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Case study: London Olympics 2012
By Matt Burdett, 17 January 2018
On this page, we look at the London Olympics of 2012 as a case study of the costs and benefits for one country hosting an international sports event.
Page contents
Why was London chosen?
London competed with other cities to host the 2012 Olympics. It was chosen from nine cities, with five shortlisted to make formal bids (Paris, Madrid, Moscow, London, and New York). London won the final round, beating Paris by 54 votes to 50.
It seems likely that there was a political influence in the decision – such as the French president insulting the Finnish delegation by complaining about the quality of Finnish food. However, the criteria of the IOC included government support and public opinion, city infrastructure (such as transport), sports venues and experience, olympic village and accommodation, environmental impact and legacy, safety and security, and finance. The following factors were partly responsible for the success of the bid:
- Youth engagement in sport was one of the pillars of London’s bit
- Sustainability and ‘legacy’ were pillars of London’s bid
- Regeneration was emphasised as part of the bid: the IOC was shown photos of the derelict former industrial areas
- The UK government had decided to focus its Olympic bids on London after failing to win the Games in 1992, 1996 and 2000 with bids from Birmingham and Manchester (two other major UK cities)
- Gender and age issues: most of those who spoke in the Paris presentation were male and middle aged; the London presentation included children and represented a multicultural London
- Financial: the British government was ready to back any over-spend on the construction of Games facilities. The initial estimate of GBP2.2bn was totally wrong and the games eventually cost around GBP10bn!
A further issue was the very local focus of London’s bid. Rather than being simply shown as a city- or country-wide bid, it suggested that the Olympics would have a lasting tangible impact on a deprived area of London, called Stratford.
The choice of Stratford in London
The area chosen for the main Olympic facilities was a relatively deprived part of London:
The area was therefore identifiably in need of regeneration and expected to benefit from improvements to infrastructure that would mean:
- Location of main venue just seven minutes by train from Central London
- London’s bid was one of the most compact Olympic Parks – only about 2 ½ square kilometres, so minimal impact on land use in the area
- Sizeable available brownfield sites for redevelopment, as well as the green spaces of the Lower Lea Valley, so there would be opportunity for further growth
- Development of a major transport hub in the form of Stratford International Station
- The athlete’s village was planned to be converted into 2818 new homes, of which about 40% would be ‘affordable’ homes for low and middle income families and disabled people
- Emphasis on urban regeneration: the swimming pools were planned for conversion into public pools after the Games
- Suitable location for further post-Games industry e.g. the media centre, where 20,000 people worked during the Games, was planned for conversion into one of Europe’s largest data storage centres
The costs and benefits of hosting the Games
Whether the Games were cost-effective depends very much on the perspective of the individual. Socially there were many benefits (see below) but these were not always long-lived, and participation in sport has now returned to pre-2012 levels. Economically, the Games occurred during the recovery from the global financial crisis of 2008-10, and many people felt that the approximate cost of GBP10bn to be too high, despite the lasting benefits to the environment and the future of the economy. Over the total period of the Olympics, some sources suggest “the city brought in around US$3.5 billion in revenues, and spent in excess US$18 billion – a negative balance of $14 billion plus” (Zimbalist, 2015).
However, many people feel that the London Games were overall a success, and provided a benefit to the city. It should be remembered that London is already the world’s second most globalised city (Dessibourg, Hales, and Mendoza Peña, 2017) and has been in that position since the index began in 2008. London has great wealth and experience in putting on large events and is used to welcoming visitors from around the world, so it was organisationally capable of running the Olympics. Other cities have fared less well with the legacy of such complex and expensive events.
- Eventual cost nearly £10 billion paid for by lottery fund so other things lose out e.g. arts
- Massive construction scheme lasting years disrupts local communities
- Better image for London and East End
- New sports venues around London and elsewhere e.g. sailing in Weymouth
- The UK government invested GBP 300 million to transform the Olympic site into the “Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park”, which includes housing, new schools, health centres, business space and sports venues.
- The first Join In weekend (encouraging volunteerism as the profile was increased from volunteers at the Olympics), in August 2012, featured over 6,000 events.
- 9000 new homes in total
- The Olympic Village was converted into more than 2,800 flats in 11 residential plots, with spacious courtyards, gardens and balconies.
- Five new neighbourhoods are being established around the park to include 11,000 residences, one third of which will be affordable housing
- The London Olympic Athletes’ Village is the largest sustainable homes project in the UK.
