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...
[b]NO NO NO[/b]
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 .
Yes absolutely.
As has been said, quantifying net profit to the economy is going to be hard to do, but we do know that the Olympics definitely helped in 2 quarters of the 2012 financial year.
Factor in giving the nation a bit of a cheer up, reinstating a bit of national pride and showcasing the nation to a potential new tourist market and you have a whole extra set of potential benefits.
The next logical step to capitalise on the Games is to work harder to push coverage in schools of the athletes - they are far better role models to aspire to than the reality TV wasters that populate the media right now. If we encourage girls in particular to look to people who have worked hard over a long time to achieve, rather than someone who has achieved a 15 minutes of overnight fame, that can only benefit long term as well.
was it worth the country spending 9 billion ?
Who gives a monkeys.
Not everything can or needs to be dumbed down to cost.
Regardless of whether you're interested in sport or not, you can't deny the games were a superbly hosted event with many great achievements by GB athletes (other countries are available).
It's not just about the money.
Absolutely 100%..
I was really cynical about the whole thing until it started. I was glued to the opening ceremony, was working the next day at 1am and couldn't tear myself away from it. Ended up at work with no sleep.
What we achieved as a nation in the medal table was very impressive, for 2 weeks the country seemed to work together and function as a well oiled machine (from the outside anyway), I'm sure the traffic in London was torture mind you.
I'm not a Royalist at all, or particularly patriotic towards being British (I'm a very proud Scotsman), but I felt very proud to be British for those 2 weeks, and to be "part of it" in the sense that I'll always remember the games and what we did.
I still get a very proud feeling when I see the athletes receiving the medals.. Especially Sir Chris Hoy, what that man has achieved is outstanding.. And my claim to fame is his uncle was my athletics coach years ago.. He was a Japenese POW and wrote a book called "tomorrow you die".. Very good book!
Bradley Wiggins has achieved so much and motivated a nation.. Bringing cycling back to the interest of the public.
The potential amount of role models and aspiring athletes is also a huge plus.. Look at that rower lady (can't remember her name).. Took up the sport 4 years ago and was in the Olympic Games.. As said above, especially for girls, who seem to fall out of love with sport at a younger age.. Step forward Jessica Ennis, a superb example of what can be achieved when you train and want something. In a world full of halfwits from stupid reality TV shows who are "role models" to so many young people the Olympics hopefully opened their eyes to the truly awful individuals and fame hungry brats they really are!!!
So yes it was ALOT of money but worth every penny.
CG.. You missed a real treat! Don't understand some people's attitude to things like this at times. The mind boggles!
Well worth every penny if only for the fact we all got one month last year when a very cynical and negative media were shown to be totally out of touch with the rest of the country, that things in the 5th or 6th biggest economy in the world are actually pretty good (not perfect but still ok), people are generally nice, we can build and run very cool stuff and good things actually do happen quite a lot of the time 8)
All of the above is also the reason why I don't watch EastEnders.... 😉
When they bid for the games 2005 there was no reason to believe that the cost would be a problem.
It was a UK government project, how much more reason do you need to believe it will go over budget and/or be late?
Still, I'm sure £9Bn of public funds to advertise the health giving benefits McDonald's and Coca Cola will go a long way to fighting off this epidemic of tubby related diseases sweeping the country.
bencooper - Member
Bread and circuses - nothing much has changed in 2,000 years
the benefits of a classical education 😉
I missed out on the bread and they were nice to the animals, not exactly Circus Maximus
I don't watch EastEnders...
I hate it so much
I'm a liberal parent but
NO SOAPS!
I thought it was great!!, despite not wanting / expecting it too.
Can't say that I've felt like I've had to cough up 9 billion for it, possibly because I don't live in London, or buy lottery tickets.
My opinion has not changed one bit. I kept to my vow of not watching any of it, nor reading about it.
I think that it may have been a genuine loss for you. Had you watched and disliked then fair enough, but you might have really loved it. I never imagined that I'd like an opening ceremony - just not my sort of thing, and wasn't planning on watching it, but was so glad I did. It was fantastic! Sat in a grassy field the night before a race with a thousand other people watching on a big screen laid on by the sponsors was so heart-warming. But I would have ever believed it would be had someone tried to sell the idea to me.
It was a UK government project, how much more reason do you need to believe it will go over budget and/or be late?
It was late!!!!!
I didn' say it wouldn't over budget, I said we could afford it.
Still, I'm sure £9Bn of public funds to advertise the health giving benefits McDonald's and Coca Cola will go a long way to fighting off this epidemic of tubby related diseases sweeping the country.
