Olympic & Paralympic Legacy

[True Blue Jack]

I freely admit to having watched every minute of the Olympic & Paralympic games that I could and have to admit to being slightly jealous of those of us who got spammed to work at the event. But as the flame is extinguished tonight and the reality of the anti-climax starts to hit from tomorrow, what will be the reality of the "legacy"?

4 years ago I watched and enjoyed the Beijing Olympics and as the hype built up for London 2012 I looked forward to seeing Ben Ainslie, Chris Hoy, Rebecca Adlington, etc. The difference for me now is that in 2016 I will also be looking forward to seeing Ellie Simmonds, Hannah Cockroft, Jon-Allen Butterworth, etc. I think Jimmy Carr's comment on Super Saturday, that he had stopped thinking about athletes' disabilities and simply wanted the wheelchair rugby team to smash their opponents as hard as possible was spot on and described my own feelings perfectly.

As an aside, looking at the adversity the paralympians have overcome to be the very best that they can be and then thinking about the lazy, feckless and workshy who leech my taxes incites a rage of Daily Mail proportions!

How long will the legacy last? Will it be all forgotten by Wednesday or will the Olympic spirit continue to pervade everything that we do?

 

[8:15fromOdium]

As an aside, looking at the adversity the paralympians have overcome to be the very best that they can be and then thinking about the lazy, feckless and workshy who leech my taxes incites a rage of Daily Mail proportions!

I am afraid the Tories will always be with us.

 

[propersplitbrainme]

I ased a similar question at the end of the main Olympics, but still haven't decided what the answer is. We've just put on the greatest show on earth, and I'll never see the likes of it again in my lifetime, and I doubt my kids will either. But is that all its destined to be, a massive 'must get tickets for' event that will be the subject of dinner party conversation ("I was there when Jess Ennis/Oscar Pistorius won their medals") for years to come but leave little in the way of a legacy of active sporting participation? I sincerely hope not, but that depends on how we build on it, how people are encouraged to get into sport either able bodied or otherwise.

I also agree about the Paralympics and just watching the competitions as sport, although I must admit that, apart from the crunching collisions, I don't quite get Wheelchair Rugby, seems too easy to score - now introduce a rule where they can only pass backwards like field rugby...... Oscar Pistorius (apart from an out of character outburst) is an ambassador for Paralympic Sport, a real easy and natural guy to listen to, and I think there's probably a role for him in the management and promotion of the games as and when he retires.

As for the cost, I don't give a flying fcuk how much it cost to be honest. Human beings aren't robots and need things to entertain them, to galvanise them and to inspire them and these Olympics have certainly done that.

 

[muttywhitedog]

How long will the legacy last? Will it be all forgotten by Wednesday or will the Olympic spirit continue to pervade everything that we do?

As much as I enjoyed the Olympics, and as much as I respect the paralympians, I feel that its now time to get back to reality. The party is over - its been bigger and better than anyone could have imagined, and hopefully a full Olympic stadium for the paralympics has gone a small way towards paying back the billions spent on building the park in the first place. We have been told that it would pay for itself, and I hope to god it does, and soon.

The money pumped into London 2012 was for one reason alone - to ensure the host nation performs better than ever before on the track, field, pool etc. We have done that, and the next olympics will be on the other side of the world, when the hype & hysteria will be someone else's. I wouldnt be surprised if funding was slowly decreased over the next few years as the Govt start thinking about the economy rather than a few gold medals for a select few in 2016.

 

[vim_fuego]

If you google 'athletic club waiting list closed' it brings up too many links to place on here where it has happened...This is the time to harness the energy and enthusiasm that the Olympics has given the nation...The sad reality is that the few clubs that are around already had waiting lists anyway so these new kids may never get a slot...6 months down the line and it might not be hard to imagine what happens to those without a club to attend and encourage them.

A second point...There I was driving home from work with 5 live on the radio...They were interviewing some big wig from the Olympic set-up [Not Coe] and it was a phone in...Some women got on the show and was asking the bloke [who had essentially been in charge of getting the whole games finished infrastructure wise] what he was going to do to make sure her child got involved with sport...at one point she was demanding from him who should be supporting her child as she took up athletics...The bloke was just too polite to point out the obvious but I was certainly shouting at the radio 'You should be you lazy, feckless and quite frankly arrogant bitch!!'

With less people like the lady above perhaps more motivated and determined parents might get down to these packed clubs and say 'how can I help? What can I do?' instead of just expecting to drop them off for what in their mind doubles as a couple of hours of free childcare...

 

[propersplitbrainme]

With less people like the lady above perhaps more motivated and determined parents might get down to these packed clubs and say 'how can I help? What can I do?' instead of just expecting to drop them off for what in their mind doubles as a couple of hours of free childcare...