Education and sports participation
- A new youth sport strategy for the UK invested GBP1bn in youth sport over the five years following the Games and created 6,000 new community sports clubs.
- The Department of Education provided GBP 65 million to encourage efforts by physical education teachers to organise competitive sports, embed best practice and train primary school teachers.
- The official London 2012 education programme “Get Set” operated over a four-year period across the UK providing flexible teaching resources for over 25,000 schools and 6.5 million young people to assist them in learning more about the London 2012 Games, the Olympic and Paralympic values and global citizenship. An impressive 85 per cent of UK schools signed up to this programme
- The Olympic and Paralympic Games inspired over 2,000 community projects designed to educate young people in the UK about sport, health & fitness, art and Olympic values.
Environmental and general infrastructure
- Some people lost homes, allotments, and areas for fishing
- Olympic Park ‘largest [new] urban park in Europe for 150 years’ (ODA, 2015)
- Prior to construction, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA, 2015) excavated and cleaned more than 2.3 million cubic metres of contaminated soil.
- Transport for London invested GBP 6.5 billion in transport infrastructure in preparation for the 2012 Games.
- Ten railway lines and 30 new bridges continue to connect London communities after the Games.
- The UK’s Home Office (the ministry of the interior) invested GBP 40 million in communications upgrades for London’s Underground, doubling radio capacity at key stations to help authorities deal with any emergency.
- At least 60 Games-related projects promoted greener travel, including a GBP 10 million investment to upgrade pedestrian and cycling routes across London.
- A fleet of 200 electric vehicles transported Olympians, supported by 120 charging stations that created the UK’s largest network of recharging points. The charging stations continue to support emission-free travel long after the Games
- More than 98 percent of the demolition waste from decrepit buildings that were torn down was recycled.
- Organisers helped develop 45 hectares of habitat, with a 10-year ecological management plan to encourage biodiversity.
- 300,000 plants were planted in the Olympic Park’s wetland area.
- Over 1,000 new trees were planted in East London.
- 380 businesses relocated away from park to make way for Olympics
- Cost of living in the area for poorer people will increase
- 3000 new jobs (ODA, 2015)
- Factoring in pre-Games construction and other early Games-related economic activity, an Oxford Economics study commissioned by the Lloyds banking group estimates that the Games will generate GBP 16.5 billion for the British economy from 2005 to 2017.
- During July and August 2012, visitors spent about GBP 760 million in the UK, averaging GBP 1,290 per person – almost double the normal amount.
- Expenditure from overseas visitors in August, including Games ticket sales, totalled GBP 4.5 billion
- 75 pence of every pound spent on the Olympics went towards providing a lasting legacy to East London residents.
- Independent experts said Games preparations were a major factor behind a 1.2 percent reduction in London’s unemployment rate in early 2012.
- More than 46,000 people worked on the Olympic Park and Olympic Village, 10 percent of whom were previously unemployed.
- The five Host Boroughs surrounding the Olympic Park provided nearly a quarter of the workforce throughout the project. For example, the Host Borough of Newham had 4,364 residents employed by LOCOG or by their contractors and a further 5,518 employed indirectly on the Games in the lead-up and at Games time.
- The (new) Westfield Stratford shopping centre houses 250 retailers, 70 dining establishments and represents a GBP 1.4 billion investment in East London.
- The Westfield Stratford shopping centre created 10,000 permanent new jobs from day one, including 2,000 for local people who were previously unemployed.
Anonymous, no date. Why was London chosen to host the 2012 Olympiad? https://www.rgs.org/NR/rdonlyres/1E506FE2-3179-439C-81F2-B43D0B97D058/0/CGT_NetRaising_8Olympicpresentation.pdf Accessed 17 January 2018.
Dessibourg, Hales, and Mendoza Peña, 2017. Global Cities 2017. https://www.atkearney.com/global-cities/full-report Accessed 17 January 2018.
Dugan, E. 2013. Olympics legacy: Did the Games succeed in rejuvenating East London? http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympics-legacy-did-the-games-succeed-in-rejuvenating-east-london-8711691.html Accessed 17 January 2018.
ODA [Olympic Delivery Authority], 2015. Olympic Delivery Authority 2006-2014 – final report. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/olympic-delivery-authority-report Accessed 17 January 2018.
Stevens, A. 2008. 2012 London Olympics to regenerate one of the poorest areas of the capital http://www.citymayors.com/sport/2012-olympics-london.html Accessed 17 January 2018.
Wihbey, J. 2016. Olympics and their economic impact: Updated research roundup. https://journalistsresource.org/studies/government/infrastructure-government/economic-and-cultural-benefits-of-the-olympics-research-roundup Accessed 17 January 2018.
