The monetary cost of the Olympics varies depending on whatever authority you look at; £9.3 billion according to the Olympic Deliverary Authority (ODA) although some have said it’s more than double that. So were the monetary sacrifices worth it?
The theme of the Opening Ceremony, which set the tone for the whole Olympics, was ‘this is for everyone.’ With 7500 volunteers just in the Opening Ceremony ranging from dancers to NHS workers, and with a cast speaking, between them, dozens of languages all the boxes seemed to be ticked… but with teething issues including empty stadiums, flag mix ups, angry soldiers replacing G4S security and the legacy seemingly being taken away by big bankers and international organisations (a large part of the site of the athletes village has been sold to the Qatari royal family) it really did seem that the cynics may have had a point
But then Olympic Fever broke out and the benefits began to emerge across society. The ODA set up a Women in Construction Project in 2008 and as a result women in manual trades made up 3% of the Olympic Park workforce and 6% of the site apprentices. This may not seem much but compared to the 1-2% national average it’s a strong move in the right direction. Not only have these women been given work but many now have experience that will give them more opportunities in the future in an industry currently dominated by men.
There were also worries, not unfounded, that many would be barred from being a part of the Olympics due to the expense, whether this is the price of tickets, or the practicalities of volunteering and therefore having to rely on others to support you whilst you spend two weeks working for nothing. However this was addressed and the Olympics eventually went a long way into including everyone; initial ticket problems were sorted out as last minute tickets were released at much lower prices. There were also many paid roles as well as unpaid roles so skilled workers and professionals in many different industries from construction to T.V. had work, at least over the summer, with the Olympics and Paralympics.
It isn’t perfect though and there are unavoidably going to be people that felt it was not a celebration they were a part of. However if the energy of the woman from East London that spoke on the loud hailer at the entrance to the dressage is anything to go by, (expressing her excitement at a role she found for herself despite not being an athlete) then those that really wanted to become involved were. And even many of those that didn’t plan on enjoying the Olympics got so carried away by the atmosphere in London they wished they had. Ed Moore studying History at York shared his thoughts on the games with Vision:
“I was cynical coming into the games imagining that we could not top Beijing and that the whole thing was over budget. But after the opening ceremony I realised it was actually quite impressive and after hearing from my friends who worked there I wish that I got more involved because I feel like I’ve missed out”
When LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) began recruiting volunteers it seemed to me that students, on summer holidays, used to living off baked beans and in desperate search for work experience, would be the main group trying to take advantage of the opportunities. I was proved wrong from the moment I went to collect my accreditation for a work experience placement in the Volleyball and saw a whole cross section of society in the queue with me. Students nonetheless have formed a huge part of the face of the Olympic volunteers and workforce. Not only this but a lot of the organisation of the Games was based in Universities, whilst very little made it as far north as York, Loughborough was used significantly in the build up to the Olympics, and Bath for the Paralympics.
Loughborough was the Team GB Preparation Camp and Andrew Lawton, math’s and sports science student and editor of Loughborough’s ‘The Epinal’ tells us about the kitting out of Team GB in Loughborough:
“There was a lot of students involved, but also a lot of the local community were involved as well, it was important to use the local communities expertise and experiences in management roles and things like that. “
And whilst Loughborough is already well-known for its sporting credentials, Andrew hopes that as a legacy it will help motivate clubs to offer more sport to everyone, even at a purely recreational level, and motivate more people to take part.
Even for those of us in York where we had no official involvement in the Olympics through the University, the Olympics has still had an impact. English student Zena Jarjis says she did ‘initially feel disillusioned by it living so far away from London’ however she then got caught up in the Olympic hype and it has since motivated her to take up Volleyball.
With all this excitement there will be a lasting legacy from 2012 for students current and future. Anna Laming, University of Sydney student who spent her year abroad at York explains why she sees the Olympics as such a good thing to have happened at Sydney,
“It has improved infrastructure and created a lot of new sporting venues as well as promoting Sydney as a global destination. On top of this it created more interest in Australia in the Olympic Games. And personally the event itself gave me a lot of good memories.”
The Olympics might be over, but for everyone that took part, worked on, volunteered or even helped support volunteers, the effects and memories will be long lasting. And whilst there may have been controversies, for me the fact that the office I worked in at one stage contained presenters, soldiers, camera crew, medal bearers and students sums up how many different people were brought together and given an experience they won’t forget. The Paralympics looks set to be the perfect fairy-tale ending to London 2012.