London 2012 blog

Reading Accountancy magazine a few months ago I came across an article about Neil Wood, Finance Director at LOCOG. As a former accountant for the London 1948 organising committee – the XIVth Olympiad - I decided to get in contact with Neil, who invited me in to the Canary Wharf offices. What a difference between now and 1948.

At the London 2012 offices - wall decoration includes a photo taken from Stadium at the 1948 Games:


Back then we were based in a house in Upper Brook St, Mayfair. I was a 22 year old newly qualified accountant earning £10 a week. There were about 100 staff in total, the accountants occupied the top floor, which used to be servants quarters. Our office was complete with a coal fire to keep us warm in the winter – perfect also for roasting chestnuts.

In terms of finance for the Games, back then we were dealing with very different issues. We didn’t need to build any venues – we used Wembley Stadium, the Empire pool in Wembley and disused buildings from the 1924 British Empire Exhibition. We also didn’t build an Olympic Village – most of the competitors slept in canvas tents in Richmond and were bussed to the venues. Ticketing brought in our money and made up for expenses – we ended up with a £42,000 profit (in 1948 money, of course) and the Inland Revenue immediately claimed income tax on it! The rest of money was used to train the British team for the 1952 Games in Helsinki.
Unlike the 2012 Games, we only had three years to prepare, after the war. There was still food and clothes rationing and things were tough. But the atmosphere in 1948 was fabulous - the Olympic Games boosted people’s morale, everyone was prepared to do their bit and get involved. The interest in sport was huge – I think it always has been in this country – but it was amazing with athletes coming in from around the world. The Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen was the one who really caught the imagination.
In those days the Paralympics didn’t exist as we have them now. But Dr Guttmann was doing amazing things in Stoke Mandeville, using sport to help rehabilitate ex-servicemen. I was strongly involved in disabled sport so I met him – a fabulous man. His Games were the inspiration for the first Paralympics, in Rome 1960.
I remember the Closing Ceremony in London – the last of the Equestrian finals took place, then all the Games competitors entered. I’ve no memory of fireworks – nothing like the kind of thing that happens now. It was just a nice function, a lovely day. They also created a display of winner’s names – it remained in place for years. I remember they were supposed to play the national anthem but the gramophone wouldn’t play, so someone tried to make it work by pushing it with their finger. That only made it worse…Only a minor mishap, of course.
So now the Games come back to London, for the XXXth Olympiad. It was great to come in to the 2012 offices this week to meet Neil, Seb and other members of the team. There is an air of optimism, people know what they are doing and are determined to get it done. And I jolly well hope they do!