The Success of the London 2012 Olympic Games in terms of Sustainability - Coursework Example

? Executive summary Sustainable development practices have become one of the most crucial issues of contemporary times. It has now become essential that environment conservation and preservation need to be intrinsically linked to human activities so that finite resources of the nature could be sustained for future generation. London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were seen as major initiatives towards sustainable development and were organized on theme of sustainability of resources. The sustainable legacy of games evolved as critical inputs that significantly contributed to the sustainable development of the East London, the most deprived region of London and UK. Sustainability principles were applied in all areas of activities of the Games that helped to achieve the broader objectives of sustainable legacy plans. The five themes vis-a-vis climate change; waste management; biodiversity; inclusion; and healthy living were major platforms that exploited sustainability principles to bring about major change in the behaviour of the people as well as initiated a new paradigm of sustainability within sports. London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games successfully achieved its sustainability objectives as defined within its plans. Introduction Sustainable development practices have become one of the most crucial issues of contemporary times. Scientific advancement, globalization and lifestyle changes have brought mixed blessings in people’s lives. While they have contributed to better living conditions, they have also been linked to degradation of environment that threatens the survival of human species on earth. The adverse effect on the ecology necessitates development of effective mechanism that would address the issue of sustainable practices within our lifestyles. The environment conservation and preservation need to be intrinsically linked to human activities so that finite resources of the nature could be sustained for future generation. Government, private and public organizations and people at large, therefore become proactive participants in the entrepreneurial process of sustainable development. Consequently, London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games was envisaged as major initiatives towards sustainable development and were organized on themes of sustainability of resources (IOC-1, 2012). The paper is an analytical business report on the success of the London 2012 Olympic Games in terms of sustainability. Overview of London Olympics London 2012 Olympic Games were held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 which was followed by Paralympic Games from 29 August to 9 September where 300 events were held. 205 nations took part in Olympic Games and 147 nations in Paralympic Games. 10, 568 athletes participated in the games with women making 44% of the competitors. The games witnessed more than 25,000 artists across the countries, 70, 000 volunteers, nearly 1.5 million people visited free events at festival, 1,450,000 visited gallery and museum and over 600,000 people attended events, performances etc. at the games (IOC-2, 2012). Managing and catering to the needs of gigantic number of people was a major challenge for London Olympic committee, especially when sustainability was critical issue across all activities of the Games. The responsibility for organizing the games was primarily on LOCOG or London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and ODA or Olympic Delivery Authority. The two organisations were supported by various stakeholders like Minister of Olympics, Mayor of London and British Olympic Association. The main partners were: London Development Authority (LDA), Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), Transport of London, British Paralympic Association; six host boroughs vis-a-vis Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forests; and sponsors and commercial partners (London 2012 sustainable plan, 2009). LOCOG was meticulous in its strategic planning and earned gold in Environmental and Sustainability category of the 6th International Sports Event Management awards. The games were huge success and received notable credentials for embedding the core principles of sustainability across its diverse activities during Games. Sustainability plans of the organizers Olympic Games are the world’s largest sporting events followed by Paralympic Games. London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were unique not only in their approach but also in the wider legacy aims that were designed for lasting and sustainable future. They were the torchbearers for sustainable practices within sporting events. The vision of London 2012 Olympics was to use the power of games to inspire significant change in the lifestyle of people. Principles of sustainability underpinned all activities of London 2012 Olympic Games. From 2005, when London was chosen to host Olympic Games in 2012, strategic planning had started to organize the games within the broad spectrum of sustainable development practices with key objective of leaving a sustainable legacy for future generation. East London, least developed and most deprived area of UK and London was chosen to host the world’s largest event. The games had adopted five major themes where sustainability objectives and principles were applied (London 2012 sustainable plan, 2009): Climate change It was principal imperative that guided London 2012 Olympic Games. Major initiatives were taken for energy and water conservation. Emphasis was on developing and using renewable energy and making critical efforts to reduce carbon emission and carbon footprints. Waste Effective waste management strategies were developed to reduce non-biodegradable waste, recycle and reuse material to promote environment conservation. Most importantly, games-time waste was diverted from landfill and major efforts were made to minimize waste from source and maximize reuse and recycle. Biodiversity The games were designed to create greater awareness of biodiversity and maintain the ecology of lower region of East London. The sporting event was used as catalyst for behavioural changes in people towards use of natural resources and importance of biodiversity for preserving environment. Inclusion The games also served as vital platform for inclusion and creating avenues and mechanisms for diverse populace to become part of mainstream activities. Major objectives included creation of