Members of London’s Olympic bid team returned home this morning to a sober, sombre city that had experienced the most intense extremes of emotion in less than 24 hours.
The city’s jubilant celebrations at winning the right to host the world in 2012 were cut short by the carnage caused by Thursday’s terrorist attacks. The IOC’s message of condolence and confidence in London as host venue was timely and welcome.
The voting process, which saw London edge ahead of long-term favourites Paris by just four votes, produced the sort of excitement normally reserved for the climax of sports events themselves. London’s success was all the sweeter for being largely unexpected by those outside the bidding team itself. Under the leadership of Seb Coe they never lost sight of their goal or their faith in their ability to come from behind and win.
Many observers, this one included, clearly lacked that belief. Play back countless interviews over the past 18 months and just about every British analyst or commentator answered the inevitable question in much the same way: ‘My heart says London, my head tells me Paris’. Perhaps there’s a lesson for all of us there.
What we have, however, always maintained is that London was always the most visionary and, perhaps, most deserving bid. From the outset it ticked the boxes that should define a modern Olympic Games. The London Olympiad was always going to be the Games which made the biggest difference; to the city through regeneration of the Olympic Park and surrounding area, to the people of London and Britain through the provision of facilities and a new focus on sport and to the Olympic movement itself by creating a Games with athletes at their very heart.
But although that vision had been committed to paper and explained in detail to anybody who would listen, it was the final presentations that appear to have made the difference. And that difference was in the pure and very evident passion of Lord Coe, first for the Olympic Games and Olympic movement and second the power of a Games in London. This was the passion and vision that was captured in London’s promotional film that managed to be hugely inspirational, persuasive, informative and funny in a peculiarly British and very human way.
Now comes the task of making that vision a reality. A task which some who have been down that road before believe is far tougher than winning the bid.
There’s an indication of what lies ahead from a poster which appeared on the walls of the SOCOG (Sydney Organising Committee) offices after their best of breed Games in 2000. It identified the phases which event organisers inevitably endure:
1. Euphoria
2. Disenchantment
3. Search for the Guilty
4. Persecution of the Innocent
5. Successful completion - and finally...
6. Glorification of the uninvolved
Cynical maybe...but every event organiser you’ll ever meet says much the same thing. It simply goes with the territory!
