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ENGLISH SPEAKING UNION
Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires
“More than just Sport: The London Olympics and their Legacy”
Remarks by British Ambassador John Freeman
21 November 2012
More than Just Sport: The London Olympics and their Legacy
1.Mr Chairman, Malcolm, thank you for having invited me to speak at this lunch. It is a privilege as well as a pleasure to do so especially in this 20th anniversary year of the ESU Argentina. The English Speaking Union, now not many years off its first centenary in 2018, has been, over the years, and to quote from the ESU’s objectives, an important medium for the promotion of the “use of English as a shared language and a means of international communication of knowledge and understanding”. And I would want to emphasise three words in the quotation I have just made, “communication”, “knowledge” and “understanding”.
2.Effective communication, not least skills honed in public debates sponsored in schools, including, of course, and with distinction, here in Argentina, effective communication is key to the acquisition of knowledge and of understanding. And the modern Olympics are also about a form of communication, a form of standard setting and of understanding and inspiration through sport. As the strapline of the London Olympics set as a goal: “Inspire a Generation”.
3.The London Olympics was long in planning, ambitious in character, and concerned not only to make the London Games excellent and memorable in every possible way, but also was about more than the sports events alone, fundamental, of course, as those were. The London Olympics was about tomorrow as well as today: the legacy of the Games was part of its planning, part of its aspiration, and, we hope, part of its longer term inspiration.
4.Mr Chairman, I want in my remarks today to touch on two main aspects of the London Games. First and briefly, to remind ourselves of what a success, what a splendid spectacle the London Games were; a success and a spectacle of which we in Britain are immensely proud. Secondly, to look at the wider attainments of the Games, including the legacy left by the Games in terms of sport priorities, sustainability and economic growth, community consciousness and re-generation in East London.
5.Hosting the Olympic Games, the “greatest show on Earth” as it has been called, does not come without risk. There’s pressure on the host government to deliver a Games which meets international approval but which also stays within budget and turns out to be a good investment for the host country. But perhaps most importantly of all, after the sport and the show, the question was: what would be left, the day, the month and the year after the Olympic and Paralympic Games – what would be that legacy? That’s why London 2012 set out to be the first “Legacy Games” with plans for what happens after the Games written into every aspect of their design and preparation.
6.But to ensure a legacy, the Games themselves needed first to be remembered as successful. And the key to setting the tone for the Games and for leaving a lasting memory, were the opening and closing ceremonies. Following Beijing 2008 was never going to be easy, but the opening ceremony settled any nerves around the UK and around the world that the Games would be GREAT, with a fast moving show which drew on the best of Britain in 2012, and, in particular, on Britain’s contribution to modern times – from the industrial revolution to popular culture and the internet revolution. And many people will remember the spectacular arrival of Her Majesty the Queen and James Bond 007 into the Olympic Stadium.
7.During the Games, we saw some of the most iconic moments in Olympic history, including: Usain Bolt’s “double triple” and Michael Phelps becoming the most decorated Olympian ever, with 22 medals.
8.A source of particular pride for the UK was (as we called our athletes)“Team GB’s” most successful Olympic Games for over a century with 65 medals, with Mo Farah winning double Olympic gold at his home Games in the 5,000 and 10,000m races and withSir Chris Hoy becoming the most successful British Olympian ever, with 6 gold medals.
9.Argentina also had its successes. As well as silver and bronze medals, Argentina won gold medal in taekwondo. This was the first gold medal won by an Argentine individual athlete since Delfo Cabrera won the marathon in1948.
10.And not only did the athletes break records, so too did the spectators. Record breaking numbers of spectators were able to enjoy the spectacle at London 2012. Almost 10 million people visited venues during both Games, including more than 130 Heads of State. There were also record numbers of TV viewers: up to a billion people watched the Olympic Opening Ceremony alone.And we enjoyed the strongest Paralympic Games broadcast coverage ever, with hundreds of hours of Paralympic sport broadcast around the world. And this was the first truly “digital” Games with new world records set for twitter usage.
11.But, from the outset the Games meant more to us in Britain than the sports alone. The UK wanted to ensure that London 2012’s legacy would have even more depth and meaning. We set out to achieve a legacy in four main areas; sustainability and regeneration, community, economic growth and sport.
Sustainability and Regeneration
12.At the core of London 2012’s sustainability was the regeneration of a rundown area of East London, to turn it into the Olympic Park. Sustainability was the central theme from the beginning of the project, with 98.5% of the material from Olympic Park demolition work being reclaimed for re-use and re-cycling and some venues designed as temporary structures which could be dismantled to be re-used elsewhere after the Games e.g. the Basketball arena, one of the biggest temporary venues ever built.
13.Indeed for all the venues which provided a world class setting for sporting theatre during the games, there is a future plan. Some are being refurbished so that they can be used from now on by both local people and high performance athletes and some will be moved elsewhere to get maximum usage. They will become an important part of keeping the memory of the 2012 Games alive: training the champions of the future, promoting healthy living in the local community, and acting as a magnet for major sporting events, visitors, sports clubs and business.
14.For example, the Olympic Stadium will be the main venue for the World Athletics Championship in 2017, and the Copper Box will become a multi-purpose sport venue where the public will be able to play a wide range of sports including basketball and wheelchair basketball, judo, fencing, table tennis, badminton and gymnastics.
15.In addition the Olympic Park site is currently undergoing a range of developments and will re-open in 2013 as The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.When it does, it is estimated it will attract more than 9 million visitors a year. 10,000 jobs are expected to be created on the Olympic Park alone.