Zimbalist, 2018. The Illusory Economic Gains from Hosting the Olympics World Cup. In World Economics, 16, issue 1, p. 35-42, https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wej:wldecn:606. Accessed 17 January 2018.
Case study: London Olympics 2012: Learning activities
- Outline the political, social, economic and environmental reasons why London was chosen for the 2012 Games. [8]
- Suggest reasons why some people feel that the Games were not an appropriate way to spend the money. [4]
- Suggest why some people feel that the Games provided a tangible legacy. [3]
- Create a spider diagram showing at least three social impacts, three economic impacts and three environmental impacts of the Games.
- Do you consider that the Games were a sustainable event? Explain your answer. [4]
- Overall, do you think that the Games were a success? Why? [6]
Other tasks
Imagine that you live in the area that is going to be transformed by the Games. Write a letter to the International Olympic Committee explaining why you do or don’t want the Games to come to London. Remember to attempt a counter-argument and rebuttal, and that this is a formal letter so you should be using formal ‘business’ language.
Going further
This site has a great number of additional sources that you could explore, for example if you are looking at the Olympics for the purposes of an extended essay. Page 11 is especially good.
- http://crln.acrl.org/content/75/1/24.full
Look at these sites for more in-depth information.
- http://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/23434844
- https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140221-olympics-sochi-rio-de-janeiro-london-boris-johnson-montreal-athens-world/
- https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/02/03/270950685/did-london-get-an-economic-boost-from-the-2012-olympics
- https://d2rpq8wtqka5kg.cloudfront.net/129049/open20120701120000.pdf?Expires=1511793842&Signature=R043y307dmxOAQKbZckf67uuGsQhQUZ3~Fuml0zdCMn0Y2ZjYobP36CAdEROzjj4QvHUN0aFZKha~v7h8RAt1XLxQKkIZGyf6Z5h3N~U01FZv~N5u4gIXs~z43IkDQMr~1ShM9I4Px7hWR6~yG7TRi57jLt8x3Ti~2HiHGZYAiDpXP68St7EadjRxLr6HDZRtf-mOBRGCSKCxx7S-bhDyZWlDqR8kP4jayZQr7UtYoN-qSbdz6SqNBd3AIrQNhaCLp51mWZkSFex8XdXJblqSZDlAgdPYHvGLyD6wsZLSZAmvUE9MDQ4ol~SOhQ9qI9-zggFSUgaagHj1mPDR9Ak9A__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJVGCNMR6FQV6VYIA
And even further:
- http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/London_2012_Facts_and_Figures-eng.pdf Interesting facts in general.
- http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_282767.pdf Visitors impact – especially useful on p8
- http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ott/overseas-travel-and-tourism—monthly-release/august-2012/index.html Also pretty strong, same basic source as above but with other links that might be useful.
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London 2012 Olympic Park
Written before the London 2012 Olympics, this resource looks at the developments in East London in the lead up to the Games
- Key Stage Three,
- Key Stage Four,
- Key Stage Five,
- Urbanisation, migration and society,
- Background to the 2012 site
- Olympic Park photos
- Canary Wharf
- ExCel London
- Canning Town
- Coin Street
On 6 July 2005, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that London would host the 2012 Olympics. London won its bid on the back of three factors:
Its status as a global city with one of the world's most culturally and ethnically diverse populations
Its focus upon regenerating one of the poorest areas of the city, which is ongoing, where the Olympics have a specific role to play in providing a legacy of amenities for local people
A focus upon children as the benefactors of the Olympics, and the inspiration that could link nations through sport
London's bid was focused upon a complete rebrand and reconstruction of a brownfield site along the Lea Valley in east London. A range of new facilities is currently being built in the area. The central hub will be the Olympic Park, parallel to the Lea River, which will contain several Olympic venues located within walking distance of each other. As the Olympic Park develops, there will many opportunities for engaging students in geographical learning, focusing upon the topics of regeneration, sustainability, culture and sport.
Opportunities for fieldwork in the Olympic area
Download the full Opportunities for fieldwork in the Olympic area article
Download a list of relevant websites
Between July 2005, when London won the right to host the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, and July 2007, East London was ripe for geographical field study. The plans for the Olympic Park were being firmed up, organisations being put in place, and infrastructural change - such as underground electricity cables to replace the pylons - was largely being carried out underground and out of sight. The images of future Olympics and Paralympics venues could be downloaded. All that the willing geographer needed was a sense of imagination - record the present, take a glimpse into the future, and leave the rest to the imagination.
