THE SPIRIT OF THE GAMES

At times over the last few years parts of London have resembled the city the last time it hosted the Olympic Games. 
However, in the run-up to the historic event in 1948, it was officially still a bomb-site following the Second World War.

London had originally been scheduled to host the event in 1944 although these, along with the 1940 Tokyo Games, were cancelled.
  
So, the 1948 Olympics, planned and delivered over an 18-month period, were truly celebrated as a beacon to the world that the dark times of war were past and demonstrated the impact of teamwork, both on and off the track. This is where the Olympic spirit of the modern Games was born.

With the city still strewn with rubble and the whole country short of money and food, London was in no position to provide the athletes’ villages comparable to the Games of 1932 (Los Angeles) or 1936 (Berlin).
 
Instead they had to make do with converted army shelters or hastily found vacant offices where desks were quickly replaced by beds!  Bed linen was provided although competitors were required to bring their own towels.

The British team even had to make their own shorts, although they were apparently provided with one free pair of underpants.

The 2012 Olympics is a far cry from those days, although they will certainly attempt to recreate the same spirit, something that was sadly lacking in Beijing, criticised by many for the sterile atmosphere. London is promising packed venues in iconic locations.

These promises will certainly hold true. Despite criticism, they have sold a greater volume of tickets faster than any event in history, sporting or otherwise, although the 22 million applications for 6.5m tickets left many disappointed. The archery competition is to be held at Lord’s, although the winners will not be joining Raul Dravid on the Honours Board. The lucky holders of the golden tickets can also witness showjumping at Greenwich Park, the triathlon in Hyde Park and beach volleyball in Horse Guard’s Parade, in addition to the more traditional tennis at Wimbledon.

Away from the events themselves, the Organising Committee will be erecting giant screens around the city for ‘live sites’ aimed at the ‘knowledgable home fans comprising citizens from different nationalities, cultures and backgrounds’.  They promise a three-week party!

London is aiming to learn lessons from the mistakes of several past Olympic Games, not just Beijing.  Its biggest challenge will be to avoid the transport problems experienced in Atlanta. However, they are hoping that the new high speed ‘javelin’ monorail will complement what will be an enhanced underground tube and bus service.

They have managed to avoid the last minute finishes of 2004, with 88 per cent of venues and infrastructure already completed, according to organisers. The Olympic Park in Stratford has some wonderful new eye-catching venues including the main Olympic Stadium, the Velodrome (track cycling), handball arena and basketball arena.

In a symbolic move, the acquatics centre will be finished today. One year from today, the 2012 Olympics will begin with an opening ceremony created by the director of hit-movie Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle.

There will be a number of other events to mark the final countdown, including an official launch of the medals that will be presented to the winners.  Those who ultimately receive a medal will have earned it! London will welcome around 10,500 visitors from 200 countries who will compete in 26 events (counting athletics as one event) spread over 34 different venues.
 
The Games will be reported on by 20,000 accredited media personnel while security for all participants and visitors will be led by 12,000 policemen and women daily.

However, in reaching this point, the UK has had to deal with a certain amount of angst. In addition to ticketing and budget concerns, a war is still raging in two areas.  One is a key component of the Olympic movement, that of legacy. According to some reports, 21 of the 22 venues built for the Athens Olympics are now left unused. This is unlikely to be a problem felt by London as parties squabble over the use of the Olympic Stadium.
 
Despite a decision to allow East London football club West Ham United to use the venue after the event, continuing legal action from Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient could spoil the party and have already cost the UK a chance to host the 2017 World Athletics Championships.  Furthermore, while the first athletes have already cemented their place at the 2012 Olympics, the constituent countries comprising Great Britain have still failed to agree on the formation of their home football team.

However, with a little global perspective, these are relatively minor issues that will not concern many of those attending or competing, particularly those hoping to emulate the feats of Usain Bolt’s record-breaking sprint double, or Michael Phelps’ haul of eight gold medals.

With a year to go I will leave you with an intriguing statistic that demonstrates the changes, not to a part of East London that looks as though it has not been touched since the last Games in 1948, but in terms of the costs. The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will cost close to £9 billion. The 1948 Games cost a mere £732,000 – and they still made a £9,000 profit!