International Olympic Committee : London 2012

London 2012 Makes Good Progress

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission for the London Games in 2012 today wrapped up its fourth visit to the British capital. The three days of meetings - from 21 to 23 April - and site visits allowed the Commission to fully assess the developments made on the London 2012 project by the local organisers. The Commission was impressed by the good progress that London 2012 has made since its last visit, and put this down in no small part to the strong spirit of partnership that is being shown, under the leadership of LOCOG, by all the stakeholders involved in the Games.

Good Progress

Speaking after the meetings, Commission Chairman Denis Oswald said: “We have been greatly impressed by the good progress that London 2012 has made since our visit last year, particularly in moving from planning to operational delivery. This was evident in all the presentations and discussions we had about LOCOG’s Games-time planning, and of course during our visit to the Olympic Park. Seeing the transformation that has taken place in the Lower Lea Valley is nothing short of astounding, and this area will be a great legacy for the people of London and Great Britain.” He continued: “When I visited the Olympic Stadium last year, the foundations were just being laid. Today the main structure has risen from the ground and the roof is already going on. Other venues, such as the aquatic centre, Olympic Village and velodrome, are also rapidly growing from the ground, and this fast pace of development is no doubt down to the great spirit of cooperation that exists between the different partners involved in the 2012 project. Their ability to work as a team, plan ahead and solve issues together is ensuring that the Games and legacy planning remain on track as we head towards 2012.”

Games Preparations

During its visit, the Commission heard updates from the London 2012 Organising Committee and its partners on a number of important areas of Games preparations including transport, accommodation, field of play, sustainability, legacy planning, technology, ticketing, medical services and press operations. These areas of operations were also examined from the perspective of different groups, such as athletes, spectators and media, which allowed the Commission to get a global perspective on each subject and an overview of how each group will experience the Games. This helps the Commission to guide the Organising Committee, as it enters more and more detailed levels of operational planning. Some of the Commission members also visited the Eton Dorney rowing venue during their stay and were impressed with the quality of the venue, as well as with the sub-village for the rowing athletes at Royal Holloway College. The next visit of the full Coordination Commission to London will be in November 2009.

LONDON 2012
London was elected as the Host City for the Games of the XXX Olympiad on 6 July 2005 at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. London eventually succeeded in the fourth round of voting, taking 54 votes from a possible 104. London faced stiff opposition during the vote from the other four candidate cities: Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid. There will be 26 sports on the Olympic Programme in London in 2012 and around 10,500 athletes.

Strong Partnership Brings Good Progress

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission for London 2012 today wrapped-up its fourth visit to the British capital. The three days of meetings - from 21 to 23 April - and site visits allowed the Commission to fully assess the advances made on the London 2012 project by the local organisers. The Commission was impressed by the good progress that London 2012 has made since its last visit and put this down in no small part to the strong spirit of partnership that is being shown, under the leadership of LOCOG, by all of the stakeholders involved in the Games.

Speaking after the meetings, Commission Chairman Denis Oswald said, “We have been greatly impressed by the good progress that London 2012 has made since our visit last year, particularly in moving from planning to operational delivery. This was evident in all the presentations and discussions we had about LOCOG’s Games time planning, and of course during our visit to the Olympic Park. Seeing the transformation that has taken place in the Lower Lea Valley is nothing short of astounding and this area will be a great legacy for the people of London and Great Britain.”

He continued, “When I visited the Olympic Stadium last year, the foundations were just being laid. Today the main structure has risen from the ground and the roof is already going-on. Other sites such as the aquatic centre, Olympic Village and velodrome are also rapidly growing from the ground and this fast pace of development is no doubt down to the great spirit of cooperation that exists between the different partners involved in the 2012 project. Their ability to work as a team, plan ahead and solve issues together is ensuring that the Games and legacy planning remain on track as we head towards 2012.”

During its visit, the Commission heard updates from the London 2012 Organising Committee and its partners on a number of important areas of Games preparations including transport, accommodation, field of play, sustainability, legacy planning, technology, ticketing, medical services and press operations. These areas of operations were also examined from the perspective of different groups, such as athletes, spectators and media, which allows the Commission to get a global perspective on each subject and an overview of how each group will experience the Games. This helps the commission to guide the Organising Committee, as it enters more and more detailed levels of operational planning.

Oswald commented, “At this stage in preparations, we have seen in all the client focused working groups that London 2012 is moving in the right direction in order to ensure that individuals attending the Games in a little over three years time will have a first class Olympic and Paralympic Games experience. I think LOCOG and its partners deserve credit for the detail and quality of their work, which is also helping to make sure that the Games deliver as much value for money as possible in these economically challenging times.”

