BRIGHTON: It’s still three years to go but London is on track and well within schedule to host the 2012 Olympics, said Paul Deighton, chief executive, London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), at the 8th annual cultural, tourism and sport conference and exhibition 2009 which ended Wednesday at the Thistle Hotel here.
Deighton said the Olympic is an opportunity and to take advantage of that is a massive duty for them. “I’m here to ask for your help,” he said, adding they have a vision for the London 2012, “youth will lead a lasting legacy.”
The event he said will attract 20, 000 media, 10, 500 athletes, 6,000 coaches and officials, and 70, 000 volunteers. He also said the money to fund the Games comes from two sources.
First, the government that is offering 9 billion pounds. This is a long-term investment that will last between to 50 to 100 years and he said it would transform the whole of London. Second, the private sector that is expected to raise a further 2 billion pounds from ticket sales, sponsorship and TV rights, “so we are doing just fine,” he said.
According to Deighton, the community and all the various sectors are encouraged to get involved in every way possible. It is going to be a huge celebration in the UK with live sights displaying the Games in 30 places with giant screens where people could watch.
Paralympic teams from different countries will also parade around the country such as the Australian and Kenyan teams in Manchester, and Bristol respectively.
Around 25,000 pounds is being put up to support this idea to encourage the teams to do it and give the locals a great experience. He said, “people would say wow we had that guy running in that race next week and he was staying just down the road.”
This, he added, will also build up relationships, which will go on for a much longer term.
Because 2012 is a big inspiration for young people, Deighton said, they launched a new program titled, “get set” in which schools get involved in events related to the Olympics such as designing the logo for the event.
The conference, moreover, included speakers such as professor Germaine Greer, writer and academic; Andy Burnham, secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport; Scott Marshall, director of Cultural Services in Brighton & Hove City Council; Penelope Viscountess Cobham, chairman of Visit England, and Godfrey Worsdale, director of Baltic Center for Contemporary Art, Gateshead.
