2012 - the next lap

This week saw the publication of the latest report by the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee on the London 2012 Games. In and amongst the 81 pages of the report, a number of interesting points were made.

While there has been some positive feedback from the report, there has been a large amount of criticism present.

For instance, the report criticised the Government for awarding a further £5.9 billion in funds without clarifying with the DCMS what will be delivered in return for the expenditure. Similarly, the DCMS came into criticism for having no way to evaluate the Olympic legacy from the Games, despite having highlighted this as one of the main benefits of hosting the Games. In relation to this, the report claimed that there was no clear strategy in place specifying exactly how sporting participation will be increased.

As equally damaging was the committee’s recognition that the budget increase (the original budget was £3.4 billion, the final figure £9.325 billion) has been damaging to confidence in the management of the programme. The phrase “spending money like water” has been doing the rounds.

More positively, the report did highlight that achievements thus far are to be commended, and that there were signs the organisers were working to a realistic timetable. This is welcome news, as once the Beijing Games are finished, public attention, and scrutiny will only intensify on the organisers of 2012.