Media Watch - London 2012 Anniversary

The Telegraph on London's Olympic Legacy

Contributing writer Jim White says the London 2012 legacy gives Britain the confidence to "take on the world."

White recalls, in an article for The Telegraph, the moment in which he first fully appreciated the London Games. It was during a day marred by rainy weather which didn’t stifle the "overwhelming can-do spirit" throughout London.

In another article for The Telegraph, White explores whether recent London 2012 nostalgia is simply too soon.

The anticipated London Anniversary Games gave the BBC the opportunity "to get prematurely nostalgic about London 2012 Olympics," according to White. Before the 21st century it took years for the past to become history, and "now barely a year needs to elapse before we all get giddy with reminiscence."

In a letter to The Telegraph, writer Gordon Dawes highlights the role that London 2012 volunteers played in building an Olympic legacy for Britain.

Dawes cites a challenge to volunteers from Sebastian Coe issued on July 21. According to Dawes, this report was "very sadly juxtaposed with [an] article on the pay-offs for Olympic bosses." He commends the volunteers who worked with "good nature and commitment, humor and professionalism" throughout the London Games, and put their "self-interests" last.

British Olympians Talk to the London Evening Standard

The London Evening Standard investigates where the "kings and queens of London 2012" are now.

Ten members from Team Great Britain and ten "global stars" from the London Games discuss how life has changed since 2012.

More from the London Evening Standard: British Olympians discuss the London 2012 legacy, and the "shift in belief" still occurring throughout sport in Britain.

Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill says she continues to see more and more youngsters at her local track.

Ennis-Hill acknowledges "the big differences in participation levels" may take a few years.

Despite this optimism, others question the British government's attempts to capitalize on the London 2012 legacy by investing in school sport. Many claim the government seems focused on the short-term, and not on long-term solutions which would sustain better physical education practices in schools.

Still Olympic athletes such as sprint champion Victoria Pendleton hope for the best:

"I see so many more youngsters on the road on their bikes, especially girls. To expect to see legacy in a year is a bit ambitious. I think in terms of legacy it’s a cultural change, lifestyle change."

The Guardian on the Anniversary Games and Sochi 2014

The Guardian features five people for whom the London Games "meant the world."

Dave Hill writes for The Guardian and discusses the "long distance East End legacy" set in motion by the London Games.

According to Hill, the most important step following the London Olympics will be what happens next to ensure that East Londoners receive much needed benefits. Hill writes: "The Olympic Park is just one part of a broad and complex regeneration battleground that will shape the capital's future."

London Mayor Boris Johnson "loudly bangs the Games anniversary drum," the British government and media continue to put "feel-good vibes," and financial experts reserve judgment.

The Guardian also walks readers through the excitement surrounding the LondonAnniversary Games, as "memories flooded back on the return to Olympic Stadium."

Writer Owen Gibson describes the event:"It was like being pitched back 12 months in a heartbeat: the cameras flashed, the crowd roared, the volume of the music rose, the union flags fluttered. And when Usain Bolt took to the same track on which he won those three golds the place went wild."

The BBC Questions London 2012

Sebastian Coe tells the BBC that the London 2012 legacy is "already profound."

Following the London Anniversary Games, Coe stressed the importance of long-term goals for British sport and "the long road ahead."

The BBC World Service features several guests including Manuela Saragosa and Colm O’Regan to discuss the London 2012 economic legacy and "what sport can teach business." In this latest episode, In the Balance "puts its metaphorical trainers on to ask whether the billions of taxpayers' money" spent on the Games proved its worth.

The BBCquestionsLeicestershire’s Olympic legacy, examining whether the town of Melton Mowbray is "better known for its pies than its athletes."

Many "inspirational sporting figures hail from the area" such as England cricketers Stuart Broad and James Taylor, Rugby World Cup winner Neil Back, and equestrian star Lauren Shannon.

The article explores Melton Mowbray, and stresses the importance for schools to develop sports programs throughout the area.

In other news:

From the Olympic Stadium to the Copper Box, to Eton Manor, Metro explores what became of the London 2012 Olympic venues. Robert Hardman reports on the "bitter disappointment" found in the wake of the London Games. In an article written for Mail Online, Hardman says that recent reports from the government and media on a "slimmer and richer Britain" reflect "whopping great fibs" previously told to Londoners leading up to the Olympics. Hardman scrutinizes London 2012 financial reports and recently published statistics about sport’s increase in popularity throughout Britain. Management Today examines ways in which the London Games affected local businesses. The article features Lance Forman, owner of the closest business to the Olympic Stadium. Forman claims that London 2012 cut people off from exploring local businesses during the Olympics. He says, "They may as well have built the Olympic Park on the moon- and I’m certainly not the only one who feels this way." To celebrate London 2012’s one-year anniversary, NBC Sports remembers the London Olympic opening ceremony in pictures.

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