament will be staged at several grounds around the UK.
Public transport
London's public transportPublic transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
was an element of the bid which was scored poorly in the IOC's initial evaluation. Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
(TfL) are carrying out numerous improvements in preparation for 2012, including the expansion of the London Overground
London Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
's East London Line
East London Line
The East London Line is a London Overground line which runs north to south through the East End, Docklands and South areas of London.Built in 1869 by the East London Railway Company, which reused the Thames Tunnel, originally intended for horse-drawn carriages, the line became part of the London...
, upgrades to the Docklands Light Railway
Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London...
and the North London Line
North London Line
The North London Line is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle from the south west to the north east, avoiding central London. The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail...
, and the introduction of a new "Javelin" high-speed rail service, using the Hitachi Corporation
Hitachi
Hitachi is a multinational corporation specializing in high-technology.Hitachi may also refer to:*Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan*Hitachi province, former province of Japan*Prince Hitachi and Princess Hitachi, members of the Japanese imperial family...
's "bullet" trains.
TfL also propose the construction of a £25m cable car
Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula Cable Car
Emirates Air Line is a Transport for London gondola link across the River Thames in London that is planned to be built by the 2012 London Olympics, sponsored by the air carrier Emirates. The scheme, announced in July 2010, envisages a cable car line running from the Greenwich Peninsula over the...
across the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
to link 2012 Olympics venues. It will cross the Thames river between Greenwich Peninsula
Greenwich Peninsula
Greenwich Peninsula is an area of South London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.The peninsula is bounded on three sides by a loop of the Thames, between the Isle of Dogs and Silvertown. To the south is the rest of Greenwich, to the south-east is Charlton.The peninsula lies...
and the Royal Docks
Royal Docks
The Royal Docks comprise three docks in east London - the Royal Albert Dock, the Royal Victoria Dock and the King George V Dock. They are more correctly called the Royal Group of Docks to distinguish them from the Royal Dockyards, Royal being due to their naming after royal personages rather than...
, carrying up to 2,500 passengers an hour 50 metres in the air. It is designed to cut journey times between the O2 arena
The O2 (London)
The O2, visually typeset in branding as The O2, is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars and restaurants...
and the ExCel exhibition centre – both of which are Olympic locations. The privately-funded
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
system could provide a crossing every 30 seconds.
They also plan to have 80% of athletes travel less than 20 minutes to their event. This Park would be served by ten separate railway lines with a combined capacity of 240,000 passengers per hour. Park-and-ride plans are also among the many plans aimed at reducing road traffic levels during the games.
Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy
Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is a centre for the sport of sailing on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, on the south coast of England, United Kingdom. The academy building is located in Osprey Quay on the northern tip of the island, and the waters of Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay,...
s at Portland are in an area with no direct motorway connection, and with local roads that are heavily congested by existing tourist traffic in the summer. There is also only limited scope for extra services on the South Western Main Line
South Western Main Line
The South Western Main Line is a railway line between London Waterloo and Weymouth on the Dorset coast, in the south of England. It is a major railway which serves many important commuter areas, as well as the major settlements of Southampton and Bournemouth...
beyond Southampton, without new infrastructure. The Olympic Games' organisers say that having analyzed past Olympic sailing events, they would expect fewer spectators than have attended recent events such as the Carnival and Tall Ships Race, this despite the United Kingdom being at the top of the sailing medal table at the previous three Olympic Games.
In January 2010 the South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
regional transport board criticised plans published by the Olympics Development Authority for not providing plans of a credible long term coach network saying "The ODA has been working on an extensive network of coach services... [but] the lack of reference to this work [in the plan] is both intriguing and at the same time concerning." On 15 February 2010, the ODA announced that FirstGroup was the preferred bidder for the provision of bus and coach services for the games. This will involve the provision of venue shuttle and park and ride services, services connecting peripheral park and ride sites on the M25
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
with the Olympic Park
Olympic Park, London
The Olympic Park in London is a new sporting complex currently under construction, adjacent to the Stratford City development in Stratford, Bow, Leyton & Homerton in East London for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics....
and Ebbsfleet
Ebbsfleet Valley
Ebbsfleet Valley is a new town and redevelopment area in Kent, South East England; and part of the Thames Gateway. It is located south west of Gravesend.It is named after the valley of the Ebbsfleet River, which it straddles...
, and a nationwide network of express coaches to the Olympic Park, and the Weymouth and Portland sailing venue
Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy
Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is a centre for the sport of sailing on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, on the south coast of England, United Kingdom. The academy building is located in Osprey Quay on the northern tip of the island, and the waters of Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay,...
. The services will require around 900 vehicles in total, although some will be sub-contracted.
