
Of course, with Team GB doing so well – 65 medals (of which 29 Gold) – and many spectacular performances Seb Coe was right enough to speak of “wonderful games in a wonderful city” and for a time almost all Londoners seemed infused with the impulse, as urged by Eric Idle, “to look on the bright side of life”. But, we’d wager, this won’t last. Why? For three familiar reasons: first, when the final cost of the event is revealed, and especially in this time of austerity, there will be cause for some deep frowns (it’s still too early for a definitive accounting of London 2012); second, experience has shown that the predicted post-Games tourist boom is unlikely to happen, certainly on the scale some optimists imagine; third, the physical legacy of the Olympics usually fails to be much of an asset: Sydney’s Homebush has turned out to be a white elephant and – less of a surprise – Athens’ venues are rapidly becoming “modern Greek ruins”. And what about the much-vaunted regeneration of the area of East London where the Games were held? Even before the closing ceremony a BBC radio documentary was full of pessimistic voices. As one plaintive cockney put it, “If you ask me, people like us won’t be able to afford to stay here.”
Photo: London Youth Games Ltd