Seb, the Chair
The CBI Business Summit
, 13 June 2008
With around 250 representatives from British and international firms, it was a good opportunity to let employers know of the business benefits that have come about because of our hosting the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
At LOCOG we have a budget to stage the Games of just over £2 billion. This is raised privately and does not come from taxpayers or National Lottery, unlike the money invested by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) in regeneration and venue construction around the Olympic Park.
So far we have had great success.
Four cities now in the running for 2016 Games
, 4 June 2008
The Candidate Cities must now compile an in-depth file of their Olympic project and submit themselves to a visit by the IOC's Evaluation Commission. The election of the Host City of the 2016 Games will take place on 2 October 2009 at the IOC Session in Copenhagen.
I remember all too well the elation of having made it through to the next stage – and the immediate hard work that all four cities will have to put in to their Candidate files, which, if they’re successful, will form the essence of their Olympic Games. They are all worthy candidates, each capable of offering something special to the Games mix. May the best city win!
Passion for Track and Field in Morocco
, 15 January 2008
Using London 2012 to engage young people in sport throughout the world has always been something at the heart of our plans. That is why I was fascinated to visit Morocco last week.
There I met up with Nawal El Moutawakel. She is not only a good friend of mine but also an IOC Member, IAAF Council Member, Minister for Youth and Sport in Morocco and, not least, a great example of a former competitor who is really putting something back into sport.
She set up meetings for me with the President of Moroccan Track and Field as well as the President of the country’s National Olympic Committee and I learned a lot.
Achieving dreams in the West Midlands
, 11 December 2007
Yesterday I saw more evidence yesterday of people's dedication to helping people achieve their dreams on my tour of the West Midlands - part of London 2012's Nations and Regions programme.
I opened a new athletics track at Aldersley Leisure Village, where I won my first AAA Youth Championship.
I also spoke at a sports participation conference in Telford, and visited Sundorne school in Shrewsbury - a specialist sports college who are working on a range of initiatives to encourage their students to both participate in sport and to have healthy meals at school.
Honouring an Unsung Hero
, 10 December 2007
Each year, as part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards, the BBC runs a competition to find a Sports Unsung Hero. It gave me great pleasure to be an ambassador for the Unsung Hero award this year. When I was asked who my own personal Unsung Hero is, I replied my father - he navigated me through the early years and nurtured my teenage talent from junior domestic successes through to international competition and ultimately, two Olympic Games and world records.
Margaret Simons, the founder of Bardwell Football Club in Bicester, Oxfordshire, was picked from 15 regional winners as the BBC Sport Unsung Hero at the awards last night:
Capturing the imagination of young people
, 6 December 2007
We defined the 2012 vision with young people at the very outset. We wanted to demonstrate that young people are at the very essence of the Games. We invited 30 young people from the five Host Boroughs to Singapore in 2005 not only to demonstrate our commitment to involving children and young people in 2012 but also because we hoped that it would have a positive impact on them and would help to raise their aspirations as individuals, opening their eyes to the possible opportunities out there for them. We trusted them to represent what is great about London and the UK. This demonstrates that not only do we want young people to receive our education offer but to be part of it and help to shape it over the four years.
That’s what we want from 2012 – for every child and young person to raise their aspirations and fulfil their potential – whatever their interest or chosen pathway.
2012 might also help to raise their aspirations and inspire them through other areas – we want the young dancer, the aspiring journalist, the talented chemist, the ambitious electrician to all have the opportunity to use the Games to help them achieve their goals.
What a week
, 9 November 2007
It has been a busy week.
After unveiling the design of the new London 2012 Stadium I flew to Northern Ireland for a day long visit.
The people of Northern Ireland continue to give us outstanding support and I am always delighted to be there. They really understand the importance and value of sport, particularly what it means for local pride and building strong relationships.
I began the day by speaking at the Constructing Excellence conference held by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and Invest Northern Ireland. John Armitt, Chairman of the ODA, and I talked to over 150 businesses about the range of opportunities that the Games will bring to supply goods and services to both the ODA and the London 2012 Organising Committee. Our promise is to provide as much information as we can on the contract opportunities and we wanted to encourage the Northern Irish business community to get prepared to bid for them.
Biomechanics and circus skills
, 12 September 2007
Today I visited the South West of England and witnessed first hand how
local organisations are using the excitement generated by London 2012 to catalyse local projects and deliver community benefits.
I started the day at Bath University, where I was honoured to open a new Biomechanics laboratory which will enable scientists to analyse athletes movements and work with them to improve their sporting performance. This sort of thing, which was in its infancy in my day, is now a vital part of an athlete's preparation for achieving that tiny advantage over their competitors.
Whilst on campus, I also addressed the annual conference for the British
Association of Sports and Exercise Science. Many of those listening are
already working with the Olympians and Paralympians of the future and
this therefore provided an excellent opportunity to support and
encourage them on their road to 2012.
North East's passion for sport
, 20 July 2007
Last Wednesday, I travelled to Sunderland, Gateshead and Newcastle to meet some of the individuals and agencies who are working together to ensure the North East makes the most of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities the 2012 Games offer.