Financing
The costs of mounting the Games are separate from those for building the venues and infrastructure, and redeveloping the land for the Olympic Park. While the Games are privately funded, the venues and Park costs are met largely by public money.On 15 March 2007 Tessa Jowell
Tessa Jowell
Tessa Jowell is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood since 1992. Formerly a member of both the Blair and Brown Cabinets, she is currently the Shadow Minister for the Olympics and Shadow Minister for London.-Early life:Tessa Jane...
announced to the House of Commons a budget of £5.3 billion to cover building the venues and infrastructure for the Games, at the same time announcing the wider regeneration budget for the Lower Lea Valley budget at £1.7 billion.
On top of this, she announced various other costs including an overall additional contingency fund of £2.7 billion, security and policing costs of £600 million, VAT of £800 million and elite sport and Paralympic funding of nearly £400 million. According to these figures, the total for the Games and the regeneration of the East London area, is £9.345 billion. Then Mayor Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
pledged the Games Organising Committee would make a profit.
The costs for staging the Games (£2 billion) are funded from the private sector by a combination of sponsorship, merchandising, ticketing and broadcast rights. This budget is raised and managed by the London 2012 Organising Committee. According to Games organisers, the funding for this budget broadly breaks down as:
- 64% from Central Government;
- 23% from National LotteryNational Lottery (United Kingdom)The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
- 13% from the Mayor of LondonMayor of LondonThe Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
and the London Development AgencyLondon Development AgencyThe London Development Agency is the Regional Development Agency for Greater London, England. It is a functional body of the Greater London Authority...
On 18 August 2007 The Belfast Telegraph
The Belfast Telegraph
The Belfast Telegraph is a daily evening newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland by Independent News & Media.It was first published as the Belfast Evening Telegraph on 1 September 1870 by brothers William and George Baird...
reported that jubilation over winning the right to stage the Olympic Games was becoming more muted as realisation dawns on the public of the enormous costs involved in creating facilities for the athletes. Grassroot sport cuts will fund the Olympics, government figures suggested on 19 August 2007.
In November 2007, Edward Leigh
Edward Leigh
Edward Julian Egerton Leigh is a British Conservative politician. He has sat in the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Gainsborough in Lincolnshire since 1997, and for its predecessor constituency of Gainsborough and Horncastle between 1983 and 1997...
MP, criticised the organisers for significantly under-estimating the cost of staging the games, suggesting they had either "acted in bad faith or were incompetent".
On 10 December 2007 Tessa Jowell announced confirmation of the budget announced earlier in 2007. In June 2007, the Ministerial Funders’ Group (established to manage the allocation of contingency to the ODA within the overall budget) met and agreed a first allocation of contingency to the ODA, being £360m out of the £500m of initial contingency announced in March, to enable the ODA to manage early cost pressures.
Following its second meeting on 26 November 2007, the Funders’ Group has now agreed a baseline budget and scope proposed by the ODA. The total budgeted base cost to be met by the public sector funding package remains at £6.090bn including tax and excluding general programme contingency as announced in March. This includes the allocation to the ODA of the remaining £140m from the initial £500m contingency announced in March.
There have, however, been concerns over how the Olympics are to be funded. In February 2008, a London Assembly culture and sport committee report expressed concerns over the funding of the games taking away money from London's sports and arts groups. There have also been complaints that funding towards the Olympics has been to the detriment of funding other areas of the UK. In Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, there has been criticism from Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
about the games depriving Wales of money, by using UK-wide funding rather than English funding. The Wales on Sunday newspaper claimed former UK Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
broke his promise to not use National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
funding for the Olympic games.
As at December 2009, the Delivery Authority had allocated £702 million of Programme and Funders’ contingency, largely to cover the decisions to publicly fund the Village and Media Centre after it became clear private funding could not be secured on acceptable terms during the 2008 to 2010 economic crisis. According to the Government Olympic Executive
Government Olympic Executive
The Government Olympic Executive , a unit within the United Kingdom Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is the lead government body for coordinating the London 2012 Olympics. The GOE reports through the DCMS Permanent Secretary to the Minister for Sports and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson...
and Olympic Delivery Authority
Olympic Delivery Authority
The Olympic Delivery Authority is the statutory corporation responsible for ensuring delivery of venues, infrastructure and legacy for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in London...
risk assessments the remaining £1,270 million contingency is sufficient to manage risks to the Delivery Authority’s programme.
Also from May 2010, the Olympic budget will be cut by £27 million as part of the £6.2 billion cuts by the new Conservative-Liberal coalition government.
External links
- London2012.com – the official London 2012 site
- Olympics.org.uk – the official British Olympic Association site
- London 2012 Technology Roadmap– The IT & Technology roadmap for London 2012
- IOC assessment of current progress (21 April 2006)
- ODA Planning Applications – Public access site for ODA planning applications. (click on associated documents tab for access to detailed pdfs)