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What exactly will the Olympic legacy be?
17th August 2010. Posted by Tom Braithwaite. Trackback
The Olympics has been in the news a lot recently. July saw the two year count down to the Games in London and there is now much speculation that Great Britain will be able to compete across all sports following our biggest ever medal haul at the European Championships in Barcelona.
But what will the Games mean for people, specifically young people, after they have finished? Many who live outside of London have complained about paying for a Games that they will not see.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson assured people a few weeks ago on BBC Radio 5 Live that, despite it being the London Olympics, the Games will have a knock on effect for people across the UK saying “London is the economic heartbeat of this country and when it is doing well, so is the rest of the UK.”
I think that is true and firmly believe the Olympics in London will be a success for generations to come. The problem is relaying this information to the rest of the UK.
There has been the creation of hundred’s of new sporting clubs and more of a budget has been given to schools to invest in sport but I feel this will be a waste unless the core values and benefits that playing sport brings are taught to young people. Why not use this time before the Games and give the Olympics its own double period in schools and investigate what makes a good Champion and why?
When I was at school, we had something called ‘PSHE’. For the life of me I can’t recall what the letters stand for, but essentially it was all about citizenship. The subject was taught once a week for 15 minutes before registration; before the day officially started and therefore before I officially had to pay attention.
Hazy memories of it include our Form Tutor, who seemed equally disinterested, talking of ‘respect’, ‘achieving goals’ and ‘having aspirations’ without ever actually making them relevant to us.
The Olympics is full of stories laced with life lessons that can be taught in the class room and applied to all aspects of life not just relating to sport.
Derek Redmond, the hugely successful 400m runner who won Commonwealth, European and World Gold medals famously pulled up with a hamstring injury in the Olympic final at Barcelona in 1992. He emotionally hobbled over the line with his father by his side and his story of determination and over coming obstacles is firmly placed in the Olympic Hall of Fame.
The Olympics in London is fast approaching and will be on our doorstep. Pushing the Olympics to the forefront of student’s minds and presenting it in a way that appeals to them could be the real legacy of London 2012.