He added, “We also heard from LOCOG that it has had good success on the commercial front and has generated just under GBP 500 million worth of sponsorship revenue. This is an important position to be in with the current global financial difficulties and it once again underlines the strength of the Olympic brand.”

Sebastian Coe, Chairman of London 2012 commented, “The IOC are our partners in delivering the Olympic Games. They are experts. So we gain valuable insight and knowledge from them each time they visit. I’m obviously delighted that they are impressed with the progress we are making. This is a vast and complex project, with no room for complacency, but we are on track and on budget, and have a very strong and talented team of people working hard to make sure we deliver an Olympic and Paralympic Games which the whole country can be proud of in 2012.”

Some of the Commission members also visited the Eton Dorney rowing venue during their stay and were impressed with the quality of the venue, as well as the sub-village for the rowing athletes at Royal Holloway College. The next visit of the full Coordination Commission to London will be in November 2009.

NOTE TO EDITORS:
IOC Coordination Commission
The IOC, as the guardian of the Olympic Games, assists and monitors the work of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games through the work of the Coordination Commission. The Commission visits the host city once a year until four years from the Games, when the visits become twice yearly until the Games are held. The Commission’s full meetings are supplemented by the regular visits of smaller IOC teams involving the Commission Chairman, selected members of the Commission and members of the IOC administration.

LONDON 2012
London was elected as the Host City for the Games of the XXX Olympiad on 6 July 2005 at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. London eventually succeeded in the fourth round of voting, taking 54 votes from a possible 104. London faced stiff opposition during the vote from the other four candidate cities: Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid. There will be 26 sports on the Olympic Programme in London in 2012 and around 10,500 athletes.

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Fourth Coordination Commission in London

Led by its Chairman Denis Oswald, the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission for London 2012 will pay its fourth visit to the next host city of the Games of the Olympiad. The Commission will hold meetings in London from 21 to 23 April and will have the opportunity to meet not only with members of the London 2012 Organising Committee, but also with the numerous stakeholders that are involved in the project.

Venues and Meetings

As usual, the Commission will look at a number of areas of Games preparations including technology; culture, ceremonies and education; transport; and sustainability. The core of the meetings will be taken up with sessions looking at the client experience for a number of different groups, such as the athletes, spectators, media and marketing partners. The Commission will also have the opportunity to see first hand the progress made on some of the 2012 venues notably around the Olympic Park.

LONDON 2012

London was elected as the Host City for the Games of the XXX Olympiad on 6 July 2005 at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. London eventually succeeded in the fourth round of voting taking 54 votes from a possible 104. London faced stiff opposition during the vote from the other four candidate cities: Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid. There will be 26 sports on the Olympic Programme in London in 2012 and around 10,500 athletes.

IOC Debriefing transfers knowledge from Beijing to London

The IOC completed yesterday its week-long review of the Beijing 2008 Games to ensure that London and other Games Organising Committees benefit from the lessons learned in Beijing. The IOC Official Debriefing of the Beijing 2008 Games examined all planning and operational aspects of the Beijing Games to highlight best practices, as well as the challenges that were encountered.

Distinct Personality

“We’re delighted that the Olympic Games are returning to Great Britain, the birthplace of modern sport,” IOC President Jacques Rogge said. “Every Olympic Games has a distinct personality. The successful Games in Beijing were unique in many ways. London has its own unique assets that will ensure the success of the 2012 Games as well.” Rogge has made knowledge transfer a top priority during his tenure as IOC President. “The 2008 Games set new standards for organisation, venues and athletic performances, but we can always improve,” Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli said. “I’m confident that the London organisers will host a first-class event with a uniquely British atmosphere.”

Beijing Debriefing

Bringing together around 900 participants, the IOC Official Debriefing of the Beijing 2008 Games took place from 24 to 27 November 2008 in London. This event, which was attended by members of the Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010, London 2012 and Sochi 2014 Organising Committees (OCOGs), as well as representatives of the 2016 Candidate Cities and other Games stakeholders, gave these future Games organisers the chance to learn from the experience and knowledge gained by their Beijing counterparts during their seven years of preparation. Comprising two plenary sessions, eight stakeholder sessions and 18 functional area workshops, the event looked at the planning, operational and technical elements of organising an Olympic Games, such as sport, accommodation, transport, culture, education and logistics. The debriefing also addressed the various stakeholders’ experience of groups at the Games like athletes, spectators, workforce and the media. A full technology debrief of the Games was also held in London from 20 to 22 November 2008.

