A critical analysis of Olympic legacies: past Olympic Games and London 2012 - Essay Example

? A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF OLYMPIC LEGACIES: PAST OLYMPIC GAMES AND LONDON Contents INTRODUCTION 3 LEGACY 3 LEGACIES OF THE PAST OLYMPIC EVENTS 4 ATTAINABLE GOALS FOR 2012 LEGACY PLAN 7 (TRANSPORTATION / FACILITIES) 7 Social Renovation 7 Trounce over attitudinal, philosophical and procedural constraints 7 Overcoming Impairments 8 Deliver Optimum Facilities 8 QUEEN ELIZABETH LEGACY PARK LAYOUT 8 TRANSPORT SYSTEM AT STRADFORD 9 VENUE CONSTRUCTION 11 CREEPING ISSUES IN LEGACY FORMATION 12 SUGGESTIONS 12 CONCLUSION 15 REFERENCES 17 Carlsen. H., 2009. Olympic legacy: sustainability and revitalization in London's East End. Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Published by Cornell University Available at http://books.google.co.in/books?id=Wso2QwAACAAJ&dq=Olympic+Legacy&hl=en 17 Great Britain: National Audit Office . 2010. Preparations for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: Progress Report February 2010. Published by The Stationery Office 17 Olympic Games and Paralymic Games 2012: Legacy. Published by The Stationery Office . Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Available at http://books.google.co.in/books?id=_t0keJ_g_u0C&dq=Olympic+Legacy&source=gbs_navlinks_s 18 18 INTRODUCTION Olympic Games have outreached the number of spectators who have become addicted to the particular event and look forward to it with all gusto. This over enthusiasm for the mega event has greatly influenced the host cities in the past and would also have a similar and far fervor impact in future as well because now interested cities and countries as host emphasize more on the legacies that such event could have on their citizens and urban regeneration as well. The London 2012 Olympics games proclaim that ‘legacy planning’ has been the central focus for the London bid to the games when compared to any other previous hosts bids. It is for the very first in the history, that legacy and planning have been worked parallel to attain broad goals and objectives for the mega event. Vision London 2012 aims for creating a lasting legacy that would regenerate the East London economically as well as socially and would result in direct benefits for the local community. Lea Valley in specific has reformed itself with almost 40,000 new homes and 50,000 new jobs (Second Report: Vol 1 2007). LEGACY Legacy in simple terms is the gift or the inheritance that one receives over a period of time and is handed down to another period of time and which can further be positive or negative in nature. In words of Hein Verbruggen, the term legacy emphasizes upon promoting educational richness instead of proclaiming to be an elitist. He said that legacy is one that ensures a certain degree of permanence between foundation and pinnacle. According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Games in the modern scenario do not cater to simple sports but need to furnish something constructive rather than 16 days of plain competition. Olympic Charter Rule 2, Article (14) specifies that a positive legacy must be promoted through the medium of Games to both the host as well as other countries as well (Second Report: Vol 1 2007). LEGACIES OF THE PAST OLYMPIC EVENTS It is quite visible that in the past years, Olympics games have resulted in creation of numerous positive legacies that the host nations have acquired through catalyzing and organizing games. for instance in the year 2008, Beijing hosted the Olympic event and gained legacies in areas such as Education, Urban Regeneration, Improved Public Health, Environment protection, higher accessibility to resources, better infrastructure , cultural protection etc (Beijing Olympic Development Association (Beijing 2008). Specifically related to infrastructure, a massive increase in the Beijing Capital Airport capacity was made which was almost aggravated by count of 24 million passengers (Factsheet 2010). Not only the airport but significant changes were witnessed in form of express way construction and speedy rail link formation which was extended up to Tianjin. The overall transport capacity marked a remarkable extension with almost a count of 4.5 million people (Factsheet 2010). New ring roads and subway lines were also added. This clearly reveals the surmount legacies that Beijing Olympics rendered to its host. In addition to facilities as a form of legacy creation, twenty three Beijing venues were utilized for conducting sports events, conferences locations etc. Six venues were purely catering to student’s needs and usage after the completion of event. To promote tourism, the International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre were the focal points (Factsheet 2010) Olympic Summer Games held in Athens 2004, encountered numerous changes in urban regeneration, branding, environment and cultural preservation, economic and educational enhancements, venue establishments etc (Hellenic Olympic Properties 2004). Transportation and extended facilities primarily focused upon developing a new and refurbished metropolitan and subversive system which holds a capacity of carrying 1,000,000 passengers on a daily basis which is almost twenty percent of the entire population of the country (Factsheet 2010). New road stretch of 90kms was constructed and was further extended and widened up to 120kms with advanced and computerized high tech traffic