Olympic Risks

An exploration of how the Olympics are organised in response to risk. This book looks at the tension between the riskiness of mega-events, attributable to their scale and complexities, and the societal, political and organisational pressures that exist for safety, security and management of risk – leading to changes in how the Games are governed.

This NAO report (HCP 490, session 2007-08, ISBN 9780102954197), provides a progress report on the preparations for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. There are four years still to go until the Games take place and the NAO has set out a number of conclusions and recommendations regarding progress, including and covering the following areas: (1) On programme management and risk. The Government Olympic Committee should establish that the various delivery organisations are able to maintain their programme plan and that all arrangements for achieving their goals are up-to-date; also that GOE should align its risk assessments with the overarching programme plan it is setting in place; (2) On budget management. That the assessment criteria for applications to use contingency funds should allow for spend and save use of contingency, that is spending more on one project if it can help avoid delays later in other areas. (3) On evaluation of legacy benefits. The evaluation framework should set baselines against which to measure legacy benefits and disentangle the effects of the Games from other regeneration activities; (4) On management supplier performance. The Olympic Delivery Authority should be able to show by the end of 2008 that the systems for monitoring supplier performance across all objectives are in place and operating effectively; further the Authority needs to communicate to the suppliers the importance of collaborative working and also the Authority should establish whether effective competition is being acheived by suppliers. The NAO's overall conclusion is that preparations for the Games have progressed in important ways. The construction programme is on track; good practice is evident in the way procurement is being handled; the cost estimates have been developed and a clear baseline has been set for assessing costs and progress in the delivery of the venues and associated infrastructures. For related reports, see HCP 612, session 2006-07, (ISBN 9780102947335); Cm.7216 (ISBN 9780101721622); HCP 252, session 2006-07 (ISBN 9780102944273); HCP 85, session 2007-08 (ISBN 9780215514653).

Often seen as the host nation's largest ever logistical undertaking, accommodating the Olympics and its attendant security infrastructure brings seismic changes to both the physical and social geography of its destination. Since 1976, the defence of the spectacle has become the central feature of its planning, one that has assumed even greater prominence following the bombing of the 1996 Atlanta Games and, most importantly, 9/11. Indeed, the quintupled cost of securing the first post-9/11 summer Games in Athens demonstrates the considerable scale and complexity currently implicated in these operations. Such costs are not only fiscal. The Games stimulate a tidal wave of redevelopment ushering in new gentrified urban settings and an associated investment that may or may not soak through to the incumbent community. Given the unusual step of developing London's Olympic Park in the heart of an existing urban milieu and the stated commitments to 'community development' and 'legacy', these constitute particularly acute issues for the 2012 Games. In addition to sealing the Olympic Park from perceived threats, 2012 security operations have also harnessed the administrative criminological staples of community safety and crime reduction to generate an ordered space in the surrounding areas. Of central importance here are the issues of citizenship, engagement and access in urban spaces redeveloped upon the themes of security and commerce. Through analyzing the social and community impact of the 2012 Games and its security operation on East London, this book concludes by considering the key debates as to whether utopian visions of legacy can be sustained given the demands of providing a global securitized event of the magnitude of the modern Olympics.

Hosting the Olympic Games: Uncertainty, Debates and Controversy provides a broad and comprehensive analysis of past Olympic and Paralympic events, shedding critical light on the future of the Games with a specific look at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. It draws attention to the debates and paradox that hosting the Games presents for the contemporary city. Employing a range of interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological approaches, individual chapters highlight the various controversies of the Games throughout the bidding process, the event itself and its aftermath. Social Science-based chapters place strong emphasis on the vital importance of sustainable strategy for contemporary host cities. Along with environmental concerns whether atmospheric, microbiological or otherwise, many other requirements, costs and risks involving security and public expenditure among others are explored throughout the book. Including a variety of international and comparative case studies from a range of contributing academics, this will be essential reading for students and researchers in the field of Event studies as well as various disciplines including Tourism, Heritage studies and Urban and Environmental studies.

Within Central Government, preparations for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are being led by the Government Olympic Executive, which is part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The Excutive is responsible for co-ordinating the activities of a wide range of organisations, including the Olympic Delivery Authority, whichis responsible for the construction of venues and associated infrastructure. Whilst individual organisations have their own programme management arrangements, the Governmetn Olympic Executive has not hyet developed a plan for the programme as a whole, or finalised arrangements for identifying and managing risks across the programme. On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (HC 490, session 2007-08, ISBN 97801102954197) the Committee took evidence from DCMS and the Olympic Delivery Authority onthe progress made in preparing for the London 2012 Olympc and Paralympic Games

The Olympic Games is unquestionably the largest and most important sporting event in the world. Yet who exactly is accountable for its successes and failures? This book examines the legitimacy and accountability of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This non-governmental organisation wields extraordinary power, but there is no democratic basis for its authority. This study questions the supremacy of the IOC, arguing that there is a significant accountability deficit. Investigating the conduct of the IOC from an international legal perspective, the book moves beyond a critique of the IOC to explore potential avenues for reform, means of improving democratic procedures and increasing accountability. If the Olympics are to continue to be our most celebrated sporting event, those who organise them must be answerable to the citizens that they can potentially harm as well as benefit. Full of original insights into the inner workings of the IOC, this book is essential reading for all those interested in the Olympics, sport policy, sport management, sport mega-events, and the law.

This book examines the environmental credentials of Olympic Host cities and the opportunities afforded by hosting the Games towards the ecological modernization of the host nation by using perspectives offered by environmental sociology. It also sets out projections for the environmental legacy of London 2012.

The International Olympic Committee announced on the 6th July 2005 that the Games of the 30th Olympiad in 2012 will take place in the city of London. This study aims to determine whether the procurement strategies chosen by the ODA are the right choice for delivering the two main venues in the Olympic Park in time, on budget and to the required quality. In order to answer this question, the approach of this study is to undertake extensive research in the subject area of construction procurement and to identify best practice in making procurement decisions for a project. In particular, the procurement strategies chosen by the ODA will be researched and their shortcomings identified. Based on this theoretical framework, the author will be able to undertake a systematic analysis of the decisions made by the ODA to procure the two most prestigious venues in the Olympic Park. As a main part of this analysis the author will conduct semistructured interviews with key people involved in the Olympics and with experts of MSc Management in Construction - the industry.