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The Summer of Fun is over…
Sep. 9th, 2012 11:34 pmThe closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games has just ended. The last seven weeks have been quite important for London and the United Kingdom.
First, despite our reputation for cockups, falling down on the job, and making do with the best of a bad lot, the execution of the Games has exceeded all our expectations. There was little or no public disorder, no terrorist activity here, all the venues were ready on time and to the (admittedly expanded) budget, the lack of G4S security screeners was filled by our soldiers, and the feeling left in the country after it all ended is one of "Well done! We feel good about ourselves and about our athletes."
Second, we still have a job to do. We must convert the Olympic Park and the Olympic Village into useful venues that will be a lasting legacy to East London and the nation. This is harder than it sounds. The Olympic Stadium has not yet been sold to a football club—the two clubs that were in negotiation to buy it have pulled back and there is no active bidder at the moment. The Olympic Park needs to be scrubbed up and presented as a recreational area for the nation and the area. I believe this won't be finished until the end of the month.
Third, and most important, we must think about how to continue the good feelings we have almost all shared during these games and get children interested in more than just sitting in front of a computer playing video games. The Tory/LibDem coalition has permitted the sale of many school playing fields in order to fill up the coffers of the government. However, where will children be able to play sports if the fields are covered in blocks of luxury flats?
I congratulate everyone, from Lord Coe down to the least of the volunteers. I hope that the gongs come thick and fast (especially for Tom Daley, who should get at least an OBE!) and that we can harness the electricity and the spirit of these games to help rebuild our shattered economy and society.
First, despite our reputation for cockups, falling down on the job, and making do with the best of a bad lot, the execution of the Games has exceeded all our expectations. There was little or no public disorder, no terrorist activity here, all the venues were ready on time and to the (admittedly expanded) budget, the lack of G4S security screeners was filled by our soldiers, and the feeling left in the country after it all ended is one of "Well done! We feel good about ourselves and about our athletes."
Second, we still have a job to do. We must convert the Olympic Park and the Olympic Village into useful venues that will be a lasting legacy to East London and the nation. This is harder than it sounds. The Olympic Stadium has not yet been sold to a football club—the two clubs that were in negotiation to buy it have pulled back and there is no active bidder at the moment. The Olympic Park needs to be scrubbed up and presented as a recreational area for the nation and the area. I believe this won't be finished until the end of the month.
Third, and most important, we must think about how to continue the good feelings we have almost all shared during these games and get children interested in more than just sitting in front of a computer playing video games. The Tory/LibDem coalition has permitted the sale of many school playing fields in order to fill up the coffers of the government. However, where will children be able to play sports if the fields are covered in blocks of luxury flats?
I congratulate everyone, from Lord Coe down to the least of the volunteers. I hope that the gongs come thick and fast (especially for Tom Daley, who should get at least an OBE!) and that we can harness the electricity and the spirit of these games to help rebuild our shattered economy and society.