control system for better management and organization (Factsheet 2010). A detailed project regarding construction of airport was also successfully completed, opening up fresh avenues for the host country to multiply its revenue through increased tourist frequency. As far as venue development is concerned, the Olympics 2004 in Athens have transformed most of their venues from sports to other facilities such as theatre, shopping complex, convention centers, commercial spaces, university premises etc. Thus a positive legacy is left behind which can help the nation to prosper and grow in future. The drastically improvised infrastructure has certainly transformed the overall structure and economy of the host. A CRITICAL REVIEW OF LONDON 2012’S LEGACY PLANS: TRANSPORTATION AND FACILITIES East London in particular is strongly focused for attaining long term growth and restoration. This is the land which is underprivileged and deprived of various amenities, despite of the availability of immense collection of land (Carlsen 2009). Thus London 2012 legacy plan aims to transform the East London from one of the poorest regions to one that has a significant share in the country’s intensification and growth. It has been observed that people residing in the Eastern part of the London enjoy a low standard of life when compared with other parts of the city; hence the hosting of mega Olympic event has profound significance in order to physically make over this particular region by restructuring the infrastructure, the Park that would further help in revival and restoration of the area. Approximately 740 acres of degraded, low ranked industrial area and polluted land has been converted into rich legacy of spacious sports venues, magnificent Waterside Park, a newly constructed village with a residential housing capacity of 2800 families, refined local rail system, developed 100 acres of fallow land (Factsheet 2010). From the legacy build up point of view, master plans have been designed and strategized in such a manner that the most paramount principles and guidelines for attaining an inclusive design strategy can be imbibed and implemented. The landscaping and designing of the Olympic park has been undertaken to opt for a shallow gradient specifically. To create a legacy environment , focus has been laid on transportation and parking facilities, lighting, provision of open space, extending signage, introducing street furniture’s, ensuring adequate sanitary provisions, informative counters at regular intervals , special services designed for the spectators or the audience and introduction of exclusive emergency facilities if need be (Sustainability Report 2008). Special set of modus operandi has been formulated between ODA and the Local Planning Authority for introducing legacy makeover. Expert designers are engaged from all across the world to develop the most appropriate solutions for attaining the inclusive design concept. Individual access plans are drafted for individual game legacy venues in consultation with the ODA Built Environment Access Panel. A legacy of renewal and sustainable development is implemented for transformation of east London (Carlsen 2009). With the legacy plan for future in the year 2018, Crossrail project is expected to have enough potential for business growth in London region and strongly presenting Stratford as a premium shopping, leisure and tourist location as it has been the most preferred location for rejuvenation and development for past many years. ATTAINABLE GOALS FOR 2012 LEGACY PLAN (TRANSPORTATION / FACILITIES) The primary objectives that have been worked upon during the designing process of stadiums, transport services and Legacy Park mainly emphasize towards realizing a visible social and economic transformation in East London (Sustainability Report 2008). Social Renovation The legacy creation emphasises mainly to overpower all kinds of corporeal, functional and technical constraints that arise during the construction, execution and implementation of the plan. Trounce over attitudinal, philosophical and procedural constraints While designing transport services and extending other facilities such as construction of legacy parks and stadiums, special focus is given to overcome the attitudinal and environmental pitfalls that lead to discrimination in imparting of services to different segments of people (Dunwoody 2006). With the implementation of designed process, everyone irrespective of their age, gender, caste etc would be given a fair chance to participate in the Olympics 2012. Overcoming Impairments The construction and designing of new buildings , legacy parks and other transportation services is focused on overcoming all possible injuries, destruction etc, keeping up to different religious beliefs such as non white ethnic groups, Muslim community etc. Deliver Optimum Facilities The designing ensures that facilities which are all inclusive in terms of safety and dignity, highly responsive, flexible, expedient, accommodative and realistic must be taken into consideration while constructing stadiums, legacy parks etc. With the incorporation of the above mentioned key accredits, the prevalent benefits that ODA aims to attain are: To engender a constructive and sanguine attitude towards sports To extend payback of social inclusion in terms of community welfare and development To aim for enhancement and progress in discharging world class sporting facilities To aim for social and