There can be no doubt that the 2012 Olympic games were a huge success. Hackney were excellent hosts, the venues spectacular and the competition even better still.
For two weeks in the summer of 2012, London was the sporting focus of the world. However, when the confetti cleared and the crowds departed, the people of London were left with one unavoidable question.
What happens now?
Intentions Vs Actions
‘Inspire a generation’. That was the motto for the 2012 games. A catchy slogan, but no clear on what it exactly meant. Was the hope to inspire the people of Britain to take up sport and be like the Olympic hero’s they were watching? If so, how exactly?
The slogan in some ways summed up the legacy games in better ways than anyone could have imagined. It looks and sounds great, has the best intentions but does not actually come through with it
Getting Our Money’s Worth
The idea of inspiring a generation through sport is a lovely sentiment but for an event that cost British taxpayers approximately £9.3bn, it’s the least you would expect. Ahead of the games, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said the following on the cost of the 2012 games, in an article with BBC (2012).
“I think the time to ask people if it’s good value for money is after we’ve had the Olympics and they can see it’s been good for the country.”
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17741213
The time has come to ask the people, and many have been critical. Not simply of the games but of the empty promises of legacies and funding for sports that came along with it. With billions spent and not much more than some great memories and an empty Olympic park to show for it, the public have a right to wonder what happened to inspiring a generation.
Disparity In Funding
A microcosm of London’s inconsistencies with carrying out the 2012 legacy can be seen in the when looking at football and basketball and the gulf in funding between them. Despite both being two of the country’s most popular sports at youth level, British basketball originally received no funding following the 2012 games.
According to The Independent (2016), basketball was second only to football with 218,000 children aged 14-16 playing the sport once a week. The participation is there but because the GB Basketball did not deliver the youth are forced to pay the price.
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/us-sport/national-basketball-association/team-gb-funding-cuts-are-killing-british-basketball-a6886486.html
How a generation can be inspired, when a sport that hundreds of thousands of children enjoy playing gets stripped of all funding because the national team didn’t bring home a medal?
This hypocrisy of the 2012 motto could go on to be its most glaring legacy. It feels typical that in a Games where the goal was to inspire the youth and future generations, the biggest beneficiary was a Premier League football club.
The Rich Get Richer
The Olympic stadium, the crown jewel of London 2012 which featured many of the major events, was left without a purpose following the culmination of the games. Despite claims and promises that the stadium would not be used for football, the owners caved in 2016, allowing West Ham united to rent the venue.
After years of controversy and wasted taxpayer money trying to find sponsors for the stadium, many saw the move of West Ham United as inevitable. It appears eventually, the money that comes with football and PL became too much to resist.
With London’s former Olympic centrepiece now being filled with 55,000 football fans, does the last of the flawed legacy go with it?
A Glimmer Of Hope
It has been well documented that Basketball hasn’t received the funding that its participation levels have deserved. It is therefore no surprise that players, coaches and fans of the sport have all been left soured after their experience with London 2012.
Its clear that nowhere near enough has been done for the sport of basketball over the last eight years. However, the BBL’s London Lions have managed to fight the lack of funding and breathe new life back into the Olympic Park.
Since acquiring the Copper Box arena as their home court for the 2012/13 season, the Lions have boasted increased attendance figures year in year out. Not only are more and more people enjoying the sport of basketball, but an Olympic venue is actually being used to host a sport it was intended for.
The Lions have won back to back BBL championships in the last two seasons, garnering them attention from all over the world, gradually raising the profile of British basketball. The Lions now have partnerships with UEL and various East London schools and colleges, creating pathways to participation that did not exist prior to 2012.
It may have taken eight hard years, but it appears Basketball finally has a home in the capital. If things continue to spiral upwards for the sport, perhaps some of London’s Olympic legacy could still be salvaged.
