Olympic Promises

Last week, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport published a Legacy Action Plan: ‘Before, during and after: making the most of the London 2012 Games’. This action plan builds upon the five promises made in June 2007, published in Our Promise for 2012, which sets out the overall framework and main priorities for reaching each legacy objective.

The five promises include: to make the UK a world-leading sporting nation; to transform the heart of East London; to inspire a generation of young people; to make the Olympic Park a blueprint for sustainable living, and finally to demonstrate the UK is a creative, inclusive and welcoming place to live in, visit and for business.

These five ambitions showcase the impressive legacy the London 2012 Olympics can leave behind if the necessary work and planning begins early and if the level of commitment remains constant throughout the preparation stages. The Minister for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and London, the Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP, reminds us in the foreword to this plan that the Government cannot work alone to ensure that these goals are met. As a result, she calls upon all individuals, communities and regions of the UK to take part in unleashing the great potential that the Olympic Games hold.

Some promises may end up being more challenging to keep than others. Promises are one thing, funding the infrastructure developments for sport are quite another. Having the 2012 Games become a model of sustainable development, for instance, will no doubt prove difficult when budgetary and time issues come into play. Hopefully the environment will not be put on the back burner when crucial construction deadlines start approaching.

If the steps outlined in this action plan are followed though and the various programmes that have been put in place to help realise each goal run smoothly; business, young people, and tourism in the UK, to name but a few, will surely have benefited.