On 6 July 2005, the 2012 Olympics were awarded to London. The saying; “inspire a generation” is one that was ever present throughout the bid, and may be the primary reason for it being successful. London said they’d leave a legacy behind once the games had finished. The question is, 5 years after the Games, did they?
There were promises to increase involvement in sports, to make the sporting nation healthier as a whole. They promised to rejuvenate an area of East London that was known by many as ‘fridge mountain’, and transform it into a fruitful and liveable environment.
First off lets talk about the area of Stratford. Before the bid was won Stratford was renowned for being a place you didn’t want to go. The river was polluted, there were dumped fridges everywhere and crime rates were off the charts. For Lord Coe, Stratford needed changing before the games began and to a large extent this was achieved. The factories were relocated and replaced with state of the art venues, the obvious being the 80,000 seater Olympic Stadium, now home to West Ham Football Club. Westfield shopping centre has increased the volume of people coming through Stratford Underground Station tenfold, and the impressive upkeep of the Olympic Park has meant tourism has brought a consistent income into the area throughout the years after the games.
During the bid a promise was made to increase participation in sport within London and the UK as a whole, but it could be argued this was not achieved. Immediately after the games there was, of course, an increase of participation in sport with 15.9 million people participating in sport at least once a week (October 2012). However, in 2015 this number had decreased to 15.5 million. Considering this number was expected to increase following the games, the effect of the games in terms of sports participation should be questioned, and therefore the legacy should be questioned, especially considering the money spent on revamping the sporting sectors for the sole reason of increasing participation.
In terms of economic legacy, there are both positives and negatives. On the one hand, it was projected that by 2020 the London 2012 Olympics would have had an economic impact of between £28 Billion and £42 Billion in Gross Value Added (GVA). Furthermore, the economy has boosted significantly as a result of the games, with 70,000 jobs being created through the shopping centre and various other businesses in the surrounding vicinity. On the other hand, it was reported that even if bigger businesses were flourishing, the smaller businesses were starting to struggle after the games had ended.
In conclusion, it is hard to sum up as a yes or no as to whether or not the London 2012 games left a legacy. It is clear that for the area of Stratford the legacy of the games remains through the well kept Olympic Park. The area is flourishing with new housing and jobs emerging at a rate of knots. It is evident that there is a legacy that has been left behind following the game, but the “inspire a generation” quote that won London the games has not been as successful as hoped.
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