2012 Summer Olympic development

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article or section needs to be updated.
Please update the article to reflect recent events / newly available information, and remove this template when finished.
2012 Summer Olympics
IOC BOA LOCOG ODA

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.

Contents

[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
  • Completion of the new Wembley Stadium
  • 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)
  • Completion of the new Wembley Stadium
  • 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
  • Tickets go on sale

[edit] Announcements and developments

[edit] Sports

[edit] Organisation

[edit] Venues and infrastructure

Some plans for 2012 Summer Olympic 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. [15]
  • 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. [16]
  • 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. [17]
  • 4 November 2005: ConstructionSkills, placed in charge of ensuring that there are enough construction workers, predicts a serious shortage of labourers. [18]
  • 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. [19]
  • 15 November 2005: The LDA and LCR complete their negotiations for land and infrastructure at the Stratford City development. [20]
  • 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. [21]
  • 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. [22]
  • 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 of sewers. [23]
  • 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 [24]
  • 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 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 [25]
  • In 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.[26]
  • In 27 May 2008, the IOC completed a three day visit to London to assess the progress of the development.[27] The Committee was pleased with London's Olympic preparations, awarding the capital a score of 9.75 out of 10.[27] 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."[27]

[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.

[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. [35]

[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. [36]
  • 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. [37]

[edit] Events and visits

  • 1 September 2005: Thousands of people gather in Trafalgar Square to celebrate the Olympic win. [38]
  • 12 October 2005: Queen Elizabeth II visits the site of the Olympic Park and expresses how she thinks that it is "exciting" and "fascinating". [39]
  • 31 October 2005: Over 200 of the organisers of the London 2012 bid attend a celebratory party at Downing Street. [40]
  • 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". [41]
  • 24 November 2005: A delegation from the IOC arrives to check on progress and offer planning advice. [42]