I also met lots of very enthusiastic children from local schools who had come along to the Tyne and Wear festival of sport. Having addressed a lunch meeting of Local Authorities about the sorts of opportunities we believe the Games will generate, it was great to then go out into the stadium and see so many young people being encouraged to try out different sports - building towards the increase in participation that we are hoping to achieve. I was also 'cheer-led' by a local troop who had come along to show off their talents, which was certainly unexpected and a first!!
A passion for sport in the North East
, 20 July 2007
I also met lots of very enthusiastic children from local schools who had come along to the Tyne and Wear festival of sport. Having addressed a lunch meeting of Local Authorities about the sorts of opportunities we believe the Games will generate, it was great to then go out into the stadium and see so many young people being encouraged to try out different sports - building towards the increase in participation that we are hoping to achieve. I was also 'cheer-led' by a local troop who had come along to show off their talents, which was certainly unexpected and a first!!
Athletics camp enthusiasm - it's what it's all about
, 19 July 2007
A cultural fit
, 21 June 2007
Last month I wrote a piece for the Daily Telegraph explaining how culture and the Games fit together - it seems an appropriate time to add it to the blog:
"Denis Howell, one of our longest-serving and more colourful ministers for sport, mused some 30 years ago that he never saw a permanent secretary from Whitehall at a Cup final but could not go to the opera without falling over them.
Denis was of earthy Brummie stock and, although an unreconstructed municipal socialist, on the occasions I discussed any issue with him, he made me feel, as a fledgling Conservative politician, that I was always about to be outflanked by him on the right.
Spectacular wheelchair action
, 10 June 2007
We started the day off in Swansea at the South West Wales Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Briefing for Businesses where we talked about the opportunities for contracts from the Games.
It is really important that businesses across the UK understand that there will be lots of opportunities for them to compete for business.
I went straight from there to the Liberty Stadium, an amazing stadium that is home to Swansea City and Neath Ospreys. Here we participated in the Welsh Local Government Association conference, which provided a fantastic opportunity to talk about the role for Local Government in delivering the Games.
Named in honour of...
, 10 May 2007
These are people who inspired generations to take up sport - exactly what we aim to achieve through the Games.
Yesterday I was in Holland to unveil a statue of Fanny Blankers-Koen at the stadium in Hengelo named after her.
Opened by Fanny herself in 1981, the stadium honours her huge contribution to sport and encouraging women to partcipate in sport.
At London 2012 we've also acknowledged her achievements - from my desk I can see the 'Blankers Koen' meeting room we have at 2012 HQ - amongst her successes were the medals she won at the London 1948 Games.
Bringing in the medals for the home crowd
, 5 March 2007
Going back to my roots
, 22 February 2007
On route to a visit to Tapton School, where I was a pupil way back when, we drove past my old house, which brought back one or two memories.
At Tapton we were welcomed by the Headmaster, David Bowes, Head Boy Joe Brownhill and Head Girl, Louise Heritage. I was surprised to find the school has been totally redone since I was there – the old building has gone and the new modern building isn’t quite on the same spot.
I'd been asked to speak at the school assembly and was more than happy to share some memories of my time at the school and the inspiration my teachers gave me. My most inpirational teacher, David Jackson, is now retired but came along to listen too - we've stayed in contact over the years and it was a pleasure to see him again. He used to let me nick out of RE lessons to run around the school fields because he undestood what I was trying to achieve with my athletics.
Neasden's magnificent Mandir
, 24 January 2007
2,012 days to go
, 23 January 2007
The eyes of the world will be on London and all the planning and activity you have seen every day on this blog will come to fruition.
It is a great opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved and look forward to the milestones we will reach over the next 2,012 days. Here are some of the highlights...
This year we plan to launch our new brand, which will tell the world what type of Games we will host. We will also begin announcing the partner companies that will help us stage these Games.
The contracts will be let this year for designing and building what we call the 'big five' (the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Velodrome, media and press centres and the Olympic Village). By the end of 2007 we will have a good idea what our key venues will look like and we will be ready to start the big build in 2008.
Inspiration Down Under
, 11 January 2007
And the winner is...
, 11 December 2006
Talking to the IOC
, 30 November 2006
Giving the Royal tour
, 28 November 2006
But early this morning you could barely see the river with all the rain so I wondered how the day would shape up. We discussed wet weather options and I was nervously looking out of the window as my early morning meetings began.
But going through the Blackwall Tunnel was like going through the Mont Blanc tunnel, fog-bound and wet on one side, and sun-blessed when we came out of the other end at Greenwich. What a relief!
Proof that 2012 is inspiring young people to enjoy sport
, 21 November 2006
The East of England conference touched upon the long-term benefits we will see in many other sectors of the economy. 2012 are the UK's Games and those benefits will stretch from the park in east London to the East of England and throughout the entire UK.
But - crucially for me personally - the conference also showed the inspiring effect the London Games will have on British sport, and especially the children and young people playing it. Somewhere out there are the new Kelly Holmes, Steve Redgraves, Amir Khans, Tanni Grey-Thompsons. The medallists of 2012, but also the next generation of young competitors who we hope will deliver success for years to come.
Read more of “Proof that 2012 is inspiring young people to enjoy sport”
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