opportunities for physical, economic and social integration of communities across Lower Lea Valley and surrounding region. Thus employment, training, housing, accessibility etc. emerged as important facilitators of legacy aims. Healthy living Healthy lifestyle and safety are crucial ingredients for happy and prosperous future. The games would inspire people for sustainable food consumption, importance of clean air and water, safe business practices, physical activities for better health and become proactive participants in environment conservation and preservation. Sporting infrastructure would be improved and barriers would be removed to encourage greater participation of children and adults, including persons with disabilities in physical activities and sports. The games would promote sustainable linkages for long term benefits of communities at large in and around East London. These five thematic areas had encompassed important facets of games with long term legacy of sustainable practices. The 246 hectares Olympic Park in East London was the main venue for the games accommodating ten sports venues, Olympic village, media centres and parkland. Sustainability plan included long term benefits for communities vis-a-vis regeneration of natural resources, employment, affordable housing for poor, training, volunteering opportunities, behavioural changes in people and motivating them for healthier lifestyle that would also support environment conservation and preservation. The vision of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games was to deliver the most sustainable games in terms of delivery, achievement and long term impact on event management industry. The sustainability plan covered all three phases: Preparation for the games This included strategic planning for renewable energy resources; setting up of benchmark of sustainability for different activities like construction of permanent and temporary structures; selection of sustainable supply chain for various products and services that would be required for games. Event staging It involved sustainable approach within sporting and non-sporting activities like food, supply chain, transport, waste management, biodiversity, reduce carbon emission and constantly monitoring carbon footprint etc. The various stakeholders of London 2012 jointly promoted set of new sustainability standards for event management through all phases that would significantly contribute towards sustainability of resources on a long-term basis. Sustainability principles were extensively applied within the selected five themes using strategic planning and actions plans that would deliver the legacy aims and objectives while ensuring that the games were successfully organized while serving as sterling example of sustainable practices within sports. Building sustainable legacy This is one of the most important issues of London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games that was designed towards developing a lasting and sustainable legacy for London, UK and the global community at large. It envisaged behavioural changes within the lifestyle of people and inspired them for adopting more energy and water efficient ways, making sustainable consumption choices and creating greater awareness for the needs and requirements of diversity. ‘Towards a one planet 2012’ was a serious commitment that encompassed the notion that people need to adopt sustainable practices to ensure that finite resources of the earth are not over-strained and future generation continues to enjoy the benefit of clean air, water and land resources (wwf, 2007). Detailed review of one of the aspects of the sustainability plans Inclusion is hugely important aspect of sustainability plan that gives credence to the concept and meaning of sustainable practices. London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were designed to ensure that everyone could become part of the sporting event either directly or indirectly. Inclusion broadly defines the segment that is most vulnerable with regard to basic human needs and requirement including accessibility to good health, education, employment, housing etc. London 2012 was seen as a great opportunity to address the issue of inclusion and seek sustainable solution to the problem. The six host Boroughs of East London have 22% of London’s Blacks, Asians and minority ethnic (BAME) population with 2/3rd of Bangladeshi, 2/3rd of Pakistani community and 1/4th of London’s African population (London 2012 sustainability report, 2009). While these five Boroughs boast of residents speaking more than 110 different languages, Newham alone has 61% of BAME population (ibid, 2013). Environmental factors like income generation activities and employment opportunities, health, education etc. considerably influence socio-economic status of people. To address the challenges of East London, it was developed as hub for main activities of Olympic sport events. The priority areas identified were as follows: Promote employment opportunities for all including disabled population, minority and others cutting across gender, age, colour, race and communities. Promoting suppliers diversity and providing opportunities for local business including minority owned businesses and involvement of social enterprises. Integrating Olympic and Paralympic Games to give similar experience to participants and spectators. Creating architecture and urban design based on inclusive principles and accessibility. Engaging local population and people across UK in the sport activities and motivating them for healthy lifestyle changes. Exploiting cultural Olympiad and Games for highlighting UK’s multiculturalism and diversity. To ensure that Olympic Park facilitates a sustainable legacy that fundamentally promotes equity across race, culture, colour, age and gender and promotes integration of vulnerable segment into the mainstream population. Target The main targets that focused on sustainability principles were: All venues were accessible and were designed within the broader principles of inclusion. To provide 20,000 training places in Olympic Park in the next five years Ensure that London 2012 suppliers get 20% of estimated 75000 contract opportunities. London Employment and Skills Taskforce (LEST) helps to provide employment. 