Olympics ended with a bang — how do we follow that?

THE Olympic Games baton has been handed to London — and what a logistical challenge they have following on from Beijing.

In terms of size, sheer scale and the meticulous organisation, the Chinese hosted the most spectacular Games ever staged.

But, after canvassing opinion, the general consensus is that LOCOG, the London organising committee, would be foolish if they tried to surpass or even match Beijing because that would be mission almost impossible.

The view is that London ought to put its own unique mark on the event in four year’s time focusing on the British qualities.

And though London will probably be not as stunning or spectacular as Beijing, where the opening and closing ceremonies took your breath away, it will still capture the hearts of the billions watching worldwide.

They must major on the fact that big isn’t necessarily the best and, if there were any criticism of Beijing, it is that is some ways it was too large.

The Olympic Green, where the National Stadium and many of the other sporting venues were found in a cluster, was a case in point as it covered a sprawling 2,837 acres.

That equates to six times the size of the Olympic Green in Athens and an area three times as big as New York’s Central Park.

It was too large a site and, with vast areas of concrete car parking space empty, it could be argued it lacked a soul which a smaller area would have had.

And that is something LOCOG will put right as the site of the Olympic Green in Stratford is more compact and will have a more intimate feel about it.

There is also no way London will be able to match the innovative architecture of the stadiums of Beijing which were stunning.

I think of the National Stadium, or “Bird’s Nest” as it was known, and the National Aquatics Centre whose other name was “The Cube”. Both also had the most incredible lighting at night.

There were also some stunning backdrops in Beijing – The Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tiannaman Square. At least London will also be able to compete because it has its own iconic landmarks.

As far as I can see, transportation appears to be the biggest hurdle LOCOG has to overcome because London becomes gridlocked even without an Olympics.

There aren’t the wide highways of Beijing to operate an Olympic Lane, a system designated only for transporting members of the Olympic Family.

Using bus lanes will be the likeliest option, but it will be impossible to move around with the ease of Beijing where media transport was the most punctual of the five Olympics I have covered — if you didn’t turn up on the dot, the transport had gone.

In saying that, Athens — one of the most congested capitals in Europe — found a way around the problem in 2004 when nearly all the city’s businesses shut for the duration of the Olympics.

That might be needed in London because can you imagine how bad the problem would be if the city remained working with hundreds of thousands of additional visitors descending on the capital. The tube and the buses simply couldn’t cope.

Those attending London 2012 will also need deep pockets as it is one of the most expensive capitals in the world, a contrast to Beijing which has to be one of the cheapest — a meal for three at at a restaurant, with drinks, came to £9.

The volunteers in London will also have their work cut out to match the Chinese in terms of friendliness and politeness.

I was disappointed by LOCOG’s operation in Beijing which was decidedly low key. Four years earlier in Athens, the sales pitch of the Chinese was mind-blowing.

But when I went to the LOCOG office to sound out the interest in London 2012, their operation hardly filled me with both the wow factor and also confidence.

Indeed, I was told that no press officers were available and I was given a telephone number to call in London this week. In my humble opinion, I ought to have been bombarded with bumph with a view to selling the games in four years’ time.

London will not be on the same scale as Beijing, but I am convinced it will still be an Olympics to savour.

Remember: Everybody forecast Athens would be a disaster as the Greeks left it right down to the wire to get the building work completed on time. At least London is on schedule, even ahead in some cases.

If the Greeks, not renowned for their organisational expertise, can put on an Olympics to remember, then surely we can.

I can also recall those who questioned whether Manchester was up to the job when hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2002, but they were a resounding success. Obviously the Olympics are on a far larger scale, but London will have a far larger budget to fulfil its obligations.

In this country we tend to dwell on the negatives and overlook the positives and I am convinced London will put on an Olympics which will rank alongside Sydney, Athens and Beijing, the last three Games, which have all been memorable.

And even more important for London will be the lasting legacy the Olympics will create as it will regenerate a swathe of the East End, one of the most deprived parts of the country.

