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 for the Olympic 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. [edit] Timelines Since the 2000 Summer Olympics 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." [1][2] 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 | | 2005 | | - Site preparation for the Olympic Park
| | | 2006 | - Agree a marketing and sponsorship plan
- Complete the designs for a logo
- Finalise the budget
- Complete the review of transport needs
| - Construction for the Aquatics Centre begins (end of the year)
| - Finalise the marketing and sponsorship plan
- Launch of the official logo & brand
| | 2007 | - All building plans should be completed
| - Channel Tunnel/Stratford rail link
- Construction of the Velodrome and BMX arena begins (January)
- Construction of the Athletes Village and three western arenas begins (Summer)
| - Details of all venue specifications
| | 2008 | - Above-ground construction work for all venues should have started
| | | | 2009 | | | | | 2010 | | | - Volunteer Recruitment programme
- Initial testing of events
| | 2011 | | - Completion of the Olympic Stadium, Athletes Village and Media Centre
| | [edit] Announcements and developments [edit] Sports - 27 October 2005: Women's boxing is officially ruled out of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China by the IOC, but Kelly Fairweather, their director of sport, says that it is being considered for the 2012 Games. [3]
- 11 November 2005: The Scottish Football Association (SFA) rule out the participation of their players in a Great British team in the football events. Players from England and Northern Ireland will compete together in the team, with the Football Association of Wales (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. [5]
- 9 February 2006: An appeal against the removal of baseball and softball from London 2012 is rejected by the IOC. [6]
- On 15 January 2008, Aldershot Army Base is chosen over Bath and Loughborough universities to be the training camp for the British Olympic team.[7]
- 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.[8]
[edit] Organisation [edit] 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 Livingstone announces that some venues may need to change based on the security issues raised by the 7 July 2005 terrorist attacks. [16]
- 20 October 2005: Tottenham Hotspur F.C. are told that they will not take over the Olympic Stadium after the Games finish as it will be used as an athletics venue. [17]
- 4 November 2005: The London Development Agency (LDA) gives a compulsory purchase order to London and Continental Railways (LCR) for land required for the Olympic Park, not giving negotiations enough time to reach a settlement. [18]
- 4 November 2005: ConstructionSkills, placed in charge of ensuring that there are enough construction workers, predicts a serious shortage of labourers. [19]
- 10 November 2005: Airport operator BAA announces plans to rebuild one of its 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. [20]
- 15 November 2005: The LDA and LCR complete their negotiations for land and infrastructure at the Stratford City development. [21]
- 1 December 2005: Architect Zaha Hadid is ordered to revise her designs for the Aquatics Centre after a specification change leads to a doubling of the £75 million estimated cost. [22]
- 6 December 2005: The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension is officially opened, connecting the London City Airport to the London Underground at Canning Town as well as providing a direct line to Canary Wharf and Central London. [23]
- 19 January 2006: An investigation by the Thames tideway strategy group suggests that sewage could overflow from the River Lee unless £1.7 billion is spent to upgrade 22 miles (35 km) of sewers. [24]
- 9 February 2006: In an interview with BBC Radio Five Live, Lord Coe says that comparisons between the Olympic venue development is not comparable to that of the delayed Wembley Stadium [25]
- In October 2006, ODA chairman Jack Lemley 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-acre (3.06 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 [26]
- On 22 May 2008, construction began on the Olympic Stadium, three months ahead of its original August start date, due to the quicker than expected clearing of the Lea Valley site.[27]
- On 27 May 2008, the IOC completed a three day visit to London to assess the progress of the development.[28] The Committee was pleased with London's Olympic preparations, awarding the capital a score of 9.75 out of 10.[28] 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."[28]
[edit] 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. 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 Lottery scratch card game is launched.
- 21 September 2005: The "Go For Gold" game is announced to have raised £2 million. [29]
- 25 October 2005: Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell 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. [30]
- 22 November 2005: Lord Coe attempts to reassure the London public, denying reports of a massive increase in the cost to host the Olympics. [31]
- 20 December 2005: Jacques Rogge, 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. [32]
- 1 February 2006: Seven months after the bid victory the lottery has raised £7 million for the events. [33]
- On 15 January 2008, British Members of Parliament vote overwhelmingly to extract £1.1 billion of National Lottery funds to pay for the Olympics.[34]
- On 5 February 2008, British Airways becomes the fourth official sponsor for the games, alongside bank Lloyds TSB, energy company EDF Energy and sportswear manufacturer Adidas.
[edit] Ticketing - 18 October 2005: Lord Coe, the chairman of the London organising committee, announces that half of the eight million tickets on sale will be priced at £20 or less. [36]
[edit] 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. [37]
- November 2005: Prime Minister Tony Blair and Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell 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. [38]
[edit] Events and visits - 1 September 2005: Thousands of people gather in Trafalgar Square to celebrate the Olympic win. [39]
- 12 October 2005: Queen Elizabeth II visits the site of the Olympic Park and expresses how she thinks that it is "exciting" and "fascinating". [40]
- 31 October 2005: Over 200 of the organisers of the London 2012 bid attend a celebratory party at Downing Street. [41]
- 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 Blair says that the events will help "create a bond between the two Olympic cities and our two countries". [42]
- 24 November 2005: A delegation from the IOC arrives to check on progress and offer planning advice. [43]
[edit] Awards and recognition - 8 November 2005: Various aspects of the bid win awards for business and technology [44]:
- 9 November 2005: Accountancy Age 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. [45]
- 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. [46]
- 12 December 2005: Lord Coe is given a special award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony for his role in the bid. [47]
- 31 December 2005: In the New Year's honours list numerous members of the bidding team are given recognition and join The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [48]:
- Lord Coe becomes a Knight Commander (KBE), and Keith Mills and former BOA chairman Craig Reedie are given knighthoods
- CBEs:
- Simon Clegg, BOA Chief Executive
- Dick Palmer, Technical Director
- OBEs:
- 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 Forum
- Neil Wood, Financial Director
- Patricia Hindley of the DCMS
[edit] Opinions and comments - 19 August 2005: There are calls to relax firearms laws which prevent British pistol shooters training. [49]
- 17 October 2005: Lord Redesdale requests that morris dancing is represented in the opening ceremony. [50]
- 17 October 2005: Peter Keen, 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. [51]
- 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. [52]
- 23 January 2007: Andrew Culf opines reasons for optimism for successful games outweigh reasons for worry [53]
[edit] See also [edit] References [edit] External links |