economic development To maximise cost effectiveness by developing fruitful legacy plan To achieve regeneration To attain maximum safety and security To achieve principle of equality and indiscrimination QUEEN ELIZABETH LEGACY PARK LAYOUT The London Olympic Park is a budding project which is still under progress and almost at the verge of completion, getting prepared to host an exorbitant gathering for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics events. It is proposed that the Olympic Park would be renamed after Queen Elizabeth II and henceforth would be acknowledged as Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in future. The layout plan for the construction of Legacy has already been confirmed and constructed. The legacy park situated in East London is not a very sophisticated one, due to which a deep thought has been poured for its reconstruction and freshly drafted to get ready for hosting a mammoth event and creating future opportunities for growth in terms of education, cultural development, economic growth etc (Poynter , MacRury 2009). The layout of the legacy park is such that great emphasis is given to nurture the local ecology. The layout entails three main arenas the Olympic Park, the River Zone and the Central Zone, including venues such as Sports venues comprising of Olympic stadium, the aquatic hub, hockey pivot, basketball area, and handball area, the London Velopark, the Eton Manor and the Olympic Village. The inclusions of the above mentioned arena in the legacy park have been made in order to construct a giant technological hub and realize development and enhancement of the local regions (Toohey, Veal 2000). EDAW's team who is been assigned the work for the layout have incorporated changes consistently keeping into consideration the changing needs and parallel developments. Changes have taken place in setting the location of the village, the media centres etc to enhance the overall quality and security features of the park layout (Great Britain: National Audit Office 2010). TRANSPORT SYSTEM AT STRADFORD Most of the developments for the Olympics 2012 have already taken shape at Stratford, London. The people have been greatly benefitted from the transport capacity planning system at the regional station which is the prime entry to the grand mega event (Dunwoody 2006). The participants who own up the statutory powers for making the best of the legacy prospects comprise of Mayor of London, the Olympic Park Legacy Company, the East London boroughs of Newham, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, Tower Hamlets, Greenwich and Hackney. Almost ?100m and even more has already been invested in constructing appropriate transportation services at the station to enhance its capacity and making it more comfortable and easy usage for people at large (Report: London Olympics 2012: Transport). By the year 2016, the number of people expected to use the particular station is likely to increase by double the figure that is almost 83,000. For increasing the capacity, many measures have been taken such as provision of better elevators and spacious staircases. The platforms have been reconstructed for providing wider area, a new central line platform has been constructed at new westbound, an upper floor entrance has been created, a subway has been started (Report: London Olympics 2012: Transport). The different control measures that have been adopted by ODA for enhancement of capacity planning are: The vehicles are restricted to be parked at forbidden areas London 2012 has initiated collaboration within the River Zone in order to establish such a plan that can help in reduction of heavy traffic during the execution of games. Effective measures such as restriction on major construction works, deliveries to be rescheduled after the prime working hours and encouraging people to work from home would be undertaken. High capacity roads are constructed Remote monitoring and control is done Optimization of timings of journey are planned, bus lane cameras almost 1370 in number have been put, 400 speed cameras are being benefitted, 250 traffic management cameras are installed. Apart from the above, few of the other measures undertaken to promote transportation legacy in specific are: Reconstruction of Stratford regional station is undertaken Chiltern Line is upgraded Asset reconstruction at prime junctions is undertaken Platforms are extended, power and signage is duly taken care off Lee Valley Line is enhanced in terms of infrastructure VENUE CONSTRUCTION ODA has built up five main permanent sporting venues within the park premises that consist of the Olympic stadium which will turn out to be a 25,000 seat multi purpose venue offering additional facilities such as training development, medicine facilities etc. , the Aquatics Centre includes a two fifty metre pool along with a well equipped fitness centre catering to the elite class and further redeveloping the local community as its legacy mode, the Hockey centre, the Velodrome that extends a 3000 unit seating plan aiming to develop recreational BMX tracks and the indoor stadium as well having a total capacity of 10000 people (Factsheet 2010). However controversies have always been a centre of attraction in building up venues for Olympics 2012, such as the International Broadcast and Main Press Centre which have been under extreme hullabaloo due to its cost concerns and now has been adjudged as a light industrial space as a legacy