I don't know about you, but I love sport. As a young boy I was a keen gymnast, runner and rugby player. I still coach gymnastics and train regularly in my local gym.
My current work finds me involved in community work, and by association, urban regeneration issues. So on the face of it, I should be loving the fact that the Olympics are coming to London.
But there are fears that lottery money will be diverted towards the Olympics at the sacrifice of many highly effective community projects. As well as a sports enthusiast, I am a council-tax-paying Londoner, so the current controversy over the spiralling costs of the games is becoming a personal issue. Now, if I thought my taxes were going to regenerate a corner of London and provide young people with a long-lasting investment in sports and fostering sustainable communities, I would be all for it. The problem is that a lot of urban regeneration involves a rebuilding of the fabric of an area, but not the people, which is where real regeneration needs to be done. It is not enough to built grand, shiny new stadia, if young people are not going to be offered full access with qualified coaches and a programme designed to promote sport and the health benefits of physical activity.
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