16.The Olympic Park includes the biggest urban park created for a century, including 4000 trees, 45 hectares of wildlife habit, with 350,000 wetland plants forming the UK’s largest ever urban river and wetland planting.
17.The Athletes’ Village is being converted into more than 2,800 homes (half of them affordable housing i.e. for lower income groups or priority groups of employees). A further home building programme will help create 5 new neighbourhoods around the Park - 11,000 additional new homes. Eleven schools and nurseries and three health centres will service the local community.
18.And these neighbourhoods will not be isolated from the rest of London. They will still be able to use the Javelin (Rail) Service built for the Games, plus there are plans to improve Stratford station in East London and to extend the Docklands Light Railway (£80 million provided for the latter alone. Actually, thanks to the new transport infrastructure, to the proximity to the city of London, and to the development within the Park, the Games have helped to shift the economic centre of gravity in London to the East. Indeed 75% of every pound spent on Olympic construction has gone towards regeneration.
19.In this sense, the additional investment into the area is significant. According to the London Legacy Development Corporation, £12.5 billion pounds have been invested into the Stratford area of East London by the public and private sectors. For example, thanks to the digital boom, creative and high-tech companies have settled in Tech City(close to the City of London), which has grown from 15 to 300 companies in the last three years.
Growth
20.In order to justify to taxpayers the UK’s investment in the Olympics infrastructure, it was important that the UK economy also benefited from hosting the games. The on-time, on-budget delivery of the Games was a ringing endorsement for UK business, showcasing cutting edge design and engineering on a global stage. We also used the platform to compete for future Games contracts; for example 20 firms have already won major contracts for Rio 2016. During the Games, what was called the British Business embassy, initiated 3,500 meetings between UK companies and potential overseas buyers, as well as hosting daily events showcasing high growth UK sectors; and the Global Investment Conference brought together 200 business ministers and global CEOs ahead of the Games. It is estimated that investments totalling £14bn may have been achieved through these efforts. For example, the redevelopment of the Battersea Power Station site in London, which is expected to have an eventual value of £8bn and which will provide 20,000 construction jobs.
Community
21.London 2012 was also the first time that the Paralympic and Olympic Games’ organisation was fully integrated from the beginning. Disability access was incorporated into the design and structure of the buildings, open spaces and public transport, and residents and visitors will still use these in the future. The Paralympic Games and the preparation of them helped change attitudes to diversity. And, the London Games also introduced a new spirit of volunteering with 70,000 volunteers helping with the staging of the Olympic and Paralympic events. The Olympics also provided the setting for the UK’s largest ever cultural festival, with 1000 events held across the UK as part of the London 2012 festival which included 10 million opportunities to see or hear something for free. This complemented the Cultural Olympiad which 14 million people around the world took part in.
Sport
22.While the games have proved to be more than about sport alone, sport is still an important part of the London 2012 legacy. Overseas, the UK’s International Inspiration programme is helping to increase sports opportunities in 20 countries and has reached over 12 million young people in a bid to improve lives and change societies. Projects range from using sport to prevent HIV in Zambia to reducing deaths from drowning in Bangladesh. Back in the UK, the sporting infrastructure is now truly world class and available to local communities as well as athletes after the games. Additional funding will provide access to sport for youth (for which a new £1 billion youth sport strategy will target 14 – 25 year olds with a payment-by-results system) and for the best training and facilities for top level athletes (National Lottery funding for sport will provide an additional £500 million for sport over the next five years in the UK). And, for disabled sport, access will be broadened further through a new £8 million Sport England Fund to help break down barriers for disabled people.
Conclusion
23.So has the UK achieved its aim of being the first “Legacy Games”? Time will tell of course, but the signs are good. London 2012 can already claim to be the greenest games of modern times. The Independent Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 praised the phenomenal regeneration of the Olympic Park site. Indeed the sustainable approach to London 2012 has become the basis for a new international standard and a benchmark for future global sporting events. I understand that there’s a possibility that Uruguay and Argentina will seek to bring the football World Cup to South America in 2030, to mark its 100 year anniversary. Should such a bid develop I hope that London 2012 will provide a useful model for hosting such an important sporting event. And the London Olympics will help inform planning for further major sporting events in the UK as well: e.g. the UK Rugby League World Cup in 2013 (co-hosted by England and Wales); the Commonwealth Games in 2014; the Rugby Union World Cup in 2015; and the World Athletics Championshipin 2017.
24.Mr Chairman, let me end where I started and especially with the words “communication” and “inspiration” which I quoted at the beginning. The London Olympics and Paralympics set themselves challenging goals and objectives. The Games – both sets of Games, Olympic and Paralympics alike were great: providing a venue for sportsmen and women to leave aside narrow nationalisms and to inspire others, throughout the world, through their individual attainments.
25. But the Games were, we hope, great in other ways, too. Great in terms of setting an example of sustainability, of economic growth, of community and of internationalism. And great in their legacies for the future; the London Olympics will not be forgotten, because they have left footprints behind them, not only footprints from the individual Olympic and Paralympic athletes, but also the footprints of sustainability, of growth, of community and of regeneration, the footprints of tomorrow. The Olympic and Paralympic Games together inspired people who live far away from the Olympics Village in East London. The Games communicated, to people across the Globe, allowed them to watch the athletes attain new levels of sporting achievement. That communication, that inspiration, is a real legacy, something that can and will change individual lives.
26.Mr Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to speak to this annual ESU business lunch in this 20th anniversary year.
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