Opinion The austerity games
After the grandiose Beijing Olympics,a low-key London 2012
It is apt that London will be hosting the 2012 Olympics. In 1948,the last time it hosted the games,the world was recovering from World War II. The resilient and feisty host nation put a game face on what had been a torturous time for Europe. In 2012,London will be tested again as an aching Europe prepares to battle economic woes. London,unlike most other Olympic cities,is a legacy in itself. It is possibly the most recognisable city in the world,so hosting the games and creating its own set of memorable moments is a challenge. The stark contrast between the grandiose Beijing Olympics and the low-key London 2012 is as much a product of design as it is of accident. These are the green Olympics,and the environment,along with the future use of the infrastructure,is what will define London 2012.
These Olympics will be about sustainability,and the economy of investment. London doesnt need a grand opening,a jaw-dropping closing ceremony or infrastructure that shapes the worlds imagination of what an Olympics moment is supposed to be. Instead,London 2012 is meant to inculcate the best practices and thrift in times of global crisis. Legacies are what define Olympics. When a city wins a bid to host the Olympics,the opportunity lies in creating infrastructure and building collateral support to ensure that the residents of the host city benefit in the future. Most cities dont live by that ideal,and Beijing was the perfect example of facade-focused creation that lives only in memories and pictures. Today,none of the fabled stadiums or centres is in usable condition. It is this repeated focus on short-term creation that has led to the now well-known White Elephant Syndrome.
London 2012 plans to limit spending,ensure that the infrastructure blends seamlessly into the city without any skyline altering manoeuvres,and that the legacy stadiums and other associated infrastructure are re-usable or even moveable. Detachable infrastructure is unprecedented,therefore a parallel ongoing process is strategising how the existing infrastructure can be re-designed,expanded or contracted,based on the city plans. After all,this is the very reason why London won over Paris while bidding for the games.
London 2012 has focused on veering away from the ideal of legacies. Unlike other host cities in the past,which jealously guarded the treasures of the rings,London is actually trying to buck the trend by sharing the wealth of infrastructure created with other cities in the United Kingdom. Ideally,a young city which builds from scratch once it gets the Olympics should look at sustainability,since it is creating everything from the inception stage. That said,its admirable that London is trying to set an understated tone for the grandest stage in all of sports,despite the challenges of having to deal with a bustling metropolis and outdated transportation systems,not to forget an irate population that feels its tax money could be better used elsewhere. The infrastructure has been created along lines that have not been tried and tested so far. Democracy comes at a cost,and London will not have the breathing space that Beijing had for budget fluctuations and infrastructure enhancement.
For a tournament that boasts of being green and environment-friendly,the ongoing controversy around sponsorship by Dow Chemicals is hardly a ringing endorsement of such a project.
The Olympics rings are the second most lucrative and recognisable brand in the world,behind only the Apple phenomenon. People felt Beijing 2008 would be a hard act to top but the Olympics brand has grown by leaps and bounds,and there can be no fathomable reason for this to change. Although most Olympics have enabled a complete facelift for the cities that hosted them,this is hardly a pre-requisite for success. In fact,in an era where the Commonwealth Games,Delhi 2010,created a global furore with its inability to curb expenditure or justify infrastructure creation,sustainable and low-key games may in fact be exactly what is required from the Olympics this year. However,the London games may get flak if they fail to keep the expenses within the budget or to dazzle with the no-frills aesthetic. Especially since Rio de Janeiro,centre of the new economic growth hub,is preparing for back-to-back mega events the FIFA World Cup 2014 and the Rio Olympics 2016. But its time now for London 2012 to set the tone for muted splendour and understated legacies. The world is watching and theres a lot at stake. If history repeats itself,London 2012 will weather yet another storm,and set the tone for future games to emulate.
The author is a sports attorney. Views are personal. express@expressindia.com
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