Well if your memmory of the games is The Great Taste Of .. then I feel sorry for you. They were compleletley absent from my memory until you mentioned them and even now I can't actually find any commercial symbols in my memories or photos
Yup, I was surprised by that too. Before the start I'd pretty much imagined they'd be a big golden MacD arch in the middle of the stadium.
Worth every penny.
Millions will have happy memories for years, long after the moneys been repaid.
cinnamon_girl - MemberNO NO NO
My opinion has not changed one bit. I kept to my vow of not watching any of it, nor reading about it.
Seeing as it was going to happen whether you liked it or not and you could actually have experienced some of it at no extra cost do you not feel a little like you missed the chance to actually make an informed opinion about it?
In a world full of halfwits from stupid reality TV shows who are "role models" to so many young people the Olympics hopefully opened their eyes to the truly awful individuals and fame hungry brats they really are
If nothing else, it was worth it for this.
People actually working (often together) to achieve something worthwhile, other than just massaging their own stupid massively boring ego.
So if that 9 billion hadn't been spent on the Olympics, would I have noticed some of it making it's way into my wallet? No, so I don't give a toss how much it cost. It was great.
[i]I kept to my vow of not watching any of it, nor reading about it.[/i]
You missed out, that is for certain.
I didn' say it wouldn't over budget, I said we could afford it.
oh good, so no cuts to health, education or other public services then?
Well if your memmory of the games is The Great Taste Of .. then I feel sorry for you.
No, my overriding memory is the irony and hypocrisy of claiming an event that will inspire healthy lifestyles being sponsored by a burger bar and a sugary fizzy drink. And in case you'd forgotten, the world's largest MacD's was built just for the occasion. Guess you missed that as well, eh?
No, my overriding memory is the irony and hypocrisy of claiming an event that will inspire healthy lifestyles being sponsored by a burger bar and a sugary fizzy drink.
I wouldn't get worked up about that. McDonalds is not a problem in itself, choosing to eat too much McDonalds is a problem.
I got the oportunity to take these photos - so yep, worth it for me!
[img] 
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[img] 
[/img]
No, my overriding memory is the irony and hypocrisy of claiming an event that will inspire healthy lifestyles being sponsored by a burger bar and a sugary fizzy drink. And in case you'd forgotten, the world's largest MacD's was built just for the occasion. Guess you missed that as well, eh?
genuine sympathy. No like most of the UK population i didn't go to the olympic park so never saw it and never new that it was there. But I'm sure that they are greatful to you for the publicity
oh good, so no cuts to health, education or other public services then?
I'll try again
When we agreed to fund the olympics then we didn't know that this liabilty was looming
"The scale of the support currently provided to UK banks has fallen from a peak of £955bn to £512bn, but the amount of cash currently borrowed by the government to support banks has risen by £7bn [to a total of £124bn] since December 2009. "
As a result of the banking crisis we had a recession which reduced govermant income
So assuming we hadn't spent the money on the banks and or had a recession we could have afforded the olympics. We were at that point looking at real terms growth in almost all public apending
Excellent some one else started the photos
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/7761065974_db5330e301_c.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/7761065974/ ]london 2012-34[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8301/7761072062_2d36f9a3b0_c.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/7761072062/ ]london 2012-16[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
And worst of all I was never asked if I wanted the Olympics...
Are you serious?
I'd also like to add that I felt the 'Lympics did more for us as a nation than the overseas aid budget (which is just an atempt to buy political influnce) and the huge sack of cash we give the EU every year...
genuine sympathy. No like most of the UK population [s]i didn't go to the olympic park so never saw it and [/s] I don't bother much with the news much other than the sun and daily mail so never realised who the main sponsors were and never new that it was there.
BigButSlimmerBloke
Thanks genuinley made me laugh
Not sure you have fully got know me, my politics or media preferences
I of course knew who the sponsors were and had reservations
But thanks to your posts i have realised that despite the olympics being in my thoughts alot I had completely forgot who the sponsors were and that side of things
Given that it all happened a long way away, I guess I'd have enjoyed it nearly as much if it had been the Paris Olympics, which would have been cheaper.
I think it brought a huge return on the investment in terms of [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_national_happiness ]gross national happiness[/url]
Not financial beneficial in the middle off a recession
so just memorial of sport and what equates to a huge financial business loss.
All you see now is a very large concrete wasteland when you drive past.
It was worth it, 9bn is a drop compared to what was spent propping up the banks, wars in the middle east, foreign aid and the EU gravy train...I know what gives me the most pleasure, the Olympics are fantastic whatever country hosts it but this time it was our turn and didn't we do well?!
