London 2040

[Trevatanus]

So, Mr Khan is teasing a 2040 Olympic bid for London. It’s almost as if he’s trying to divert our attention from the absolute mess he has made of London.
Whichever way it goes, he cannot lose as he will be long gone as Mayor by then.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/london...

[valiant]

London 2012 was an amazing success and you do have to bid for these things well in advance.

We also have a lot of infrastructure already in place and now have the experience in hosting games such as these so why not? Bring it on!

[Trevatanus]

valiant said:

London 2012 was an amazing success and you do have to bid for these things well in advance.

We also have a lot of infrastructure already in place and now have the experience in hosting games such as these so why not? Bring it on!

I absolutely agree, 2012 was amazing, but I still think that this is not why he's doing it.

[Otispunkmeyer]

valiant said:

London 2012 was an amazing success and you do have to bid for these things well in advance.

We also have a lot of infrastructure already in place and now have the experience in hosting games such as these so why not? Bring it on!

Do we?

I am not so sure its that simple.

The swimming pool for example... now missing the majority of its spectator seating because it was removed after the games (as planned). The athletes villages around there are now housing. A lot of the other land has been built on with other offices and things. Plus its nearly 20 years away, I'd think perhaps that a lot of this stuff will be looking a little tired by 2040!

Besides, I quite like the games and I like them as an excuse to get some Gucci sports facilities built. People moan about the cost, but there is more to it than just money IMO.

[Earthdweller]

For the 2012 Olympics London had a huge area of land that was post industrial wasteland where an “Olympic village” and all the necessary sporting venues could be constructed with, for a major western city fairly minimal disruption and compulsory purchases

That area does not exist in the same form 11 years later and the whether London has the ability/location/land to create a venue again I’m not so sure

The venues have gone or been repurposed, the accommodation all sold off

I think it’s a very different proposition this time round

[andy43]

Building an Olympic village using bicycles and Nissan Leafs for transport would be difficult.
Maybe somewhere outside the wrath grip of khan would be better?

[untakenname]

The first London Olympics bid was won in 2005 before the recession when it was still ok politically to splurge billons, now with the cost of living crises it's not the time for vanity projects.

Plus with youngsters now more into E-sports than normal sports and viewing figures for the last Olympics and winter Olympics below that of previous games I doubt there will be much viewing demand in 2040.

[anonymous-user]

Otispunkmeyer said:

Do we?

I am not so sure its that simple.

The swimming pool for example... now missing the majority of its spectator seating because it was removed after the games (as planned). The athletes villages around there are now housing. A lot of the other land has been built on with other offices and things. Plus its nearly 20 years away, I'd think perhaps that a lot of this stuff will be looking a little tired by 2040!

Besides, I quite like the games and I like them as an excuse to get some Gucci sports facilities built. People moan about the cost, but there is more to it than just money IMO.

So the previous Olympics development was a success, so we should definitely not do it again.

Weird way of looking at things

[dundarach]

London always seems to work very well whenever I go.

What mess has he made?

[PeteinSQ]

People are always saying that Khan has made a mess of running London. What exactly has he done that is worse than Boris?

[Ian Geary]

PeteinSQ said:

People are always saying that Khan has made a mess of running London. What exactly has he done that is worse than Boris?

dundarach said:

London always seems to work very well whenever I go.

What mess has he made?

He's simply the wrong colour (politically of course)

Ulez is being forced by the conservative government. Otherwise he seems to be delivering on the manifesto he stood for. Maybe that's what's got people shocked?

[Zetec-S]

Earthdweller said:

For the 2012 Olympics London had a huge area of land that was post industrial wasteland where an “Olympic village” and all the necessary sporting venues could be constructed with, for a major western city fairly minimal disruption and compulsory purchases

That area does not exist in the same form 11 years later and the whether London has the ability/location/land to create a venue again I’m not so sure

The venues have gone or been repurposed, the accommodation all sold off

I think it’s a very different proposition this time round

Have to agree with this.

I'd love for it to return, missed out on going in 2012, but am I the only one who thinks that 28 years between hosting is not enough of a gap?

[Countdown]

Why not have it in Manchester?

[bigpriest]

The transport 'infrastructure' wouldn't cope with 3 extra trains through Castlefield

Does the Olympic bid have to be a city? Would be a good opprtunity to have a regional UK bid and transform multiple areas. Plenty of wasteland to be developed a la London 2012 if you could guarantee re-use of facilities afterwards.

[Countdown]

bigpriest said:

The transport 'infrastructure' wouldn't cope with 3 extra trains through Castlefield

Does the Olympic bid have to be a city? Would be a good opprtunity to have a regional UK bid and transform multiple areas. Plenty of wasteland to be developed a la London 2012 if you could guarantee re-use of facilities afterwards.

I think it's a great opportunity for investing in the infrastructure. For once it would be good to invest in the infrastructure first and then let the City grow around it rather than the infra stuff always being put in place afterwards

[sugerbear]

Ian Geary said:

PeteinSQ said:

People are always saying that Khan has made a mess of running London. What exactly has he done that is worse than Boris?

dundarach said:

London always seems to work very well whenever I go.

What mess has he made?

He's simply the wrong colour (politically of course)

Ulez is being forced by the conservative government. Otherwise he seems to be delivering on the manifesto he stood for. Maybe that's what's got people shocked?

They can't defeat him at the ballot box, so the obvious way forward (for them) is to change how the ballot works in the vain hope that FPTP works for them in London like it does outside of London.

[Octoposse]

I worked on the logistics of the security operation in 2012 - ten weeks of six 12 hour shifts a week, horrific rolling shift pattern. Eight months of prep leading up to it.

Only squeaked a success - because we didn’t spend enough money on the right things, and LOCOG and it’s honours-chasing acolytes were a hindrance.

We apparently can’t afford to pay public servants a decent salary anymore, so I don’t know where x billion is going to come from to do another Olympics “properly”?

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Countdown said:

Why not have it in Manchester?

We've tried that, got 2 votes.

Some countries, like Italy, have multiple cities that have genuine appeal to foreign visitors. Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence. The USA has many too. Someone visiting Italy wouldn't be fixated on Rome.

The UK doesn't have that. Foreigners coming to the UK want to go to London. They don't want to go to Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds or Newcastle. Or even Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast. We have many great cities in the UK, but London is where everyone visiting from abroad wants to go.

It's not right, or fair, but that's just the way it is. Only London can win an Olympic bid. Nowhere else in the UK stands a snowball's chance in hell.

[Fundoreen]

The 2012 one was sold on getting the kids into sport and health. They do even less now and are just vegetables sat in front of social media.
The media companies like facebook and google should fund all this stuff now.

[anonymous-user]

Trevatanus said:

valiant said:

London 2012 was an amazing success and you do have to bid for these things well in advance.

We also have a lot of infrastructure already in place and now have the experience in hosting games such as these so why not? Bring it on!

I absolutely agree, 2012 was amazing, but I still think that this is not why he's doing it.

It was a complete disaster. It was hugely over budget and it’s main promise, to get children into sport has failed as participation numbers are below pre-2012 levels.

Yes, we won lots of medals, we all cheered and waved our flags, and Stratford got done up, but a “success” it was clearly not…

And I loved every second of it