London 2012 “laying solid foundations”

From the International Olympic Committee
The IOC’s Coordination Commission for the London 2012 Games, led by its chairman, Denis Oswald, concluded three days of meetings with the Organising Committee for the Games of the XXX Olympiad – London 2012 (LOCOG) with a strong endorsement of the quality and professionalism of the work being carried out.

Having reviewed a thorough cross section of areas of Games preparation with LOCOG and its partners – the British Olympic Association, the Mayor of London’s office, the Department of Culture Media and Sport and the Olympic Delivery Authority – the IOC stated that sound planning and consistency of vision were combining to ensure that robust foundations were being laid for the five years ahead.

“The IOC has been very impressed with what we have seen this week,” commented Oswald.

“There is an excellent team in place, who work together with real spirit. Across the board – from venue construction, sport, the Olympic village, through to technology, media operations and the progress being made in sponsorship negotiations, we see that the work is thoroughly thought through. Operationally and financially they are on-track; interest from the business community is high, with key new commercial partners signing up in the coming months. All this has progressed without any deviation from the vision that was laid out in Singapore. The Commission members – all of whom have a huge amount of Olympic Games experience – and I come away confident in the structures and people, and feeling energised by how the London Games will have a positive legacy and help move sport higher up the agenda – something that is so close to the IOC’s heart.”

Oswald continued, “We have known since London bid that legacy – both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ -was an important element. From the presentations we heard this week it is clear to me that London 2012 will serve as a model in this area. Also evident, alongside sport, is the strength of the cultural and educational aspects of these Games.”

London 2012 Chairman, Sebastian Coe said “This has been an extremely useful and rewarding week for all of us at London 2012. Members of the Coordination Commission have a wealth of experience and expertise as competitors, sports administrators, broadcasters and technical officials at many Olympic and Paralympic Games. We have been able to show clear, demonstrable progress in all areas, illustrated the integration of all stakeholders and partners in the project, and introduced our senior management team,”

On the first day of its visit, the Commission viewed the progress that has been made at the Olympic Park and saw the Dome just before its grand opening. The Commission then became the first passengers to travel from Stratford International Station to St Pancras in central London, a trip that will allow spectators to travel from central London to the Olympic Park in only seven minutes at Games time. The meetings in the British capital ran from June 12 to 14 , and were the second time that the full IOC Commission had visited the host city for 2012

The athlete representative on the Coordination Commission, Olympic medallist Frank Fredericks, commented, “Having toured the Olympic Park, seen the Dome and heard the presentations given by LOCOG this week, I’m really excited about the quality of the London Games. I’m sure that if LOCOG keeps up the good work, the athletes competing in 2012 will have a great Olympic experience – one that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”

During the meetings, the Commission heard reports on Games-related topics such as sport, the Olympic Village, venue development, NOC Services, transport operations, communications, commercial activities, environment and sustainability and the Paralympic Games. These discussions allow not just for the Commission to be informed of LOCOG’s progress but also for the Commission members to share their Games experience and provide LOCOG with advice and guidance on elements of the 2012 project, thus helping the organisers to produce truly successful Games.

Click here for the full list of of the London Commission’s members

For more information, click here or contact the IOC Communications Department, T: +41 21 621 60 00, e: pressoffice@olympic.org