So the curtain has finally come down on the grandest stage in all of sports…
The Olympics endured 16 days of tough competition, with more than 10-thousand of the best athletes from around the world. London hosted not only athletes, but also tourists and dignitaries — who came in a show of solidarity for their nation’s teams.
The British Prime Minister says his country deserves a Gold medal for putting on a spectacular event. But some say the country also deserves a medal for being the “greenest Olympics ever”. That’s according to an independent commission, set up to monitor the environmental impact of the London Games. The Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 said recycling and regeneration has been a success. However, it went on to say much more could been done to minimize the impact of future Olympic Games on people and the planet.
Shaun McCarthy is Commission Chairman. He says London has set high standards for future host cities.
Previous Games have been criticized for the environmental damage they cause through waste, construction and transport. But sustainability was at the core of London’s pitch for the Olympics. And the commission says organizers had ultimately succeeded in achieving it. For example, the venues were told to be made of at least a quarter recycled materials. So workers did things like utilize disused gas pipes in the Olympic Stadium.
The commission says Olympic Park was complimented for regenerating a trashy area and benefitting wildlife.
But the group went on to say that challenges for future host cities were actually off the Olympic site. These challenges would include the social ethics of some of the manufacturerers and sponsors associated with the event.
And despite all the predictions of doom and gridlock, McCarthy says London 2012 was the world’s first Olympics to maximize public transport. There has also been a reported spike in sports participation across the country. But the Chairman says this increase is likely to be short lived. McCarthy believes it willl take “investment in community and school sport and a clear plan to tackle the current obesity crisis”.
