In seven years time London will host the 2012 Olympics. It will be the third time London has held them, the previous ones were in 1908 and 1948. In the end it was between Paris and London with Paris being the outright favourite to win. It is impossible to pin point anyone thing that swung it for London, it could have been several things. But I hope what really clinched it was Lord ( Sebastian ) Coe's final speech and his description of watching his Olympic heroes on a screen in his school hall with his fellow classmates. And being so inspired by it that he knew what he wanted to do and be when he grew up. For this is what the Olympics are about inspiration, sportsmanship and the blending of culture and education.
To be chosen to host the Olympics is an incredible achievement and a great honour. But it brings with it a certain amount of pressure. You have to have everything built on time and you don't want to be over budget it also has to be a success. And what will happen to these stadiums when it's all over. Will the dome turn back into a white elephant? Hopefully not, some facilities would have been built anyway even if London hadn't won. If London does end up with something that is really only used for one thing - the Olympics then it will be a shame. Other countries who have hosted the games in recent times have suffered. However London seems all to a where of this problem and have made plans accordingly. The main stadium for athletics and the opening/ closing ceremony will be home to British athletics with less capacity. This is what will happen to most places. The Olympic village will provide homes for Londoners once the games are over.
If London is to be true to it's word in making it an Olympics for the next generations then it will have to provide tickets at an affordable amount and make sure that children everywhere have a fair allocution of tickets available to them, they must be the priority After all watching on television is nothing compared to actually being there.
The last Olympics to be held in London were in 1948 at Wembley stadium. My uncle took my father, who was a school boy at the time. He saw the Dutch woman Fanny Blankers - Koen. She won four gold medals, 100m, 80m hurdles, 200m and the 4 x 100m. She was also the first woman to win four gold medals and the first to do this at just one Olympics. She also happened to be a thirty year - old mother of two, which was unheard of at the time.
© Children's Web Magazine 2005