Grading the Games -- London Sets New Standard

(ATR) It may be tempting to use the word "perfect" to describe the 17 days of the London Olympics. The high level of satisfaction from the IOC, media, sponsors and -- most importantly -- spectators and athletes, is at a level that suggests nothing went wrong in the British capital.

There were enough glitches, but the imperfections were far from being a major worry and never distracted much from the theater of the Games. And with great dramas every day, there was plenty to enjoy.

A year ago, on the one year mark to London, an Around the Rings Op Ed noted that with a full moon hanging over London during part of the Games, LOCOG had an attractive target.

"Shoot for the moon? We hope for the prospect of clear skies the first week of the Games next year. The timing will be right for a full moon to float above the city, one more spectacle that London can offer, truly aiming for the moon with these Olympics."

We think they hit the target. Not since 1996, when ATR issued its first Grading the Games, has a city scored as well as London. We rate London an "A" in every category, even with the glitches that may have cropped up; in our grading "A" signifies excellence. Perfect may be impossible to attain in the complex workings of the Olympic Games. (Beijing received a "B", by the way.)

What’s ahead for Rio? London will be a tough act to follow. But that’s what was said about Beijing, too.

Our grade of the Games is based on the experiences and observations of the Around the Rings staff in London as well as what people have told us about their time in the Olympic city. With comments from athletes, spectators, sponsors and federations, we used a well-rounded perspective of the Games.

We grade these Games in six broad categories:

Atmosphere, People, Operation, Media, Venues, Sport.

Atmosphere: A

London surged with energy and enthusiasm during the Games. Starting from venues stuffed with knowledgeable and vocal crowds to the party scene around the town, there was an atmosphere we haven’t experienced since Sydney.

Opening and closing ceremonies were fun-filled events, a bit of relief after more serious stuff in Beijing and Athens.

British sports fans who packed the venues made a major contribution to the atmosphere throughout the Games.

The Olympic Park in east London proved a success as a gathering place, possibly drawing the biggest-ever crowds for an Olympic public space. Greenspace, catering, shops and the Arcelor Mittal Orbit sculpture – in addition to the sports venues -- made the place hum.

Missing from the park ambiance was an Olympic cauldron, which was hidden away inside the stadium. By deciding to go with a cauldron said to be designed to be on a human scale, LOCOG ended up with the most powerful symbol of the Games accessible only to ticket holders for stadium events. Seems hardly the accessibility ceremony designers said they were seeking. And with a totally demountable cauldron that will disappear altogether after the Games, this symbol of London 2012 will be even further fleeting. Parliament should inquire.

The Hyde Park live site in the city center drew tens of thousands each day. Crowds lining the routes of cycling road races, triathlon and marathon were phenomenal.

Pin traders, on the other hand, had a tough time in London, finding that their presence was more restricted than in past Games.

London is an expensive city for the Olympic theater. Whether for hotel, restaurant or taxi, tickets or laundry, London prices are high enough to be a killjoy, despite the great city vibe.

People: A+

Enough cannot be said about the volunteers for London, the so-called 70,000 Gamesmakers. Their positive attitude and smiles made the experience of attending the Games a joy.

Security staff were efficient and friendly, a great welcome for spectators, press and others heading through the dreaded mag and bag screening.

The military troops drafted in to plug a shortfall in venue security staffing deserve a special mention for the terrific job they did. They were widely admired for their positive attitude and good humor even in processing long queues.

The professional staff of LOCOG were key in delivering the sport and press services competently and with good cheer.

Rigorous to follow rules, sometimes an unswerving attention to detail rubbed some the wrong way, such as when Usain Bolt was told where to walk and denied access to his jump rope on the track. And sometimes common-sense prevailed, such as when a simple yes from a Gamesmaker cut 20 minutes from a long walk through Olympic Park.

Londoners have noted in general that people in the city seemed to be in good humor despite some of the hassles of hosting Olympic crowds. May the good feelings remain for the Paralympics (and beyond).

Operations: A

From transport to security and yes, even to ticketing, London gets a high mark for a Games absent serious breaches that distracted from the spectacle.