To compete would be ‘mission impossible’
THE Olympic Games baton has been handed to London — and what a logistical challenge they have following on from Beijing.

In terms of size, sheer scale and the meticulous organisation, the Chinese hosted the most spectacular Games ever staged.

But, after canvassing opinion, the general consensus is that LOCOG, the London organising committee, would be foolish if they tried to surpass or even match Beijing because that would be mission almost impossible.

The view is that London ought to put its own unique mark on the event in four year’s time focusing on the British qualities.

And though London will probably be not as stunning or spectacular as Beijing, where the opening and closing ceremonies took your breath away, it will still capture the hearts of the billions watching worldwide.

They must major on the fact that big isn’t necessarily the best and, if there were any criticism of Beijing, it is that is some ways it was too large.

The Olympic Green, where the National Stadium and many of the other sporting venues were found in a cluster, was a case in point as it covered a sprawling 2,837 acres.

That equates to six times the size of the Olympic Green in Athens and an area three times as big as New York’s Central Park.

It was too large a site and, with vast areas of concrete car parking space empty, it could be argued it lacked a soul which a smaller area would have had.

And that is something LOCOG will put right as the site of the Olympic Green in Stratford is more compact and will have a more intimate feel about it.

There is also no way London will be able to match the innovative architecture of the stadiums of Beijing which were stunning.

I think of the National Stadium, or “Bird’s Nest” as it was known, and the National Aquatics Centre whose other name was “The Cube”. Both also had the most incredible lighting at night.

There were also some stunning backdrops in Beijing – The Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tiannaman Square. At least London will also be able to compete because it has its own iconic landmarks.

As far as I can see, transportation appears to be the biggest hurdle LOCOG has to overcome because London becomes gridlocked even without an Olympics.

There aren’t the wide highways of Beijing to operate an Olympic Lane, a system designated only for transporting members of the Olympic Family.

Using bus lanes will be the likeliest option, but it will be impossible to move around with the ease of Beijing where media transport was the most punctual of the five Olympics I have covered — if you didn’t turn up on the dot, the transport had gone.

In saying that, Athens — one of the most congested capitals in Europe — found a way around the problem in 2004 when nearly all the city’s businesses shut for the duration of the Olympics.

That might be needed in London because can you imagine how bad the problem would be if the city remained working with hundreds of thousands of additional visitors descending on the capital. The tube and the buses simply couldn’t cope.

Those attending London 2012 will also need deep pockets as it is one of the most expensive capitals in the world, a contrast to Beijing which has to be one of the cheapest — a meal for three at at a restaurant, with drinks, came to £9.

The volunteers in London will also have their work cut out to match the Chinese in terms of friendliness and politeness.

I was disappointed by LOCOG’s operation in Beijing which was decidedly low key. Four years earlier in Athens, the sales pitch of the Chinese was mind-blowing.

But when I went to the LOCOG office to sound out the interest in London 2012, their operation hardly filled me with both the wow factor and also confidence.

Indeed, I was told that no press officers were available and I was given a telephone number to call in London this week. In my humble opinion, I ought to have been bombarded with bumph with a view to selling the games in four years’ time.

London will not be on the same scale as Beijing, but I am convinced it will still be an Olympics to savour.

Remember: Everybody forecast Athens would be a disaster as the Greeks left it right down to the wire to get the building work completed on time. At least London is on schedule, even ahead in some cases.

If the Greeks, not renowned for their organisational expertise, can put on an Olympics to remember, then surely we can.

I can also recall those who questioned whether Manchester was up to the job when hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2002, but they were a resounding success. Obviously the Olympics are on a far larger scale, but London will have a far larger budget to fulfil its obligations.

In this country we tend to dwell on the negatives and overlook the positives and I am convinced London will put on an Olympics which will rank alongside Sydney, Athens and Beijing, the last three Games, which have all been memorable.

And even more important for London will be the lasting legacy the Olympics will create as it will regenerate a swathe of the East End, one of the most deprived parts of the country.