The OGKM Programme

The Beijing Debriefing is a key component of the IOC’s Olympic Games Knowledge Management (OGKM) programme, which consists of three main sources: services, personal experience and information. The services include workshops, seminars and a network of experts with Games experience on a range of Olympic topics that the OCOGs are able to call upon throughout their lifecycle. The OCOGs are also able to gain personal experience on Games preparations and operations through the Games-time observers’ programme, the official Games Debriefing and a secondment programme, which allows staff members from future OCOGs to work on the current edition of the Olympic Games. The final element of OGKM is information, which includes elements like the Official Games Report, technical manuals, knowledge reports, a range of useful documents and publications and the IOC’s visual transfer of knowledge of photos and films. All this information is available to the OCOGs through an extranet that is managed by the IOC.

Conversation, not �preaching�, key to winning youth says President

IOC President Jacques Rogge has spoken in London on the role of the Olympic Movement in getting young people to lead physically active, healthy lifestyles, and the impact of the global credit crunch on the Olympic Games.

Giving the second annual de Coubertin Lecture to an audience of leading figures from the worlds of sport, arts and culture, the President said that it was “vital” that the Olympic Movement focuses on getting young people around the world into sport: “I believe that catching the sports bug simply helps you cope with life better. It encourages you to value yourself, and your body. It equips you for learning, and improves your ability to think and create.”

Hooking young people on sport

Presented by London 2012 in conjunction with the Royal Society of Arts and the British Olympic Foundation, the de Coubertin lecture is a landmark opportunity to promote the role of Olympism in society. The President used the event, on the eve of the Beijing Debrief, to link the UK’s proud Olympic history with the chance the 2012 Games provides to address inequalities in society.

Increased physical activity was vital if younger generations were to avoid the health consequences of a “sitting down” lifestyle said the President. “British children spend 5 hours and 20 minutes a day glued to a screen. Young people are playing sport less, they are spending more time in cars, and the consequence is more obesity and greater problems.”

Technology’s challenge and opportunity

It was vital to use the digital revolution to inspire more young people to take up sport and become active. “New technologies present a challenge, but they also give us new opportunities to engage and interact. On the internet today, people don’t simply sit passively watching content – they create it and share it.”

London’s imaginative logo and adventurous cultural and sporting initiatives showed that they understood this, said the President. “London’s vision places sport and athletes at the heart of the Games,” said the President, but puts a strong focus on “engaging young people, culture and education.”

Credit crunch

The President added that the world was going through “difficult times” economically, but that the Olympic Games “had survived difficult times before. They have survived and thrived because of what they mean to people all over the world.” The success of Beijing put the Olympic Movement on a sound footing to deal with the challenges of the coming years, and future organisers were well prepared, he added.

Discover President Rogge's speech (PDF)

London builds up for spectacular Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission for the London 2012 Games has delivered a positive endorsement of the work being carried out by the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) and its partners. Led by its Chairman Denis Oswald, the Commission had spent three days (20-22 May) visiting some of the 2012 venues and hearing updates from LOCOG, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and the other organisations involved in preparing for the Games.

Deliver Great Games

Speaking at the end of the visit, Denis Oswald said, “The Commission has been greatly impressed by the quality and speed with which LOCOG and its partners have been able to progress since our last visit. The most visible element is obviously venue construction, and the progress made on the Olympic Park, in particular, is truly astounding. In all the areas of preparation, we have been able to see marked progress by the London 2012 team, and this puts LOCOG on track to deliver great Games in 2012 and a great legacy beyond.”

Political Support

The Commission was also able to meet this week with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, leader of the opposition David Cameron, Liberal Democrat MP Don Foster, Olympic Minister Tessa Jowell and the newly elected Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. Oswald said, “The cross party support for the Games and the backing from the highest levels of Government in Great Britain is extremely reassuring. This strong basis of support for the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be crucial to London 2012 achieving its objectives. It is also pleasing to see that all levels of Government are working hard to engender a legacy of sports participation from the Games.”

Focus On The Athletes

With many former top level athletes on the Commission, along with highly experienced sports administrators, the group was pleased to see how LOCOG, in association with the British Olympic Association (BOA), was focusing on the athletes’ needs for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Chairman Oswald noted, “The athletes are central to the Games, and our Commission members know exactly what it takes to perform at your best on the field of play, as we have a number of Olympians and Paralympians around the table. We have all been very pleased to see that LOCOG has recognised the important place that the athletes hold in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and this is reflected throughout their planning.”

LONDON 2012London was elected as the Host City for the Games of the XXX Olympiad on 6 July 2005 at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. London eventually succeeded in the fourth round of voting taking 54 votes from a possible 104. London faced stiff opposition during the vote from the other four candidate cities: Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid. There will be 26 sports on the Olympic Programme in London in 2012 and around 10,500 athletes.

Podcast (see below)

Podcast with Denis Oswald, Olympian and Chairman of the IOC’s Coordination Commission for London 2012, on the 3rd visit of the Commission to London.