However, like all large plans, London's Olympics and Paralympics are being subjected to ‘events'. Just as Canary Wharf blighted the progress of London's Docklands regeneration when it went into receivership in 1993, so too London's Olympics and Paralympics are likely to alter as part of the credit crunch that began in September 2007.
What kind of fieldwork?
London's Olympics and Paralympics offer geographers considerable potential for fieldwork study.
They offer a discrete study in which the themes of change , regeneration , and sustainability can be given a place focus
Because they are part of a process of regeneration that began with Docklands in the early 1980s and is likely to continue with commercial development such as Stratford City, they have a context in which regeneration for some of the poorest and most deprived areas of London and the UK
They allow first hand study of economic, social, and environmental impact - in which secondary sources can play as important a part as primary data
Getting access to the sites
Access is now more difficult, and the imagination required of both teachers and their students is considerable. In July 2007, the ODA assumed ownership of the Marshgate Lane area, which forms the hub of the Olympics facilities. For both security and safety, the entire site - stretching from the southern borders close to Stratford north to the A12 - was fenced off, creating a tall blue security fence that the ‘Guardian' and others have referred to as east London's Berlin wall. Clearly, this made access difficult to the public generally and to geographers specifically!
Nonetheless, provided that fieldwork parties come to see the Olympics in the context of regeneration - and not simply observe only the Olympics sites - there are plenty of opportunities for students of all ages. Placed around the theme of regeneration, students could investigate and collect primary data for the following:
Investigate Docklands and the nature of 1980s style regeneration, that was market led, which focused upon the development of a service economy, redeveloped areas of derelict land into secure housing, and convert warehousing and lofts, each of which would attract the middle-classes
Investigate the nature of communities such as Canning Town South, for which 2001 census data are available. In 2002, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) took its second year undergraduates into Canning Town and questioned a large sample of residents about what Canning Town was like to live in.
Investigate local perceptions of the Olympics as seen by local people in parts of Newham, for example Stratford shopping centre which is undercover, safe, and where residents are generally friendly enough towards students to answer questions. A perception framework covers economic, social and environmental aspects, and those questioned are asked to respond how well they believe that the Olympics will benefit them and the area
Investigate environmental quality in the areas which are still accessible from, for example the canal or Lea River towpath and which pass the Olympics sites. These are the core area of Olympics sites and those which will form the new Olympics Park - and thus it will be possible to compare environmental quality now with the environmental impact of the new Olympics park using the computer-generated images on the London 2012 website
Investigate the environmental impact of the security wall on people's live sin east London and the extent to which they are being or are not being inconvenienced by the work going on. This could take the form of an environmental quality bi-polar assessment, like that used for environmental quality above
Observe the new Olympics Park using accessible sites such as the Stratford town centre multi storey car park. This overlooks Stratford station, is easily accessed, and a view from the open deck top floor shows the Olympics Park in its entirety. It is also possible to view the new Channel Tunnel Rail Link station from this site, and therefore the site of the new Stratford City development
Students can then also use secondary data , such as:
Photographs from 2005 onwards of different parts of the Olympics sites, enabling them to assess the degree of change
The London 2012 website which shows computer-generated images of the Olympics stadia and facilities, and of the new Olympic Park
The Census 2001 website which shows data for the different wards of Newham. Click on ‘Neighbourhood' and type in ‘Canning Town South' for data for this ward. Other wards can be accessed by name or postcode
In carrying out just some of these data collection techniques and using sources, students might be able to generate as much as:
Identifying the need for regeneration - environmental
EQS results for accessible Olympic sites. Examples include the overall view over the future Olympic Park from the multi-storey car park in Stratford, the view of the stadium from across the railway tracks from Pudding Mill Lane station (DLR - first stop outside Stratford)
EQS results for areas such as Canning Town, compared to sites in Docklands, for example Canary Wharf or ExCel
Annotated photos of locations visited
The impact of regeneration - environmental
Environmental Impact Assessments of the Olympic sites using the computer images on the London 2012 website
Annotated photos/images of these images and that of the aerial view of the Olympic Park
The need for regeneration - social and economic
Graphs of social and economic data for wards such as Canning Town using 2001 census data
Graphs generated from data collected by the 2002 Canning Town survey by QMUL
The impact of regeneration - social and economic
Environmental Quality Survey graphs from Canary Wharf
Graphs generated from perception surveys held in Canning Town or Stratford about how well local people think the Olympics will benefit them and the communities of east London
Do not forget places outside London!
