London's success in winning the 2012 Olympic bid on 6 July wasinevitably eclipsed, at least for the present, by the terrorist attacksthat took place the following day. There is an element of the bid,though, which should not go forgotten, and that is its strong publicfocus on the role of young people.
London 2012 chairman Lord Coe claimed that "our purpose is to inspireyoung people", emphasising the importance of the capital'smulti-cultural mix, while London mayor Ken Livingstone spoke of how theOlympics would give children across the world an opportunity to achieveexcellence, as well as helping "transform the chances of the children ofthe East End".
This commitment went beyond rhetoric. Alongside the stellar line-up ofthose supporting the bid in Singapore - Blair, Beckham, the PrincessRoyal - were 30 young people from east London, including 26 from LangdonSchool, a sports college that is also a long-standing member of NCB.After the steady spate of negative media coverage we have beenwitnessing, it was heartening to see a high profile, positive storyabout young people and their aspirations.
Naturally there are questions still to be answered about the 2012Olympics. Will the games prove a huge popular success like the LondonEye or a white elephant like the Millennium Dome? More pertinently, whateffect will investing in competitive sport have on other aspects ofchildren's lives?
Will it help or hinder vital progress towards improving opportunitiesfor children's play and other, unstructured leisure activities?
In the meantime, however, we should surely welcome the chance that thebid provided to put young people centre stage, and demonstrate how theirenergy and enthusiasm can be a force for good.
- Alison Love, media relations manager, leads NCB's work oncommunicating positive attitudes and images of children and youngpeople.
