Passing the baton

The XXIX Olympiad has drawn to a close having been quite the success, for 'Team GB' (with their 19 golds), for 'Team PRC' (with their 51), and for China itself, having hosted a Games on a scale which London has already given up trying to surpass.

China has marked its arrival at the highest echelons of the global order in spectacular style. Despite the odd hiccough, its primary aim in hosting the Olympics has been fulfilled; few can now doubt that when it so desires China can match the capabilities of almost any developed country. At the closing ceremony earlier today, the Mayor of London was symbolically passed the Olympic flag. All eyes now start to turn to the games of 2012 (although lets not forget Vancouver, South Africa, New Zealand, South Asia and of course the paralympics in two weeks time first).

The primary aim of the London Olympics is supposedly the regeneration of East London. This is undoubtedly a worthy goal, but it is far from clear why the addition of a two week jamboree will radically amplify the effects of the money to be thrown at the area, money that could anyway have been allotted to community development if the case for such funds was convincing. Hosting major tournaments has long ceased to be about simply providing sporting spectacle and is now an exercise in country and civic branding. But London already has a global reputation, and spending the vast sums needed to match Beijing is politically untenable. There is no reason why the London Games cannot be a great success, but if they indeed are, London has not proved anything that people did not believe already, and if they are not, then the renown of a great city has been needlessly sullied. There are many countries (such as Russia in 2014) and cities (such Manchester, which submitted a bid to host in 2000) that can benefit a great deal from running a tight Olympic ship and advertising their competence to the world. London is not one of them, and 2012 will not match the brilliance of 2008 without billions in extra funding which simply are not there. Now it is host, the best we can hope for is for brand London to emerge
in 2012 unscathed.