Is this scenario the ghost of Olympics 2012? The Government are not going to increase the money which is to be put into the games in 2012 and Athens is counting the cost of 2004.

BBC SPORT | Olympics 2008 blog

BBC NEWS | Politics | 'No extra money' for London Games

It is true.

There no doubt about it. London 2012 has the potential to be a right fiasco, simply because as it seems, that’s what we do best. It seems its government – red tape – too many cooks – type thing. (Remember the Dome?)

A great Dome and a great day out – but it could have been so, so much better if there hadn’t been so many ‘unqualified experts’ with final say about the build and who should have what inside.

The designers of the Millennium wheel (London Eye) had fantastic ideas to show, but I believe were dropped! The BBC did a ‘fly on the wall’ type documentary covering the building and fitting out right up to the opening.

It’s a while back now so I could get too outspoken or I could end up in trouble, but even that showed just how well we manage to take a good idea and spoil it.

The press didn’t help either by bemoaning its construction in the first place. I know many who were put off visiting at the time who now wished they’d gone along anyway. All those ‘extra’ visitors would maybe have helped pay for the building.

Anyway, back to the 2012 games.

It is all being well to get the games but there have always been those that could see that this country isn’t rich enough to just make up any shortfall in the original estimate. That and the current problems with private sector investment not coming though as hoped.

Right now I’m none too happy with having Boris Johnson as the Mayor of London in this instance. I hope he surprises me and comes up with the goods though!


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It seems that as recession looms and the number of 2012 contracts remaining unsigned or still to be placed the private sector may opt out of the project. Add to that the fall in company profits reducing the tax paid to the cash strapped Governmentand it all adds up to an ominous outlook.

Furthermore the subplot of the Olympic bid was a way of getting the rest of Britain to pay for the rejuvenation of London's Eastend, a task for which there never was a lot of enthusiasm north of Watford, a lot of councils will be asking 'what's in it for us, where's the ROI?'. I can see the whole thing becoming threadbare.

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