There are several Olympics and Paralympics sites outside London. Progress at some venues is exceptional. Sailing events are to be held next to Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA), in Dorset on the south coast. The old Naval Air Station at Portland has been renovated and redesigned, and is now known as Osprey Quay; new residential, commercial and marina facilities have been given planning permission and building started in May 2008. On one of the most exposed locations in the western English Channel, it provides superb natural sailing waters. Facilities include:
A new slipway, 70 moorings and associated facilities
A new 600 berth commercial marina nearby. Part of the sailing venue, 250 of its berths will be used for test events as well as during the Games
Construction was completed by late 2008, making Weymouth and Portland one of the first venues completed for 2012.
How do I get to the sites shown in the field booklet?
In an ideal world, a coach will help you to see the contrasts between:
Places that have undergone regeneration in Docklands
Places that have been left behind such as Canning Town South
The Olympic sites
Stratford and Stratford City, with an overview of the Olympic Park
However, public transport is perfectly feasible. Book your students in advance and you should be able to purchase one day Travelcards for your students for 80p each (October 2008 prices). This can be checked at Transport for London .
Start at Canary Wharf or ExCel . Each is on the DLR.
Custom House for Excel station will also allow you access into Canning Town South . The main shopping parade on Freemasons Road is opposite the station once you have crossed Victoria Dock Road. Here you can carry out perception surveys as well as EQS
A short trip back on the DLR will take you to Stratford. To see the Olympic Park in progress is easy - simply cross the road form the station, go into the shopping centre and take the lifts inside the door to the eighth floor. One of the best free views in eats London.
To see other sites around Stratford
Walk east and then northwards along Major Road, past the construction college, to the site of the old Clays Lane Housing estate - to be the site of the Olympic Village
Take the overground to Hackney Wick and walk along Rothbury Road (see the photograph on page two) as far as the blue wall; the area gives a good idea of what regenerated housing can look like in east London, and how housing like this will probably encircle much of Olympic Park after 2012
The stadium is best viewed from Pudding Mill Lane station, one stop east out of Stratford on the DLR
Author: Bob Digby 2008
Bob Digby’s Olympic fieldtrip
Bob Digby is a Chartered Geographer, Community Geographer for the Geographical Association, GCSE Principal Examiner and an education consultant and author. He has a particular interest in teaching about London's 2012 Olympics, and has led many fieldtrips to the site with both students and other teachers.
Since Bob wrote his original fieldtrip resources for the Olympic site, accessibility to the area has been considerably reduced to allow the site development to proceed. The fieldwork booklet available to download on this page is therefore an adaptation of the original, taking into account these changes. The fieldtrip follows a route around the Olympic sites to investigate the need for regeneration in East London and the potential impacts of the games.
What lessons for urban regeneration in East London can be learnt from projects in the past?
In January 2008 a group of Year 11 students from Guildford High School undertook a day of fieldwork in East London. The aim of their visit was to study four different areas, two of which have undergone urban regeneration and two of which will be regenerated in the future.
The four areas were:
Canary Wharf: An example of 1980s urban regeneration, focusing on commerce and retail
ExCel London: An example of 1990s urban regeneration, focusing on leisure and service industries
Canning Town: A deprived residential area with plans for regeneration
Stratford: The heart of the ongoing Olympics regeneration project, with additional Stratford City and transport developments also underway
At each site, they collected social, economic and environmental data, which they subsequently used to write a GCSE case study of urban regeneration in East London. Their case study focused on the positive and negative impacts of regeneration as well as the lessons that can be learnt for regeneration projects in the future. It was presented back in school in the form of an annotated map.
In addition, resources are included for a fifth site, the Coin Street Community Builders Programme on the South Bank, SE1. This successful social enterprise and development trust scheme is located in the area between the Oxo Tower and the National Theatre in the heart of the South Bank area. It was visited by a group of AS and A2 students attending the RGS-IBG Winter School in February 2008 and is an additional scheme with which to contrast the East London redevelopments. The aim of the AS/A2 trip was to collect information and data to resource a case study of urban regeneration. The students subsequently used the information to write their own exam question and mark scheme, which they shared with others in the group.
Follow-up work
Year 11 students
Listed below are links to some examples of work produced by Year 11 students from Guildford High School following their fieldtrip to East London.
Their brief was to summarise the positive and negative impacts of the urban regeneration projects they visited in Canary Wharf and ExCeL London socially, environmentally and economically, and to consider the lessons that can be learnt for the future.