I used to help out with the local U15s football team when young PSBM was playing and saw the same thing. Parents would bring their kids along to the meeting point and couldn't get away fast enough, if we were ever short of cars and needed an extra to get all the kids to the game the excuses they would come out with were pathetic...... 'oh the hamster is looking under the weather, can't possibly stay to help I think he needs me' DT_Xtremez_25:

 

[Interrupto Bastado]

Unfortunately we have a bunch of chinless spineless gutless mofos in power who would rather line their own expensive pockets than invest sensibly, appropriately and prudently in UK sports across all the sporting spectrum.
I'll give you an example of this: The University athletics track which was used by Usain Bolt and Jamaican athletics team as a training venue pre this years Olympics is at danger of being dug up and developed on. This is used by students and residents alike and is part of wider University sporting facilities used by clubs and the university. This comes from a reputable source and is in no way boolsheet.
So I don't want to appear cynical but I wouldn't trust this current bunch of self serving tw4ts to arrange the making of a cup of coffee, never mind nurture the sporting excellence for 2016 which we have seen team GB (Olympic and Paralympic) display this year.

 

[Mug?]

Dose of reality

Dose of reality

I too enjoyed the spectacle and was surprised it went so well and the competitors did so well and the weather held out for most events and hopefully a few more Japanese (and Koreans?) will turn up with cameras for a few years to come.
They all did us proud. But

It will cost too much to even expect to be able to send the number of competitors to the next games, we will need to concentrate on the best bets. As far as inspiring a generation.
If you are not the one main sailor, one of the elite cyclist team, a serial rower. Then it is time to be realistic.
There are thousands of talented hopefuls and then never get the chance as these people can go 3 games with an apparent right to defend their achievements, not leaving much room for those inspired.
Funding has already been cut and it's going to be hard.

 

[Stevienics]

It's £10B or thereabouts, I am still a human being and struggling with that - that's a lot of money even to a lot of people.

Is it smoke and mirrors or I am simply too old for the ra-ra generation?

For my generation, I think it's a cold war thing. If it looks dodgy....

 

[techie_tubby]

Thing is though it's not a £10bn party, it's a £10bn investment. If we haven't made the money back by now we will within the next year.

 

[Stevienics]

I wanna see it in pounds, shillings and pence.

I wanna see bang for buck.

I think I will be disappointed

 

[Inevertouchedit]

The 'Olympic Legacy' is alive and kicking in Daventry - EVERYONE'S out in their best tracksuits and trainers

 

[Fairynuff31]

What I don't understand is, as quoted on the BBC News this morning, why will the Olympic Park NOT be ready or suitable for general public access until the summer of 2014?.

The park seemed suitable for several millions over the past few months. So why the need for 'all the vital needed work'?
Unless its going to take yonks to put up the West Ham signs around the Athletic stadium...

 

[vim_fuego]

What I don't understand is, as quoted on the BBC News this morning, why will the Olympic Park NOT be ready or suitable for general public access until the summer of 2014?.

The park seemed suitable for several millions over the past few months. So why the need for 'all the vital needed work'?
Unless its going to take yonks to put up the West Ham signs around the Athletic stadium...

The top layer of the stadium is coming off, as it was designed to do and part of the plan, to reduce it down to a more 'fillable' size for other events...The thing that looks like a giant mattress is coming down altogether to be used elsewhere some other time. The velodrome and BMX bike track will now combine for international squad training and other cycling events...So there is some work to be done but agreed it sounds like a long lead time!

 

[CI bloke]

There are thousands of talented hopefuls and then never get the chance as these people can go 3 games with an apparent right to defend their achievements, not leaving much room for those inspired.

Not strictly true, ask Sir Chris Hoy. He was the defending champion for the sprint in the velodrome but didn't get to defend the title as he was not as quick in the qualifications prior to the Olympics. So if you're good enough, you get to go.

 

[firestorm]

I'm really proud to have played a tiny part in delivering a safe and successful games, it was harder work than I thought but I'm so glad I was involved. The legacy? That area of London was an absolute sh1thole, a polluted industrial wasteland. Its not anymore. All around the country kids are asking their parents about how to get involved in sport. I hope the spirit of optimism lasts a long time. I can't remember a time when I've been really proud to be British and the have reveled in the achievements of our nation. I've been astounded at what we can achieve with time, money, graft and the will to succeed.
Long may the feeling continue.

 

[NotAnIDOYet]

I too am proud to have done my bit for the games, I also have worked in coaching grass roots rugby and agree with the sentiment that sport is just cheap babysitting for some. I had parents (and I was coaching teenage girls) that I never met in 2 years and would never think of offering lifts for away games. Participation I sport at any level costs both time and money and will not continue without some inspirational grass roots coaching giving away their time for free.I have been swallowed up in the Inspire a Generation talk and am actively looking at ways to start coaching again, but probably away from the rugby field for a change. However it will take more than just me to continue the legacy...

 

[propersplitbrainme]

Boris has his final word...... DT_Xtremez_30:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19549553

"Not only helped inspire a generation but create one as well"

 

[NotAnIDOYet]

Boris has his final word...... DT_Xtremez_30:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19549553

"Not only helped inspire a generation but create one as well"

Just watched Boris, the man is a legend - can we make him in charge of everything now?

 

[firestorm]

Just watched Boris, the man is a legend - can we make him in charge of everything now?

Oh FFS no! The last thing we need is another posh Tory chopper who "doesn't do detail".