Yes I enjoyed watching some of it…was it worth the country spending 9 billion ?

No in my opinion but that’s my opinion…

Government happy to make massive cuts on much needed services, but justify 9 billion which I know is a small amount to the country…

And worst of all I was never asked if I wanted the Olympics…

Obviously not.

Net profit/loss would be a more useful figure but that is very hard to measure

No figures on Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_of_the_Olympic_Games but I suspect the economy did OK out of it. Well worth it if it was effectively free

Bread and circuses – nothing much has changed in 2,000 years.

‘Spent’ how?

You know that spending can benefit the economy, don’t you?

every penny

Yes, it was

Worth every penny.

Next question…..

And worst of all I was never asked if I wanted the Olympics…

If all you can do is moan and bitch about it, I for one am extremely relieved that you were not consulted.

worth it

Anything that gives that many erections to that many British folk and makes them forget about the misery of their existence for a few weeks is worth every penny. 🙂

I’m suprised that so many are still luvved-up about the Big Sports Day.

If only the Jehovah’s Witnesses knew who you are…

NO NO NO

My opinion has not changed one bit. I kept to my vow of not watching any of it, nor reading about it.

I was thinking about this last night. Is the mountain bike circuit open to the public and has anyone used it?

is a small amount to the country..

Not that small. However, I think yes because at last, there was something for kids to aspire to and the older to feel proud of.

It was a fantastic Olympics and all those touched by it, “games makers”, torch bearers, those that lined the streets to watch the torch bearers, those that watched in complete amazement on “Super Saturday”, can only be affected positively by it, which benefits society in a way that no half-baked but well intended “scheme” could.

nor reading about it

Except here! 😉

I kept to my vow of not watching any of it, nor reading about it.

More fool you. It was turbo mega awesome.

no. Still at least the kids graduating in 2015 will have a warm glow safe in the knowledge that their extra 10% tax will have been well spent.

Here’s the thing: would it have been rubbish if only £1bn had been spent?

It was a great event, the opening ceremony was spectacular, it was a lot of fun. But worth that much? No.

Yes

cinnamon_girl – makes you proud to be Britsh…oh maybe you’re not? 🙂

would it have been rubbish if only £1bn had been spent

Yes. The pool would have been some 1970’s Lilo in Weston Super Mare and the main stadium would have been made by Blue Peter and Gok Wan.

Yes and I was as cynical as a cynical thing.

CG you missed some amazing stuff.

Yes it was.

We had a fab time scooting off the back of it in Larndarn, open events, carnaval atmosphere, tourists with smiles on their faces, loads of people spending money, trains empty, scelleton staff at work, beer at the Belgian House in Temple and the German Bar in Shiny Town were both a highlight, oh that and the opening/closing event on the screens of Shiny Town..

Well worth it IMO.

It was turbo mega awsumz.

^^This!^^

Wot Pigface said.

Yes. No. Yes. N.. oh, I don’t know. Anyone fancy a Friday pint?

My opinion has not changed one bit. I kept to my vow of not watching any of it, nor reading about it.

Going out of your way to be grumpy must’ve been much more fun than risking enjoying something!

To the hell I have that McD gamesmaker badge, worked Olympics/Paralympics. It was jolly good gravy train in my case, but … if you actually have seen London and its small business trade you will have very different opinion. Corporate marketing machine indeed did very well on hype and glitzy athletes, scruffy scrubs will pick up a bill for all champagne fat cats have had.

Brazil next.

worth every penny
The National Audit Office, drew up a detailed baseline for controlling the budget.

A total of 8.1 billion pounds will be made available to the Olympic Delivery Authority, including 2 billion pounds of contingency.

A total 1.2 billion pounds will be spent on non-ODA activities, such as elite and community sports, the Paralympic Games and security.

Here is an outline of the costs in millions of pounds, including VAT, unless stated otherwise:

Non-ODA costs:

Elite and community sports, 290; Paralympic Games, 66; Look of London, 32; security, 600, and security contingency, 238.

ODA costs:

Site preparation and infrastructure total: 1.94 billion pounds.

This includes work on: power lines, 282; utilities, 255; enabling works, 364; structures such as bridges and roads, 830, and other infrastructure, including landscaping, 206.

Venues total: 1.2 billion pounds.