The students also considered positive and negative aspects to the Canning Town and Stratford areas, and the possible impacts of regeneration in these places.
Finally, the students superimposed digital photos onto a map of the site as a visual representation and comparison of social, economic and environmental features of the areas.
AS/A2 students
The aim of the fieldtrip for AS/A2 students was to collect data for an exam case study. Rather than using their findings to answer a question, however students studied a range of past papers and used these as a framework for writing their own exam question with resources and a detailed mark scheme.
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Case study: London Olympics 2012
By Matt Burdett, 17 January 2018
On this page, we look at the London Olympics of 2012 as a case study of the costs and benefits for one country hosting an international sports event.
Why was London chosen?
London competed with other cities to host the 2012 Olympics. It was chosen from nine cities, with five shortlisted to make formal bids (Paris, Madrid, Moscow, London, and New York). London won the final round, beating Paris by 54 votes to 50.
It seems likely that there was a political influence in the decision – such as the French president insulting the Finnish delegation by complaining about the quality of Finnish food. However, the criteria of the IOC included government support and public opinion, city infrastructure (such as transport), sports venues and experience, olympic village and accommodation, environmental impact and legacy, safety and security, and finance. The following factors were partly responsible for the success of the bid:
- Youth engagement in sport was one of the pillars of London’s bit
- Sustainability and ‘legacy’ were pillars of London’s bid
- Regeneration was emphasised as part of the bid: the IOC was shown photos of the derelict former industrial areas
- The UK government had decided to focus its Olympic bids on London after failing to win the Games in 1992, 1996 and 2000 with bids from Birmingham and Manchester (two other major UK cities)
- Gender and age issues: most of those who spoke in the Paris presentation were male and middle aged; the London presentation included children and represented a multicultural London
- Financial: the British government was ready to back any over-spend on the construction of Games facilities. The initial estimate of GBP2.2bn was totally wrong and the games eventually cost around GBP10bn!
A further issue was the very local focus of London’s bid. Rather than being simply shown as a city- or country-wide bid, it suggested that the Olympics would have a lasting tangible impact on a deprived area of London, called Stratford.
The choice of Stratford in London
The area chosen for the main Olympic facilities was a relatively deprived part of London:
The area was therefore identifiably in need of regeneration and expected to benefit from improvements to infrastructure that would mean:
- Location of main venue just seven minutes by train from Central London
- London’s bid was one of the most compact Olympic Parks – only about 2 ½ square kilometres, so minimal impact on land use in the area
- Sizeable available brownfield sites for redevelopment, as well as the green spaces of the Lower Lea Valley, so there would be opportunity for further growth
- Development of a major transport hub in the form of Stratford International Station
- The athlete’s village was planned to be converted into 2818 new homes, of which about 40% would be ‘affordable’ homes for low and middle income families and disabled people
- Emphasis on urban regeneration: the swimming pools were planned for conversion into public pools after the Games
- Suitable location for further post-Games industry e.g. the media centre, where 20,000 people worked during the Games, was planned for conversion into one of Europe’s largest data storage centres
The costs and benefits of hosting the Games
Whether the Games were cost-effective depends very much on the perspective of the individual. Socially there were many benefits (see below) but these were not always long-lived, and participation in sport has now returned to pre-2012 levels. Economically, the Games occurred during the recovery from the global financial crisis of 2008-10, and many people felt that the approximate cost of GBP10bn to be too high, despite the lasting benefits to the environment and the future of the economy. Over the total period of the Olympics, some sources suggest “the city brought in around US$3.5 billion in revenues, and spent in excess US$18 billion – a negative balance of $14 billion plus” (Zimbalist, 2015).
However, many people feel that the London Games were overall a success, and provided a benefit to the city. It should be remembered that London is already the world’s second most globalised city (Dessibourg, Hales, and Mendoza Peña, 2017) and has been in that position since the index began in 2008. London has great wealth and experience in putting on large events and is used to welcoming visitors from around the world, so it was organisationally capable of running the Olympics. Other cities have fared less well with the legacy of such complex and expensive events.
- Eventual cost nearly £10 billion paid for by lottery fund so other things lose out e.g. arts
- Massive construction scheme lasting years disrupts local communities
- Better image for London and East End
- New sports venues around London and elsewhere e.g. sailing in Weymouth
- The UK government invested GBP 300 million to transform the Olympic site into the “Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park”, which includes housing, new schools, health centres, business space and sports venues.
