Making the Games: Developing the vision for London 2012

Speakers:

• Dame Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport (2001-7); Minister for the Olympics (2007-10); Shadow Minister for the Olympics (2010-12)
• Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London (2000-2008)
• Jackie Brock-Doyle, Communications Director for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (2005-present day)

Chair: Jill Rutter

Opening the event, Jill Rutter noted the consistency of vision that had run through London 2012, from the videos used to win the bid in Singapore, right through to the feel of London during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This event was the second in our “Making the Games” series, and would focus on how the vision for the London Olympics was developed and delivered.

Ken Livingstone argued that bringing the Olympics to London met the agendas of various stakeholders – his priority had always been the transformation of the East End, while the British Olympic Association had seen the opportunity of putting on the best Games ever. It had taken him only a few minutes of a BOA presentation on a possible London bid for the Olympics to decide to support it. A very similar proposition had been presented to the Conservative-led GLC and to Mrs Thatcher for the 1988 Games – but had been rejected out of hand.

The decision to put £300 million from the Mayor’s share of the London council tax into the Games had been easy - it came to 38p per council taxpayer per week, the cost of a ‘Walnut Whip’ chocolate. He said that both his and the BOA’s objectives for the Games had been accomplished, with the Olympics bringing necessary investment into London’s transport infrastructure. Crucially, he had persuaded Yvette Cooper at DCLG, to support the extension of utilities to the south of the Olympic Park which now had the potential to bring 50,000 new jobs and 40,000 homes into the area. The future physical legacy for the area would ultimately depend on the political leadership shown by the government and Mayor of London.

Dame Tessa Jowell explained there was “an allergy to undertaking a large project right across government” when a bid for the Olympics began to be considered, but that changed over time as people who were passionate about the Games were brought together to work on the project. The Games had been a “highly relational project”, with the relationships between key individuals within the project being more important than the complex governance structure.  

The vision recognised the importance of ensuring the Games benefited the whole country. The LOCOG Nations and Regions group had been vital; 13 million people saw the Olympic torch relay and the “Compete For” programme ensured SMEs throughout the country could get Olympic contracts. The 2010 election had proven to be less significant for the Olympics than it could have been; all parties had worked to ensure cross-party support for the Games, with this being essential for the stability of the project.

Jackie Brock-Doyle outlined the importance of clarity and consistency in the vision for the Games. She explained that the London bid had a rare clarity of message, with all stakeholders being clear on what their objectives from the Games were. There were four key objectives set from the start; the experience for athletes, the legacy for sport, the legacy for communities, and taking the Olympic movement forward. However, it also needed to be clear why London wanted the Games, and this was at the core of the vision as “until you got underneath the ‘why’, you couldn’t be sure that you could carry everyone”. Consistency had been maintained despite politic al transitions – and had allowed the organisers to cope with the unexpected – like the 2008 financial crisis.

91% of people in the UK had watched at least some of the Olympics on television, with 70% of the population watching some of the Paralympics. 85% of the BBC viewership said that the Olympics had helped to bring the nation together and 34% of adults said that the Paralympics had altered their attitudes towards disabilities. There were signs that the legacy from the Games was already taking place; 85% of schools in the UK had signed up to the ‘Get Set’ programme and 12 million people across twenty countries had participated in sport suited to their local area as a result of an Olympics initiative.

Questions focussed on longer-term benefits and ensuring the legacy; the budget and the role of sponsorship and the role of public and private investment.