50% of 2800 homes in Olympic Village are classified affordable for minority and diverse populace of five Boroughs of East London. Bridging the Gap project helps to deliver 6000 trained and qualified employees from 100 further education colleges in UK. To ensure that more people participate in the games. Develop games mobility services for spectators at all venues. Develop International inspiration education program that would reach 20 million children across the globe. LOCOG has set target for workforce as under; BAME 18-29% Disabled 3-6% Women 46-54% LGBT 7-10% Under 30 20-30% Above 50 10-15% ODA in constructions has following target BAME 15% Disabled 3% Women 11% Achievements London 2012 Games were huge success that contributed to the sustainable development of London Boroughs that played key roles in hosting the Olympic and Paralympic games. Moreover, they were pioneers in introducing the concept of sustainability within the sports with long term positive ramifications for various stakeholders including the public. The games had achieved nearly 100% of their projected goals and targets of sustainability in different areas associated with the games. In the thematic area of inclusion, it witnessed tremendous development and achievement of target. The games were especially significant in the growth of the region of East London and were successful in bringing it at par with the rest of the London and UK. The sustainability achievements are as follows LOCOG, 2012): 23.5% of people employed by LOCOG belonged to the five Boroughs of East London. 70% of the LOCOG suppliers belonged to small and medium enterprises encompassing minority and diversity. Nearly 39% of the staff directly employed by LOCOG was previously unemployed. Training was important intervention was used for supporting sustainable employment opportunities through LEST. Accessibility was intrinsically linked within the transport planning with venues being 100% accessible for people with disabilities. Travel Demand Management was key facilitator for providing state of the art transport system and information for all types of travellers/visitors to the games site including businesses and freight industry. Spectator Journey Planner and London 2012 Active Travel Programme hugely helped travellers to plan their visit to the venues for sports and encouraged them for walking and cycling to the games. There was 158% more cyclists in East London and 158% more pedestrians that revealed change in behaviour. More than 50% of suppliers were from host Boroughs and greater London. Short opinion survey on aspects of sustainability at GSM London Short opinion survey on different aspects of sustainability at GSM London showed greater awareness and appreciation for sustainability issues and their willingness to become proactive in contributing towards its cause. Survey participants were hugely impressed with the transformed East London, especially the Olympic Park, the housing and huge employment generation within the host Boroughs that had made significant mark on the development of the region on a sustainable basis. Most importantly, people coming from different culture, race, colour and ethnicity appreciated equity and diversity that was included within the Olympic agenda. The inclusive design and accessibility along with facilities that encouraged more physical activities and involvement with sports was vital factor for attracting people from diverse background to take part and directly/ indirectly become part of sustainable drive which was the objective of the game. Conclusion Sustainability plans for East London were key objectives for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The organizers distinctly recognized the need to be different and address the critical issue of sustainability within the broader scope and objectives of world’s largest sports event. The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic games were therefore important milestones in the history of Olympic Games that helped to integrate the principles of sustainability across the myriad activities of the Olympic and Paralympic sporting events. It helped to establish new benchmark of ISO 20121 for events industry that provides framework for organizations for integrating sustainability within organizational strategy and operations (Stubbs, 2012). The London 2012 was successful both in terms of the organisation of the games with highest standards and for ensuring the sustainable legacy of the games in terms of long-term socio-economic development of the region. It also helped in changing the attitude and behaviour of people and made them more sensitive towards environment conservation and preservation and to adopt sustainable practices in their energy and water consumption. (words: 2528) Reference IOC(a). (2012) Pushing the boundaries. Available: http://www.olympic.org/sustainability [30 November 2013]. IOC(b). (2012) Factsheet: London 2012 - Facts and Figures, Available: http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/London_2012_Facts_and_Figures-eng.pdf [30 November 2013]. IOC. (2012) LOCOG. (December, 2012) Legacy of change: London 2012 Post-Games Sustainability Report, Available: http://learninglegacy.independent.gov.uk/documents/pdfs/sustainability/5-london-2012-post-games-sustainability-report-interactive-12-12-12.pdf [30 November 2013]. London 2012 sustainable plan. (2009) Towards a one planet 2012, Available: http://www.bioregional.com/files/downloads/london-2012-sustainability-plan.pdf [30 November 2013]. WWF. (2007) Towards a one planet Olympics revisited, Available: http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/towards_a_one_planet_olympics_revisited.pdf [30 November 2013]. Stubbs, David. (2012) Learning Legacy: Assuring the sustainability of the Games, Retrieved from: http://learninglegacy.independent.gov.uk/documents/pdfs/sustainability/cs-assuring-the-sustainability-of-the-games.pdf [30 November 2013]. Annexure 1 Short Opinion survey questionnaire Q1. Do you believe that London 2012 was able to deliver the objectives of sustainability? a Yes b No. c Don’t know Q2. Do you believe sustainable practices are important? d Yes e No. f Don’t know Q3. Have you become more aware of sustainability issues? g Yes h No. i Don’t know Q4. How would you contribute towards sustainable practices? a Adopt energy efficient ways like walking and using common transport b Using renewable resources of energy c Reducing carbon emission and promoting carbon footprint d Changing habits that indiscriminately use natural resources e All of the above f None of the above Q5. Do you believe that diversity should become intrinsic part of social life? j Yes k No. l Don’t know Q6. Do you believe that post-Olympic games, people have become more aware of sustainable development and sustainable practices? a Yes b No. c Don’t know Read More