usage. The total budget which has been sanctioned for the Olympic Park and other planned venues equals to almost ?1.65 billion out of which ?9.3 billion has been granted through the public sector fund (Factsheet 2010). CREEPING ISSUES IN LEGACY FORMATION In the recent past many negatives issues have come up on the surface which reveal that the conversion of 2012 Olympics meant for regeneration of London is actually proving to be unconstructive for sports and disastrous for politics. Till the year 2008, the UK Department of Sports assured that the London 2012 games would certainly accomplish the pre defined objectives and present UK as one of the finest sporting nation creating a legacy in new transformed East London in terms of transportation and other rendered facilities, however as the new Labour minister approached with her legacy plan, things seemed to be topsy-turvy as the event hosting would involve an exorbitant price which is the largest in a generation till date. The event is proving to be the heaviest burden the government has ever faced. The legacy’s looming failure of promises for creating better transport arrangements and setting magnificent venues has urged critics to put forward their viewpoints. In view of the Chairman of British Olympic Association, Lord Moynihan, “The policies are not seen to be put into practice or action, thus highly demotivating for the youth for whom the sporting legacy plans were targeted for”. SUGGESTIONS Looking at the current scenario of the London 2012 mega event, things seem to be unpleasant. The legacy once planned seems to be a failure in action. Businesses or the youth are not too keen to render their active participation for the events success, hence this is an alarming signal for the organisers to plan a course of action that revitalizes the youth and brings the call out to the public for realizing the real objective behind the hosting of the event. The potential employment and improved transportation which was considered to be the focal point of the legacy plan is missing. The government must by all means create opportunities whereby, the employment can be generated and also the low cost housing can be made available to the public at large. Though there are numerous people available who are eager to participate in organizing the London event and facilitating in creation of a legacy worth ?9.3 billion, but people have now started doubting the relevance of creating the legacy itself (Factsheet 2010). According to Professor Gavin Poynter’s, the whole concept of sporting legacy has turned into a game of politics. Sporting legacy has to aim for positive reconstruction of the city, its infrastructure and the technology. People have to be assured of the legacy aimed for their growth. Confidence has to be instigated in government actions and practices. It has been argued that the way London 2012 has been projected by the changing governments, as a medium to justify the huge investments, actually completely ignores the central focus that is the public itself for whom the Olympic legacy policies are framed. In other terms it is being criticized that the policymaking is excluding the public factor. It is the legacy word that is creating all the charm and not the support and cooperation of the public. Looking at the above concern, it becomes imperative for the government to involve public and their opinion. All sorts of conflicts and contradictions between the social requisites and the commercial essentials must be resolved. Legacies seem to be hollow, for instance the venues which are constructed and transportation facilities extended are more prone to attract foreigners and international investors but are insignificant when local welfare or living standards of majority people are concerned. The government must ensure that economic development along with upliftment of local population of the city must be visible in legacy plans and general public must be taken into confidence and their trust must be gained first. Olympic legacy must not be substituted with mere politics. Still the eight-lane circle which is the prime focus of the 2012 legacy plan is not complete than how will the other plans of venue construction be justified. Funding has to be arranged in due course of time so that the negative impact that the failure of Olympic stadium deal has caused can be wiped off. There is a dire need for the change in the strategy of the games, if the adverse situation has to be transformed into a booming one. There has to be a consensus among the decisions makers of the Olympics 2012. The venues planned for the event still seem to be under used or under utilized and can be taken to be an important cause of the incomplete legacy. The government must take timely and necessary steps for making sustainable use of the planned resources, so that development and growth for the targeted destination can take place. It is seen that boroughs possess a less skill rate in comparison to other London areas, thus the prime objective must be to generate numerous jobs that benefits the local people. Legacy creation in terms of facility creation and physical activity is damn slow; hence the process of legacy development must be aggravated. However, the legacy goals must be realistic, clear and attainable that must not project expectations which cannot be catered too in the future. A very essential component in the hosting of the event must be the political and individual accountability that