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Lord Coe: 'We've been living in an artificial landscape' Lord Coe: 'We've been living in an artificial landscape'
(2 months later)
Throughout the build up to the London 2012 Olympics, organising committee chairman Lord Coe would frequently hark back to his days training as an athlete to illustrate the need for attention to detail as it prepared for the Games.Throughout the build up to the London 2012 Olympics, organising committee chairman Lord Coe would frequently hark back to his days training as an athlete to illustrate the need for attention to detail as it prepared for the Games.
It is a habit that does not appear to have left him as he evaluates their impact one year on.It is a habit that does not appear to have left him as he evaluates their impact one year on.
"Going through that experience is very like being a competitor comparing for an Olympic Games. You're not cocooned, but you're just in the boiler room all the time. If you walked down the street five paces behind me, you'd be amazed at the stories that still take place about their time at the Games," he said."Going through that experience is very like being a competitor comparing for an Olympic Games. You're not cocooned, but you're just in the boiler room all the time. If you walked down the street five paces behind me, you'd be amazed at the stories that still take place about their time at the Games," he said.
"The conversations are so much about their kids and them wanting to do things, a five year old daughter who wants to do gymnastics. I'm not unique in this. There's an outpouring of excitement about what they went through.""The conversations are so much about their kids and them wanting to do things, a five year old daughter who wants to do gymnastics. I'm not unique in this. There's an outpouring of excitement about what they went through."
During the build up to the Games, it frequently appeared that Coe was preparing the ground to step smartly away from the project the moment the flame went out – he repeatedly insisted it was for other to deliver on the legacy promises he made in 2005 to secure the Games.During the build up to the Games, it frequently appeared that Coe was preparing the ground to step smartly away from the project the moment the flame went out – he repeatedly insisted it was for other to deliver on the legacy promises he made in 2005 to secure the Games.
But, perhaps as a result of the wave of enthusiasm that greeted the Olympics, he was persuaded by prime minister David Cameron to take on a role as a legacy ambassador in order to co-ordinate the varied and often nebulous legacy aims.But, perhaps as a result of the wave of enthusiasm that greeted the Olympics, he was persuaded by prime minister David Cameron to take on a role as a legacy ambassador in order to co-ordinate the varied and often nebulous legacy aims.
The reports to be published on Friday herald a £9.9bn boost for UK plc already (handily cancelling out the £8.7bn the Games officially cost), claim a 1.4m boost in adult sports participation since 2005 and contain a herogram from International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge.The reports to be published on Friday herald a £9.9bn boost for UK plc already (handily cancelling out the £8.7bn the Games officially cost), claim a 1.4m boost in adult sports participation since 2005 and contain a herogram from International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge.
But they don't point out that there are actually fewer adults playing sport than there were immediately before the Olympics, or the debilitating effect of two years of stasis over school sport policy or the effects of local authority cuts.But they don't point out that there are actually fewer adults playing sport than there were immediately before the Olympics, or the debilitating effect of two years of stasis over school sport policy or the effects of local authority cuts.
"Actually, there are more people playing sport than before the Games, there's no question about that. What we witnessed in that six or seven week period was a slight flatlining. I'm not worried about that because we shouldn't be kidding ourselves this is going to go like that into the Elysian fields for the next 10 years. It isn't," said Coe, pointing skywards."Actually, there are more people playing sport than before the Games, there's no question about that. What we witnessed in that six or seven week period was a slight flatlining. I'm not worried about that because we shouldn't be kidding ourselves this is going to go like that into the Elysian fields for the next 10 years. It isn't," said Coe, pointing skywards.
Coe says, as you would expect of the man most closely associated in the public mind with the London Olympic project, that the signs are encouraging in each of the major areas of legacy – inward investment, tourism, regeneration and sports participation.Coe says, as you would expect of the man most closely associated in the public mind with the London Olympic project, that the signs are encouraging in each of the major areas of legacy – inward investment, tourism, regeneration and sports participation.
In the latter, he said that the varied warnings of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup victory and the British hockey team's gold medal in 1988 were reminders that without continued vigilance sporting success didn't necessarily translate into lasting success or increased participation.In the latter, he said that the varied warnings of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup victory and the British hockey team's gold medal in 1988 were reminders that without continued vigilance sporting success didn't necessarily translate into lasting success or increased participation.
"In the last seven years, arguably over the last 10, the nation has woken up to a diet of who is going to make the teams, tickets, budgets, torch relays. We've been living in an artificial landscape and we're getting back to normal. It is a new normal, a much better normal," he said."In the last seven years, arguably over the last 10, the nation has woken up to a diet of who is going to make the teams, tickets, budgets, torch relays. We've been living in an artificial landscape and we're getting back to normal. It is a new normal, a much better normal," he said.
"But we shouldn't kid ourselves there's going to be an incremental, steady improvement. There won't be. And we'll have to work really hard to ensure that big events like Wimbledon, the British Lions, the athletics world championships and the Commonwealth Games go on really driving this.""But we shouldn't kid ourselves there's going to be an incremental, steady improvement. There won't be. And we'll have to work really hard to ensure that big events like Wimbledon, the British Lions, the athletics world championships and the Commonwealth Games go on really driving this."
Coe will be present at next week's Anniversary Games, the first time the stadium will be full since the Paralympics Closing Ceremony and before it closes for two years for a £160m refit to convert it into a multi-purpose stadium that will become home to West Ham. Sitting in the stands a year on, he said his over-riding emotion was still "relief".Coe will be present at next week's Anniversary Games, the first time the stadium will be full since the Paralympics Closing Ceremony and before it closes for two years for a £160m refit to convert it into a multi-purpose stadium that will become home to West Ham. Sitting in the stands a year on, he said his over-riding emotion was still "relief".
"If you talk to the inner team, the overwhelming sentiment is still thank God we got through and we didn't let people down and we're not sitting here averting our gaze and not really wanting to raise the subject.""If you talk to the inner team, the overwhelming sentiment is still thank God we got through and we didn't let people down and we're not sitting here averting our gaze and not really wanting to raise the subject."
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