Heathrow airport arrivals and departures went smoothly. Initial congestion and hassles on streets seemed to settle after drivers adjusted to Olympic traffic measures.

The Underground, buses and other transport services worked at high standards. The disruptions to service were few and resolved swiftly. Some stations and trains hit their capacity at times, but the system held up. Media and athlete transport ran smoothly. But while all worked well, the toll of the length of time it takes to travel from venue to venue in London gets a bit weary.

After hyperventilation by the British press in the weeks before the Games about a looming debacle with security, the Games were nearly incident-free, inside or outside the fence. A cyclist was killed when he was struck by a media shuttle bus.

The British public was angered at inefficiency of the Ticketmaster online system. It collapsed under the weight of demand on several occasions during the phased ticket sales process, leading to many thousands of people missing out on buying tickets. Lack of improvements to the system and lack of transparency from LOCOG about ticket sales in the year before the Games only served to further infuriate.

Swaths of empty seats set aside for accredited persons put LOCOG on the back foot early in the Games. As the Games drew to a close, capacities hit the 90 percent mark.

Media: A

Working conditions may have been the best ever for media. Both the Main Press Center and International Broadcast Center functioned well. Escalators would have been nice MPC feature.

Catering and other services were sufficient. Patio space between MPC and IBC was a great meeting spot, two bars in the vicinity. Naming a bar for late Reuters veteran Steve Parry and the main press workroom for legendary Guardian writer John Rodda were great tributes.

Tucked at the far end of Olympic Park, the media centers were a hike or shuttle bus ride away from park venues. And overall, the time it took journos to travel from the MPC to venues around London was mentioned as a factor in their workdays. Journey times of about an hour each way were typical.

Venue press centers were good. But the size of the press workrooms seemed to be ill-judged in some cases, especially the media site for the men's road cycling, which was simply too small.

The LOCOG media team was unflagging through the Games. Daily briefings sometimes drew a couple of dozen questions, sometimes pushing the sessions beyond an hour. London 2012 chair Sebastian Coe appeared several times.

The city's well-located London Media Centre was a valuable addition for press services, especially for non-accredited media.

Venues: A

There may never be another Olympics able to use such an array of iconic venues: Wimbledon, Greenwich, Lord’s, Wembley and Horse Guards Parade, in addition to the newly built Olympic Park. The Park itself was the most successful of its kind since Sydney, drawing millions over the three weeks.

With crowds flocking to the Olympic hub, it was notable how many people were forced to sit with their backs to fences to rest or picnic between sessions - there weren't enough benches dotted around to make the lunchtimes and intervals more comfortable for park visitors.

Presentation, crowd movement, seating and catering all seemed to work well at all the venues, despite some early problems with vendors running out of food; the long queues often found moved quickly.

The city provided an extraordinary backdrop for events such as road cycling and the marathon.

Sports: A

Without any problems to worry about with London, the spotlight fell where it should, on the athletes. They have provided some powerful moments.

Team GB’s success became a key story line of the Games, igniting the atmosphere at every session where British athletes competed. Gold medalists Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis, cyclists Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton, some of the 29 gold medalists out of 65 total medals won by Team GB.

Team USA easily outpaced China in the medals race, 104 to 88. The U.S. won 46 gold medals, its highest number away from home, with China earning 38 golds.

These Games will be remembered for the achievements of swimmer Michael Phelps, who won his 22nd medal in London -- a feat that may never be surpassed.

Usain Bolt’s sweep of the 100m and 200m events will be another enduring story from the London Games. Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang crashed out in a heat, disappointing a nation for the second Olympics in a row.

The controversy over badminton match-fixing was a surprise story from these Games. Judging disputes arose in fencing, gymnastics and boxing.

Three athletes have been caught so far by positive drug tests during the Games, only one of them a medalist, the Belarus shotputter who has had to surrender her gold medal.

The most serious protocol gaffe – graphics for a football match depicted player photos of the team from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea with the flag of South Korea. Occurring at a preliminary football match two days before the opening ceremony, it was an error not repeated.

Written and reported in London by Ed Hula, Mark Bisson, Karen Rosen, Matthew Grayson, Matt Horn, Bob Mackin and Ed Hula III.