London 2012: What's in it for the locals?

Come 9 September, London will have closed its curtains both for the Olympic and the Paralympic Games. But what has it meant for those living around the area where the Olympic Park was built, and most importantly, what will it mean in the aftermath of the Games?

We have seen London write history in the modern Olympics as it became the first city to have hosted the Games three times, previously in 1908 and 1948, the second time after a long pause in the Olympics in the aftermath of the World War II. The iconic sporting event, coupled with the Cultural Olympiad that is the London 2012 Festival, has put its mark on 2012 as the biggest global event of this year.

But perhaps, the real impact of the Games for the British, more specifically the Londoners, will have to bear the test of time. Whether Prime Minister’s aspiration for the Olympic legacy will come true: “Make sure the Olympics legacy lifts East London from being one of the poorest parts of the country to one that shares fully in the capital’s growth and prosperity.”

Seven years ago last month, London was announced as the host of the 2012 Summer Olympics, beating Paris in a close race. The celebrations might have been cut short in the 7/7 bombings the next day, but one of the UK’s biggest redevelopment and regeneration projects began full swing.

Along with hosting the greatest sporting event of modern history, the UK conceived the Olympic Games as an opportunity to bring East London out of its notorious economic deprivation, the 11th poorest area in the UK. Money has been pouring into the East London borough of Newham, where the Olympic Park was built over a land between Hackney Wick and Stratford, as well as the boroughs that border the Park, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Greenwich and Waltham Forest.

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London 2012: A celebration of history and an ode to a changing world

It was a proud fortnight for Britain and for London, showing to the world that the Olympic Games is much more than sports and competition. London 2012 Summer Olympics was a celebration of diversity, equality, team spirit, fair play, and Western Civilisation when at its best. It was the Games that wrote history in many respects, most memorable perhaps for women athletes.

“Didn’t we do well!” screamed the front page headline of the UK’s Daily Express the day after the Closing Ceremony of London 2012 Summer Olympics. “The Games brought out much that is best in this country,” wrote The Guardian. “They allowed us a golden glimpse of a nation that celebrates men and women with equal awe, and embraces British athletes of all racial backgrounds,” continued the story.

The London 2012 Summer Olympics was an ode to the Olympic spirit, to fair play, to a changing world, and to a changing Britain. It brought together athletes young enough to care equally for Justin Bieber and a gold medal, andold enough to remember the tragic 1972 Munich Olympics. It brought together countries that filled a whole apartment in the Olympic village, with those that had no country to compete for. It brought people of all race, all religion, andall colour.

London 2012 showed to the world that the iconic sporting event is a team effort, continually acknowledging the colossal contribution of the 70 thousand volunteers throughout the Games. It was a historic Games in many respects. It was the Games where women shined equally with men, some of them representing their countries for the first time in their history. It was the “first social media Olympics,” as put by the International Olympic Committee. 150 million Tweets were sent during the Games, Usain Bolt breaking another record with his 1.3 million followers.

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Chatting with UK's Paralympic swimmer Rodgers

The UK’s Paralympic swimmer Susannah Rodgers talks about being a newcomer to international competitions, being selected for London 2012, her sporting idols, and Paralympics.

Susannah Rodgers is a Paralympic swimmer for the British team in the Olympic Games. She won five golds and one silver on her international debut at the 2011 IPC European Championships in Berlin and set two European records. She had also won bronze and silver at the 2011 British Championships. She is currently ranked third in the world for the 50m freestyle. The London-based swimmer is also working for the British Council. Here is an interview with Susannah Rodgers.

You are a relatively newcomer in the international competitions. When did you start swimming competitively?

I did do some swimming when I went to university when I was 21. I did training for a year and I competed. But I was doing a degree in Modern Languages, and as part of my degree I had to go and travel abroad for a year. So I stopped swimming. And it was only after I’d finished university that I got back to the swimming, and I got started competing again. And it went well and then it carried on from there.

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