This includes: the main stadium, 496; other Olympic Park venues, 574, and non-Olympic Park venues, 101.

Transport: 897.

This includes: Stratford regional station, 119; contribution to DLR upgrade, 86, Thorntons Field relocation, 47; contribution to North London Line upgrade, 110; other transport capital projects, 178, and other transport operating expenditure, 357.

Other parkwide projects total: 868.

This includes: logistics for site construction, 337; section 106 and master planning, 127, and security for park construction, 354.

Other costs include:

The government is forecast to contribute 492 million pounds towards the cost of the broadcast and media centres and Olympic village.

The programme delivery, including provision for performance-related payments, 647, and corporation tax and net interest, 73.

The 500 million pounds contingency, which has already been given to the ODA, was broken down also.

It included (in millions of pounds): site preparation and infrastructure, 177; venues, 100; transport, 21; other parkwide projects, 208.

Source: Department of Culture, Meida and Sport.

And worst of all I was never asked if I wanted the Olympics…

Well the previous government made no secret of the fact that they wanted the Olympics, going right back well before Wembley stadium was rebuilt (they’d wanted Wembley to have Olympic running track etc.)

Pretty sure there’s been at least 1 General Election between then and formal bid.

OK of you were under 18 at the time, then true, you were never asked.

I tried to get Olympic tickets and failed

We did, however, get Paralympic Velodrome and basketball tickets

I was there when Sarah Storey took Gold in WR time. Right on the finish line a few rows back.
I defy anybody, ANYBODY to experience that feeling, that emotion and that insane noise and not be moved by it, and if you’re a naysayer, not to change your mind.

If you weren’t there, you simply have no clue, none at all, as to how good it was. I’ve been to the Mugello Moto GP in Italy, Brands Hatch World Superbikes, the IoM TT 3 times, and this beats all of them put together. I doubt I’ll ever get the chance to top it, and I’ll never, ever forget it. A literally breathtaking spectacle. Right here in the greatest city in the world.

Absolutely!

CG, you may not have watched it or read about it but you appear to have wasted an awful lot of your time typing about why you didn’t like this thing that you’ve neither seen nor read about, which seems like you’ve had all of the cons and none of the pros without even being well informed… 😉

it’s the Olympics, it’s important. Someone had to do it, and do it justice.

Locog did a brilliant job, well done everyone!

i originally thought it would have been prudent to do it frugally, an understated back to basics type thing, thankfully i wasn’t consulted.

Its about what the goverment borrowed to keep us ticking over in November.

When they bid for the games 2005 there was no reason to believe that the cost would be a problem. So I think they were right to bid. Although at the time i was not convinced.

It is a shame that we had to spend the money when we didn’t have it. But we get three legacies that are hard to value.

Huge publicity for UK and in particular London. In France (and I assume the rest of the world) the pundits were all talking with iconic London views in the back ground. It showed the world that the UK can deliver on time and a with good value.

Possible sporting legacy. If it lifts activity levels it will pay for itself. Being over weight with diabetes in you 50s is expensive for the country

Infra structure. If the new velodrome continues to get used like the one in manchester then the money is invested not thrown away.

I went to the mountain biking and loved it and enjoyed the telly coverage. Not sure why anyone would resolve not to watch it. Surely if you don’t like tv sport then you just wouldn’t watch. Why resolve not to watch.

My conclusion it was right to spend the money

…Possible sporting legacy. If it lifts activity levels it will pay for itself. Being over weight with diabete in you 50s is expensive for the country…

unfortunately, this has never happened before.

Yes.. awesome! Much better than wars or duck houses, or the latest knee jerk scheme..

Sems good to me. Country still has money so spend it on something that might inspire the population.

…as the OP, I have to add that I did go to the athletics/tennis paralympics and it was great, atmosphere etc my cousin was in the AUS paralympics tennis team, but I still think it is was a massive amount to be spent, I agree in 2005 the economy was very different from last year…

i enjoyed danny boyle’s portrayal of british history and culture at the opening ceremony.

if there is a lasting legacy of the games i hope that people remember this and don’t revert to our ususal view of history and culture based around the achievements of the great and good, the long march to power and inherent forelock tugging.

spent the next two weeks camping and didn’t see any of the games live.

Yes,it’s only money.
Try and think of the value for money as a long term thing .