- The first Join In weekend (encouraging volunteerism as the profile was increased from volunteers at the Olympics), in August 2012, featured over 6,000 events.
- 9000 new homes in total
- The Olympic Village was converted into more than 2,800 flats in 11 residential plots, with spacious courtyards, gardens and balconies.
- Five new neighbourhoods are being established around the park to include 11,000 residences, one third of which will be affordable housing
- The London Olympic Athletes’ Village is the largest sustainable homes project in the UK.
Education and sports participation
- A new youth sport strategy for the UK invested GBP1bn in youth sport over the five years following the Games and created 6,000 new community sports clubs.
- The Department of Education provided GBP 65 million to encourage efforts by physical education teachers to organise competitive sports, embed best practice and train primary school teachers.
- The official London 2012 education programme “Get Set” operated over a four-year period across the UK providing flexible teaching resources for over 25,000 schools and 6.5 million young people to assist them in learning more about the London 2012 Games, the Olympic and Paralympic values and global citizenship. An impressive 85 per cent of UK schools signed up to this programme
- The Olympic and Paralympic Games inspired over 2,000 community projects designed to educate young people in the UK about sport, health & fitness, art and Olympic values.
Environmental and general infrastructure
- Some people lost homes, allotments, and areas for fishing
- Olympic Park ‘largest [new] urban park in Europe for 150 years’ (ODA, 2015)
- Prior to construction, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA, 2015) excavated and cleaned more than 2.3 million cubic metres of contaminated soil.
- Transport for London invested GBP 6.5 billion in transport infrastructure in preparation for the 2012 Games.
- Ten railway lines and 30 new bridges continue to connect London communities after the Games.
- The UK’s Home Office (the ministry of the interior) invested GBP 40 million in communications upgrades for London’s Underground, doubling radio capacity at key stations to help authorities deal with any emergency.
- At least 60 Games-related projects promoted greener travel, including a GBP 10 million investment to upgrade pedestrian and cycling routes across London.
- A fleet of 200 electric vehicles transported Olympians, supported by 120 charging stations that created the UK’s largest network of recharging points. The charging stations continue to support emission-free travel long after the Games
- More than 98 percent of the demolition waste from decrepit buildings that were torn down was recycled.
- Organisers helped develop 45 hectares of habitat, with a 10-year ecological management plan to encourage biodiversity.
- 300,000 plants were planted in the Olympic Park’s wetland area.
- Over 1,000 new trees were planted in East London.
- 380 businesses relocated away from park to make way for Olympics
- Cost of living in the area for poorer people will increase
- 3000 new jobs (ODA, 2015)
- Factoring in pre-Games construction and other early Games-related economic activity, an Oxford Economics study commissioned by the Lloyds banking group estimates that the Games will generate GBP 16.5 billion for the British economy from 2005 to 2017.
- During July and August 2012, visitors spent about GBP 760 million in the UK, averaging GBP 1,290 per person – almost double the normal amount.
- Expenditure from overseas visitors in August, including Games ticket sales, totalled GBP 4.5 billion
- 75 pence of every pound spent on the Olympics went towards providing a lasting legacy to East London residents.
- Independent experts said Games preparations were a major factor behind a 1.2 percent reduction in London’s unemployment rate in early 2012.
- More than 46,000 people worked on the Olympic Park and Olympic Village, 10 percent of whom were previously unemployed.
- The five Host Boroughs surrounding the Olympic Park provided nearly a quarter of the workforce throughout the project. For example, the Host Borough of Newham had 4,364 residents employed by LOCOG or by their contractors and a further 5,518 employed indirectly on the Games in the lead-up and at Games time.
- The (new) Westfield Stratford shopping centre houses 250 retailers, 70 dining establishments and represents a GBP 1.4 billion investment in East London.
- The Westfield Stratford shopping centre created 10,000 permanent new jobs from day one, including 2,000 for local people who were previously unemployed.
Anonymous, no date. Why was London chosen to host the 2012 Olympiad? https://www.rgs.org/NR/rdonlyres/1E506FE2-3179-439C-81F2-B43D0B97D058/0/CGT_NetRaising_8Olympicpresentation.pdf Accessed 17 January 2018.
Dessibourg, Hales, and Mendoza Peña, 2017. Global Cities 2017. https://www.atkearney.com/global-cities/full-report Accessed 17 January 2018.
Dugan, E. 2013. Olympics legacy: Did the Games succeed in rejuvenating East London? http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympics-legacy-did-the-games-succeed-in-rejuvenating-east-london-8711691.html Accessed 17 January 2018.
