Now that the raucous closing
ceremony has brought down the curtain on the London 2012 Olympics, it’s time to
cut through the hyperbole and the rhetoric surrounding the games.
This is especially so of the
much-trumpeted slogan of London 2012, “Inspire a generation”. From whatever
side you examine this imperative, it rings hollow for the vast majority of the
present as well as the next generation.
If you are one of a million young
people without a job in Britain, living on next to nothing or on hand-outs from
hard-up parents, there’s little inspiration to be drawn from the amazing
achievements of the athletes from 204 nations who competed in London.
The highly-successful British
squad formed an elite group, supported by a range of sponsors, public money in the
form of lottery funding and, for many, the benefit of a quality resources
provided by a fee-paying school.
And then they have had the backing
of teams of coaches, advisers, psychologists, doctors, sports scientists and
access to the best facilities.
For the unemployed of the present
generation it’s another story. They are very much on their own. In their case,
the state harasses you, cuts your benefits without hesitation, sends you on
cheap labour “work experience” schemes and generally gives you a hard time.
As to the idea that school
students will now take up sport as a result of being inspired by the Olympics,
the problem is that funding for such activities was cut last year by the ConDem
education secretary Michael Gove. And successive governments have allowed local
councils to sell off playing fields for commercial gain, limiting opportunities
in another direction.
With the present recession on the
edge of becoming a full-blown depression, the most real prospect is not of
inspired but lost generations, abandoned by a society that can organise a
global sporting event but cannot deliver on a simple desire for a job at a
living wage.
The reason for this is not hard to
fathom. London 2012, like all modern Olympics, was a business venture first and
a sporting event second. From the corporate sponsors whose logos were on every
shirt and running shoe, to the exorbitant prices charged for tickets, these
were a games designed to make us love capitalism and country.
The BBC played its part, like the
faithful dog that it is. Endless references of people “being proud to be
British” as well out-of-control commentators had you reaching for your nearest
sick bag.
That the games did not on the
whole come over like that was due in no small part to the cosmopolitan citizens
of London , who
cheered everyone regardless of their country, the 70,000 volunteers and the supreme
combined efforts that went into the opening and closing ceremonies.
London 2012 then was a contrast as
sharp as any in contemporary British society, where extreme wealth and dire
poverty often live in parallel streets in the same city.
The collective efforts of ordinary
people as well as talented directors, performers and musicians was a powerful
testimony to what shared endeavour can produce. They exposed as hollow and
shallow the posturing of the political class as they tried to play catch up.
If there is a “legacy” coming out
of London 2012, then it surely has to achieved along this road. A co-operative,
pooled effort could and should put the corporations and banks where they really
belong – into the hands of ordinary people.
The looming catastrophe of slump,
depression and international conflict could then be avoided and the resources
of society put to sustainable and creative use.
That would truly inspire a
generation.
Paul Feldman
Communications editor
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