SEB COE, chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, has now less than four years to deliver an Olympics as memorable and enjoyable as that in Beijing. In this week’s Observer, he put forward these thoughts
I’ve long been of the belief that sport is the hidden social worker in society. One of my aims for 2012 is to ensure that hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games inspires young people, in this country and around the world, to take up sport.
Sport is also a good educator, good health carer and good foreign policy. And, of course, it is inclusive and open to all.
Sport also provides a catalyst for change, which is another of London 2012’s main goals.
Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games gives us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to regenerate a hard-pressed part of east London, providing much-needed jobs and homes, outdoor spaces and sports facilities. Once the Games are over, world-class facilities will be left behind for use by elite athletes and the local community.
I know an opportunity like this will not come along again in my lifetime, which is why the next four years, and beyond, will be all about change for the better, not only for our sportsmen and women, but for the country as a whole. There is no time to waste.
Read the whole of Lord Coe’s Observer article by clicking here
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