BOCOG Garners Praise for Olympics as London 2012 Learns Lessons

Officials from the IOC, BOCOG and London 2012 spoke at the press conference which wrapped up four days of discussions on the 2008 Games. (ATR)IOC officials heap praise on the organizers of the Beijing Olympics at the conclusion of the four-day official debriefing of the 2008 Games in London.

Gilbert Felli, the IOC’s Olympic Games executive director, told a press conference Thursday that Beijing had “set new standards” for organization, venues and athletic performances.

IOC Coordination Chairman for Beijing Hein Verbruggen spoke of the significant Olympic legacies for China, including improvements in public transport and other infrastructure, steps to improve public health, environmental enhancements and a new national commitment to sport.

London 2012 chair Sebastian Coe also paid tribute to his Chinese counterparts who have been sharing knowledge and experience with officials from London 2012, VANOC and Sochi 2014 as well as representatives of 2016 Olympic candidate cities and other Olympic stakeholders. The debrief brought together some 900 participants, including dozens of BOCOG staff.

Harking back to his career as a middle distance runner, Coe likened the debriefing to a training camp in which the information shared by BOCOG would have the equivalent effect “of shaving seconds off [LOCOG’s] own performance.”

Wang Wei, executive vice president of BOCOG, said that he was “proud and delighted” to share the knowledge and experiences from the Beijing Games with other future host countries. He spoke of his hope that hosting the Games will have as “profound and lasting effect” on their countries as they had done his own.

BOCOG’s Executive Vice President Wang Wei, pictured right, spoke of the significant Olympic legacies for China. (ATR)Earlier in the week, the Chinese delegation were praised for their openness by IOC member Denis Oswald and others. But in front of the international media Wang was more coy, exasperating journalists with a succession of platitudes in answer to questions about ticketing, public transparency and his thoughts on London 2012.

Coe also insisted that London will not be “scaling down” its Olympics despite the worsening global economic crisis.

He said that LOCOG’s budget was “balanced and on target” and reiterated his confidence that 2012 officials will “deliver a Games that serves the athletes as well as any previous Olympics and we hope even better.”

Coe praised the way in which athletes had been “better served” in Beijing than by any previous Olympics.

“If you look at the venue design, if you look at the village, the transportation plan, athletes were the first thought in the presentation of their [BOCOG’s] plans. What did we learn? The absolute eye for detail. Athletes at the center. The speed of transition from an Olympic city to a Paralympic city.”

Coe also pledged that the London Olympics will be a “secure” Games, after the devastating terror strikes in Mumbai, India once more shifted security to the top of the political agenda.

He insisted that security “underpinned” the planning of the Games and London held a huge advantage in possessing a police force with a long history of dealing with terror attacks. “Our security plans are under way and we will deliver a secure Games,” he said.

The IOC also restated its confidence that London will host a “first class” Games. “Every Olympic Games has a distinct personality. The successful Games in Beijing were unique in many ways. London has its own LOCOG chair Sebastian Coe (center) praised the way in which athletes had been “better served” in Beijing than by any previous Olympics. (ATR)unique assets that will ensure the success of the 2012 Games as well,” IOC President Jacques Rogge said in a statement Thursday. He left London earlier this week.

In a separate development, a meeting of the British Olympic Association (BOA) board this morning agreed that an allocation of tickets will be made available to athletes and their families.

Speaking to reporters after the press conference, BOA chair Colin Moynihan said that the “principle” had been agreed and the BOA will be meeting again in 10 days to discuss the details.

“We definitely learned from Beijing to make sure the athletes' immediate families are there to see their events and enjoy the Games,” said Moynihan.

At the Beijing Olympics, the lack of tickets for athletes’ families prompted outrage in Britain. The parents of double gold medal-winning swimmer Rebecca Adlington paid $1,800 to con artists for Beijing tickets that did not exist, and the parents of cycling's triple gold medalist Chris Hoy only managed to watch him after being given tickets by a sponsor.

“The athletes have given their lives to be members of Team GB and their family should be given the opportunity of enjoying the Games around them,” Moynihan added.

The BOA’s ongoing financial crisis has also been eased after they signed a deal to sell their south London headquarters. The move will be completed in June next year, by which time they hope a sponsor will have stepped in with a grace and favor residence. Earlier this year, Moynihan was forced to loan the BOA his own money amid serious cash flow problems.

With reporting from James Corbett.

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