Jonathan Liew’s criticism makes some challenging points but is selective in what has been delivered by the 2012 Olympics in London (Paris 2024 must learn from London’s broken promises if legacy is to be fulfilled, 10 September).
He points to the thousands of jobs and homes that have been created since 2012 and the millions of visitors drawn to this new part of the city, yet claims there is little or no benefit for local people. He is fastidious in his research of visitor numbers at the ArcelorMittal Orbit but skirts over initiatives such as the Good Growth Hub, which has seen 1,500 local young people helped into careers in the area’s growing creative sector. Or the 2,500 local people who have passed through the doors of our skills and training academy, Build East.
He gives no mention to the capping of prices so that swims at the London Aquatics Centre are no more expensive than pools run by Newham, Tower Hamlets and Hackney. He overlooks the huge opportunities that will come with the 14,000 students learning here based at six universities that have opened campuses since 2012. He makes no reference to the high-quality infrastructure delivered – schools, public transport and public realm – that will improve the quality of life for local people.
The injection of billions of pounds to host the Games accelerated development in this area to deal with pollution and infrastructure problems that came with industrial growth and decline during the 20th century. That investment not only produced an amazing summer of sport but, like Paris, will deliver significant physical benefits and longer-term opportunities for future generations.
Lyn Garner
Chief executive, London Legacy Development Corporation
• Jonathan Liew’s take on London’s Olympic legacy seems to deliberately omit the critical economic achievement seen since the Games. The Olympic legacy goes beyond physical infrastructure – it has created long-term opportunities for the local community and improved the quality of life through strategic investments in transport, public spaces and community programmes.
The 2012 Games were never just about an extraordinary summer of sport – they were a catalyst for sustained economic regeneration and community development. The legacy of the Games is best seen in the expansion of education and culture. From universities including UCL and Loughborough University London to world-renowned art institutions such as the V&A and Studio Wayne McGregor.
As a result, more than £3bn has been invested into the area, with over 110,000 jobs created in the local boroughs, transforming a once-neglected and underinvested part of London into a vibrant hub for businesses, education and the local community. At Here East, for example, we evolved from the former international press and broadcast centre, transforming it into a thriving campus, creating more than 5,000 jobs, contributing more than £700m annually to the UK economy.
It is wrong to present London’s Olympic legacy as something squandered. It is ever-evolving. As pioneers, we have learned a lot and Paris can learn from our mistakes, yes, but also from our many successes. One being our continued economic commitment to supporting the east London community and the UK economy, which is as strong as it was 12 years ago.
Gavin Poole
CEO, Here East
• The 2012 legacy is the most impressive of any modern Olympics. What Ken Livingstone wanted from the Olympics was not what everyone wanted from the Olympics. There has been a legacy to be proud of. As Jonathan Liew begrudgingly accepts, the Olympics transformed what was an industrial wasteland into a bustling area with shopping, housing and entertainment – all within easy reach of central London thanks to massively improved transport links. Without the Olympics, none of that would have happened. It isn’t perfect because since 2012 we have been living through late capitalism as incompetently practised by the Conservatives, but that is their failing, not that of the 2012 Olympics.
Greg Campbell
Highbury, London
• As a resident of Brisbane, I was interested to read Jonathan Liew’s opinion piece about the legacy of Paris 2024 and London 2012. Since signing a contract in 2021 to host the Olympics in 2032, our state government has been scrambling to convince Brisbane of the legacy value of their Olympic plans.
After three years, I’m convinced that the International Olympic Committee needs to stop paying attention to grand statements about the legacy of Olympic building projects and just ask host cities whether they currently have Olympic-standard facilities. For example, if a prospective host city doesn’t have a stadium that can fit a 400-metre running track, it’s possible that the citizens of that city don’t need one. There is limited legacy value in building anything in any city that the citizens of that city don’t really need.
By this standard, Brisbane might not have been given the chance to host an Olympic Games. Alternatively, the Queensland government would have had to prove the legacy value of its plans by putting them forward to its own citizens without the promise of an Olympic Games.
Michele McEachern
East Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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