ODA [Olympic Delivery Authority], 2015. Olympic Delivery Authority 2006-2014 – final report. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/olympic-delivery-authority-report Accessed 17 January 2018.
Stevens, A. 2008. 2012 London Olympics to regenerate one of the poorest areas of the capital http://www.citymayors.com/sport/2012-olympics-london.html Accessed 17 January 2018.
Wihbey, J. 2016. Olympics and their economic impact: Updated research roundup. https://journalistsresource.org/studies/government/infrastructure-government/economic-and-cultural-benefits-of-the-olympics-research-roundup Accessed 17 January 2018.
Zimbalist, 2018. The Illusory Economic Gains from Hosting the Olympics World Cup. In World Economics, 16, issue 1, p. 35-42, https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wej:wldecn:606 . Accessed 17 January 2018.
Case study: London Olympics 2012: Learning activities
- Outline the political, social, economic and environmental reasons why London was chosen for the 2012 Games. [8]
- Suggest reasons why some people feel that the Games were not an appropriate way to spend the money. [4]
- Suggest why some people feel that the Games provided a tangible legacy. [3]
- Create a spider diagram showing at least three social impacts, three economic impacts and three environmental impacts of the Games.
- Do you consider that the Games were a sustainable event? Explain your answer. [4]
- Overall, do you think that the Games were a success? Why? [6]
Other tasks
Imagine that you live in the area that is going to be transformed by the Games. Write a letter to the International Olympic Committee explaining why you do or don’t want the Games to come to London. Remember to attempt a counter-argument and rebuttal, and that this is a formal letter so you should be using formal ‘business’ language.
Going further
This site has a great number of additional sources that you could explore, for example if you are looking at the Olympics for the purposes of an extended essay. Page 11 is especially good.
- http://crln.acrl.org/content/75/1/24.full
Look at these sites for more in-depth information.
- http://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/23434844
- https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140221-olympics-sochi-rio-de-janeiro-london-boris-johnson-montreal-athens-world/
- https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/02/03/270950685/did-london-get-an-economic-boost-from-the-2012-olympics
- https://d2rpq8wtqka5kg.cloudfront.net/129049/open20120701120000.pdf?Expires=1511793842&Signature=R043y307dmxOAQKbZckf67uuGsQhQUZ3~Fuml0zdCMn0Y2ZjYobP36CAdEROzjj4QvHUN0aFZKha~v7h8RAt1XLxQKkIZGyf6Z5h3N~U01FZv~N5u4gIXs~z43IkDQMr~1ShM9I4Px7hWR6~yG7TRi57jLt8x3Ti~2HiHGZYAiDpXP68St7EadjRxLr6HDZRtf-mOBRGCSKCxx7S-bhDyZWlDqR8kP4jayZQr7UtYoN-qSbdz6SqNBd3AIrQNhaCLp51mWZkSFex8XdXJblqSZDlAgdPYHvGLyD6wsZLSZAmvUE9MDQ4ol~SOhQ9qI9-zggFSUgaagHj1mPDR9Ak9A__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJVGCNMR6FQV6VYIA
And even further:
- http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/London_2012_Facts_and_Figures-eng.pdf Interesting facts in general.
- http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_282767.pdf Visitors impact – especially useful on p8
- http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ott/overseas-travel-and-tourism—monthly-release/august-2012/index.html Also pretty strong, same basic source as above but with other links that might be useful.
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14% of the population of London with 56% of these areas having high level of deprivation. -There was a severe lack of affordable housing in the area and many social problems such as a high crime rates -The unemployment rate in August 2010 was 12.9% compared to the England average of 7.8%.
Why was London chosen? London competed with other cities to host the 2012 Olympics. It was chosen from nine cities, with five shortlisted to make formal bids (Paris, Madrid, Moscow, London, and New York). London won the final round, beating Paris by 54 votes to 50.
Stratford. Coin Street. On 6 July 2005, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that London would host the 2012 Olympics. London won its bid on the back of three factors: Its status as a global city with one of the world's most culturally and ethnically diverse populations.
• London's GDP: increase by 5.9 billion • North East London: 0.5 billion • Major growth in construction and passenger land transport throughout the UK
On this page, we look at the London Olympics of 2012 as a case study of the costs and benefits for one country hosting an international sports event. Why was London chosen? London competed with other cities to host the 2012 Olympics.
Use the images below to explore the London case study What is the location and importance of London? The impacts of migration on the growth and character of London
Start studying A2 Geography Human Case Study London 2012. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
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