As a sports fan it was probably the most entertained I've been in years, the memories will be lifelong....couldn't give a toss who the main sponsors were, nobody forces people to overeat McDonalds or guzzle Coke.
My opinion has not changed one bit. I kept to my vow of not watching any of it, nor reading about it.
From someone who regularly contributes to a cycling orientated forum, about a sporting event that had cycling as one of the most heavily featured disciplines, and in which we did spectacularly well.
I'm astonished, c_g, really I am.
All you see now is a very large concrete wasteland when you drive past.
Your attention should be directed at your driving, not the work being carried out removing the temporary structures and final landscaping.
The real question this thread should be addressing is "So is it worth still grumbling on and on about the Olympics ... 9 months on?"
😀
Why do folk keep saying that I had missed something? I don't see it that way at all.
All this vanity project has done is alienate Joe Public, many of whom are struggling day to day. What message does it give them? Sport is elitist?
"Worth" is a difficult word, as one persons "worth it" is another persons "not worth it". Considering what else we spend billions of pounds on (like benefits for people who don't seem to benifit in the slightest, or bombing the sh*t outta 3rd world countries for some reason on other than no one can remember) then yes, i think it represented good value! In a day an age where social media increasingly allows people to sit at home and whinge about stuff (me included) to see real people get off their ass, and just work bl**dy hard to be absolutely world class brilliant at something is awesome imo.
As this is an MTB forum, here's a suggestion: Get yourself onto one of the guided Hadley Farm Olympic MTB course sesions, and see what time you set, and for a few of the fitter guys and gals on here it could be quite a decent time. But then compare it to the first, and more importantly last, lap of the real athletes who ran in the full length Olympic MTB race. Humbling? You betcha!
cinnamon_girl - MemberWhy do folk keep saying that I had missed something? I don't see it that way at all.
I am interested to know how you know if you did or not - if you'd attended (unlikely) or just watched some of it (not difficult) you might have been converted. But you didn't, so you will never know...
Why do folk keep saying that I had missed something?
Becasue you did.
All this vanity project has done is alienate Joe Public, many of whom are struggling day to day. What message does it give them? Sport is elitist?
CG, with the greatest repeat, and I love you to bits, that is utter bollocks. Try being positive for once, eh? Everything you post on here at the minute is negative and 'anti-something'
PeterPoddy - Member
Why do folk keep saying that I had missed something?
Because you did.
He's right you know. You really did miss something.
All this vanity project has done is alienate Joe Public, many of whom are struggling day to day. What message does it give them? Sport is elitist?
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I was pretty cynical about the whole thing - especially because work refused to let me go on holidat at he beginning of July because of it (we do corporate entertainment, so were kinda busy over the Olypmics itself).
The opening and closing ceremonies were bonkers, and as someone who works on those kind of things, it was genuinely groundbreaking. (some of my mates were heavily involved in the shows themselves).
I watched the mens road race live, which was deeply disappointing (although nothing to do with the organisation), then gradually got more into it. Super saturday was amazing, and I got really into the track cycling too - Hoy, Kenny & Trott's wins - just fabulous. Peaked with going to both the mens and womens MTBing. The Women's race was a great event. The men's truly awesome. Organisation and crowd management was perfect, and the volunteers (and army!) were all brilliant. Can't recall seeing McDs on site at all, although there was a fair amount of Pepsi on sale - but also some fairly healthy stuff too, and plenty of water if that's what you wanted to drink (we took empty Camelbaks and filled them on site).
We'll have to wait and see what the legacy brings - but yeah, overall I thought it was superbly done.
Is the mountain bike circuit open to the public and has anyone used it?
Yes and yes. (Albeit even with assessment and coach led rides, there have, contrary to the common "my Granny could ride it on her shopping bike", theory, been numerous accidents some pretty serious), so opening to the great unwashed is defered until such time as either an on-site A&E department is constructed or alternatively sensible modifications are made to stop it being closed about 30 miniutes after they are let in.
Why do folk keep saying that I had missed something? I don't see it that way at all.
Well they keep saying you missed something, because obviously you did.
You missed the Olympics.
And it was fantastic.
HTH.
Yeah, the rumours are true I'm afraid...your efforts to prove you aren't interested have resulted in you missing some jolly good sports entertainment.
But what ever floats your boat...I'm sure you spent the time doing something a lot more worthwhile than enjoying yourself 😛
All this vanity project has done is alienate Joe Public,
Well over 1 million were so alienated they went to watch the time trail watch Wiggo won.