Lord Sebastian Coe, chairman of London organizing committee of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, confirmed in Beijing on Friday that the metropolis will use the Games opportunity to revamp its eastside.
Referring to the committee’s “London legacy”, Coe told China Daily: “Every legacy is slightly different. (Host) cities are set out to create their own legacies. If you look at Barcelona, it was about regeneration of the city; if you look at Athens, it was about delivering a great transport system.”
“In London, we have a very specific target, and that is to regenerate a very economically and socially challenged area in east London,” he said on the sidelines of a press briefing held in Beijing to formally unveil the London tourist board and the UK national tourism agency’s 2012 plans to the world.
“But it is also an important part of the legacy to make sure that more young people… are excited (enough) by the Games that we deliver… to take up Olympic sport,” he said.
A former Olympian gold medalist in the men’s 1500 m, Coe said he saw his first Olympics on TV in 1968, which inspired him to take up track and field.
London, the next Summer Olympic city, has been calling for ideas on ways in which its own Games legacy could be developed. Earlier this week, its newly elected mayor Boris Johnson launched a campaign in Beijing “looking for ideas with the ‘wow’ factor” for the UK capital.
According to the current plan, half of the events at London 2012 will be held in the Lower Lea Valley in the east side of London. Johnson, who was elected in May, had reportedly slammed the organizers, expressing fears that the Games may not produce a positive long-term effect.
“There is no point in sinking all of this money into east London unless actually it is going to produce a long-term return. What we need to have is a complete overview of what on earth we are trying to achieve on the Olympics site and what in the long term is this really all about,” he earlier said.
Coe’s delegation is in Beijing to learn from China’s experiences and lessons. He noted that a clear vision, a detailed plan and a flawless execution of it were the key elements to the success of Olympic Games, which his team has witnessed in Beijing.
“This is a fantastic learning experience,” Coe said.
But as Johnson earlier insisted, London was not “intimidated” by Beijing’s success. “We have been dazzled, we have been impressed, we have been blown away by these Olympic Games, but we have not been intimidated… without blowing huge sums of money we can do just as well,” he said.