[edit] Awards and recognition

  • 8 November 2005: Various aspects of the bid wins awards for business and technology [43]:
    • 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 optimisation programme.
  • 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. [44]
  • 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. [45]
  • 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. [46]
  • 31 December 2005: In the New Years honours list numerous members of the bidding team are given recognition and join The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [47]:
    • 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. [48]
  • 17 October 2005: Lord Redesdale requests that morris dancing is represented in the opening ceremony. [49]
  • 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. [50]
  • 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. [51]
  • 23 January 2007: Andrew Culf opines reasons for optimism for successful games outweigh reasons for worry [52]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ (25 November 2005). "London 2012: Orientation Seminar Concludes On Positive Note" at the Official Olympic Games site. Accessed 25 November 2005.
  2. ^ (25 November 2005). "London 2012 handed IOC checklist" at BBC News. Accessed 25 November 2005.
  3. ^ (27 October 2005). "Women's boxing ruled out for 2008" at BBC News. Accessed 11 November 2005.
  4. ^ (11 November 2005). "No Scots for GB Olympic football" at BBC News. Accessed 11 November 2005.
  5. ^ (11 November 2005). "BOA wants Scots rethink on 2012" at BBC News. Accessed 11 November 2005.
  6. ^ (9 February 2006). "Olympic sports fail in appeal bid" at BBC News. Accessed 16 February 2006.
  7. ^ Aldershot to host GB Olympic team. BBC (2008-01-15). Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  8. ^ (5 October 2005). "Lord Colin Moynihan elected chairman of the BOA" at the Official Olympic Games site. Accessed 17 October 2005.
  9. ^ (7 October 2005). "LONDON 2012: LOCOG Formally Established" at the Official Olympic Games site. Accessed 13 November 2005.
  10. ^ (1 November 2005). "London bid media chief moves on" at BBC News. Accessed 4 November 2005.
  11. ^ (18 November 2005). "Coe welcomes top ODA appointment" at London 2012 official site. Accessed 20 November 2005.
  12. ^ (22 November 2005). "Coe welcomes latest Olympic Delivery Authority appointment" at London 2012 official site. Accessed 23 November 2005.
  13. ^ Warner, Adrian (19 December 2005). "£100m banker is Olympics CEO" at Evening Standard. Accessed 19 December 2005.
  14. ^ (11 January 2006). "2012 Games organisers co-locate" at BBC News. Accessed 16 January 2006.
  15. ^ (12 October 2005). "Mayor warns of 2012 venues change" at BBC News. Accessed 17 October 2005.
  16. ^ (20 October 2005). "Spurs Olympic Stadium plan dashed" at BBC News. Accessed 27 October 2005.
  17. ^ (4 November 2005). "Olympic Park land row rumbles on" at BBC News. Accessed 4 November 2005.
  18. ^ (10 November 2005). "London short of skill labor for 2012 Olympics construction" at People's Daily Online. Accessed 11 November 2005.
  19. ^ (10 November 2005). "Airport Operator Proposes Demolishing Heathrow Terminal, Rebuilding for 2012 Olympics" at Airport Business. Accessed 11 November 2005.
  20. ^ (15 November 2005). "Joint statement from London Development Agency and London and Continental Railways" at LDA.gov.uk. Accessed 15 November 2005.
  21. ^ (1 December 2005). "Olympic pool plans to be revised" at BBC News. Accessed 1 December 2005.
  22. ^ (6 December 2005). "DLR extension boosts 2012 transport" at London 2012 official site. Accessed 13 December 2005.
  23. ^ Weaver, Matt (19 January 2006). "Sewage overflows threaten London Olympics " at The Guardian. Accessed 19 January 2006.
  24. ^ (9 February 2006). "Coe confident of Olympic planning" at BBC News. Accessed 16 February 2006.
  25. ^ (5 November 2006). [1] Sunday Times. Accessed 5 November 2006.
  26. ^ Olympic stadium work starts early. BBC (2008-05-22). Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  27. ^ a b c IOC pleased with London progress. BBC (2008-05-22). Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  28. ^ (21 September 2005). "£2m Lotto boost for Olympics 2012" at BBC News. Accessed 17 October 2005.
  29. ^ (25 October 2005). "Warning over cost of 2012 Games" at BBC News. Accessed 27 October 2005.
  30. ^ (22 November 2005). "Coe confident over Olympic costs" at BBC News. Accessed 23 November 2005.
  31. ^ (20 December 2005). "IOC chief backs funding increase" at BBC News. Accessed 20 December 2005.
  32. ^ (1 February 2006). "Lottery raises £7m for Olympics " at BBC News. Accessed 16 February 2006.
  33. ^ MPs back Olympic funds transfer. BBC (2008-01-15). Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  34. ^ BA to sponsor London 2012 Games. BBC (2008-02-05). Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  35. ^ (18 October 2005). "Coe makes pledges on 2012 tickets" at BBC News. Accessed 19 October 2005.
  36. ^ (3 November 2005). "£2 billion tourism benefit from Games" at London 2012 official site. Accessed 4 November 2005.
  37. ^ (15 November 2005). "'Time to raise Olympic billions'" at BBC News. Accessed 15 November 2005.
  38. ^ (1 September 2005). "Crowd hails 2012 Olympic victory" at BBC News. Accessed 17 October 2005.
  39. ^ (12 October 2005). "Queen sees 'exciting' Games site" at BBC News. Accessed 11 November 2005.
  40. ^ (31 October 2005). "Party celebrates 2012 Olympic win" at BBC News. Accessed 4 November 2005.
  41. ^ (8 November 2005). "Chinese business leaders inspect London 2012 Olympic park site" at People's Daily Online. Accessed 11 November 2005.
  42. ^ (23 November 2005). "London prepares for IOC check-up" at BBC News. Accessed 23 November 2005.
  43. ^ (8 November 2005). "More plaudits for London 2012" at the London 2012 official site. Accessed 11 November 2005.
  44. ^ (9 November 2005). "Awards 2005: personality of the year - Neil Wood at Accountancy Age. Accessed 13 November 2005.
  45. ^ (16 November 2005). "Bid leaders recognised at London 2012 official site. Accessed 17 November 2005.
  46. ^ (11 December 2005). "Coe picks up surprise BBC award" at BBC News. Accessed 12 December 2005.
  47. ^ (31 December 2005). "London 2012 team honoured in New Year list at London 2012 official site. Accessed 2 January 2006.
  48. ^ Fraser, Andrew (19 August 2005). "Shooters seek handgun law change" at BBC News. Accessed 17 October 2005.
  49. ^ Parkinson, Justin (17 October 2005). "Morris dancing for the Olympics?" at BBC News. Accessed 17 October 2005.
  50. ^ (17 October 2005) "Keen calls for more elite coaches" at BBC News. Accessed 17 October 2005.
  51. ^ (30 November 2005) "Public support still strong for London 2012" at London 2012 official site. Accessed 1 December 2005.
  52. ^ (23 January 2007) "It's 2,012 days until 2012" The Guardian. Accessed 29 August 2007.

[edit] External links