holds responsible specific people for incompletion of the legacy. CONCLUSION After analyzing the strategies and legacy plans for the Olympic 2012 event, it can be found that the plans specifically for the facility extension and transportation legacies are still unclear (Legacy Limited 2010). The long lasting and sustainable use of venues such as media centre and Olympic Stadium must be identified and legacy plans must be formulated. Looking from a critical point of view, from the last three months, lot of controversies have surrounded the 2012 event. Media disparagement has projected the legacy plans in a dire state, almost at the verge of failure. The venues are still incomplete, and transportation facilities are inadequate. It is visible from the plans that difficulties have appeared quite early than the expected time period. Heavy cost burden is the key factor that can turn the legacy plans into disappointment. However leaving apart the cost factor, things can be brought on track. The venues if properly utilized as future legacy can contribute massively towards the regeneration of the poorest location of London. All costs must be clearly justified, leaving no scope of controversy or conflicts. It can be said that non commercial interventions have imperative if the legacy has to be realized. The future seems to be quite uncertain, especially when the capacity of the stadium is adjudged which is undermine when compared with the potential plan. To top it with the Football Premier League issue, the legacy has been threatened. Developing of numerous facilities such as venues, local sites, transport, infrastructure etc is the best means to enhance sports participation amongst the local crowd. REFERENCES Beijing Olympic Development Association (Beijing 2008): Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Available at http://www.beijing2008.cn/ Carlsen. H., 2009. Olympic legacy: sustainability and revitalization in London's East End. Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Published by Cornell University Available at http://books.google.co.in/books?id=Wso2QwAACAAJ&dq=Olympic+Legacy&hl=en Cashman. R.,and Toohey. K., 2002. The Contribution of the Higher Education Sector to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games,98 pp, $15. Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Available at Australian Centre for Olympic Studies:www.business.uts.edu.au/olympic Dunwoody . G., 2006. Going for Gold: Transport for London's 2012 Olympic Games; Third Report of Session 2005-06. Published by The Stationery Office, 2006. Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Available at http://books.google.co.in/books?id=le1B5Va5JJ8C&pg=PA44&dq=Olympic+Legacy&hl=en#v=onepage&q=Olympic%20Legacy&f=false Hellenic Olympic Properties (Athens 2004): Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Available at http://www.olympicproperties.gr/default_en.asp Factsheet: Legacies of the Games: Update- January 2010. Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Available at http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/Legacy.pdf Great Britain: National Audit Office . 2010. Preparations for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: Progress Report February 2010. Published by The Stationery Office Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Available at http://books.google.co.in/books?id=tcgvMditqd4C&dq=Olympic+Legacy&source=gbs_navlinks _s London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games: funding and legacy. Second Report of Session 2006–07 Volume I Report, together with formal minutes. Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Available at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmselect/cmcumeds/69/69i.pdf Legacy Limited? A review of the Olympic Park Legacy Company's role. February 2010. Economic Development, Culture, Sport and Tourism Committee. Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Available at http://www.london.gov.uk/who-runs-london/the-london-assembly/publications/2012-games/legacy-limited Olympic Games and Paralymic Games 2012: Legacy. Published by The Stationery Office . Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Available at http://books.google.co.in/books?id=_t0keJ_g_u0C&dq=Olympic+Legacy&source=gbs_navlinks_s Poynter. G., and MacRury. I., 2009. Olympic cities: 2012 and the remaking of London. Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Published by Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Available at http://books.google.co.in/books?id=YOlHevOfgn8C&dq=Olympic+Legacy&source=gbs_navlinks_s Report: London Olympics 2012: Transport. Published on 1st March, 2010. [Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Available at http://www.london2012.com/making-it-happen/ Sustainability Report 2008. “How and why London 2012 will host the greenest Games ever inclusive Design Inclusive Design Strategy June 2008 Olympic Delivery Authority”. [Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Available at http://www.london2012.com/documents/oda-publications/oda-design-strategy.pd Toohey. K., and Veal. J. A., 2000. The Olympic Games: A Social Science Perspective. Wallingford, CABI. Veal. J. A., Sport for All & the Legacy of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Paper to the Third International Event Management Research Conference: Sydney, July, 2005. Accessed on 25th Nov, 2011. Available at http://business.uts.edu.au/acem/pdfs/sporting_impacts_toohey.pdf Read More