After a shaky start London’s bid for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games is sprinting to the finish line. Latest poll figures show that three-quarters of the population support London’s 2012 bid.
According to the BBC London 2012 bid head Sebastian Coe calls it “a once in a lifetime opportunity. We’re not going to be sitting here in two years’ time if we lose saying let’s try again. This is our chance, our time. This is a moment that has to be grabbed”.
Scottish residents are being urged by their ministers to support London’s 2012 bid. Sports Minister Patricia Ferguson said the Games would create millions of pounds for Scotland through tourism.
Speaking at an Olympic Opportunities conference Ferguson said, “Scotland stands shoulder to shoulder with London in its bid to host the Olympics in 2012. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to reap the rewards that will flow from the biggest sporting event in the world.
“We have gathered a group of experts from the public and private sector to ensure Scotland benefits if London’s bid is successful, and several top Scottish athletes have added their support”.
The Sport Minister added, “the bid has already benefited Scottish based companies”.
The Scottish Nationalist Party’s Alex Neil has said, “we’ve already had the Dome. Scotland’s share of that was 100 million pounds and this is Dome Mark Two. It is us subsidizing London, which has got three times the population of Scotland and is far, far wealthier than Scotland. Why should we subsidize London? The danger for Scotland is we could be robbed of something like 70 pounds worth of lottery and other funding”.
But according to the BBC Ferguson refutes those comments saying, “I think the opportunity of a successful bid for the whole of Scotland is immense. There are enormous spin-offs for us both culturally and in terms of sport and tourism. But it’s up to us to maximize these benefits.
“The Scottish government doesn’t want to see money being diverted from good causes so we’re working very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen and if there is any kind of diversion, that is minimized as far we possibly can”.
And Alastair Dempster, chairman of Sportscotland said, “I wish to make it quite clear that Sportscotland, and I believe Scottish sport as a whole, is fully behind London’s bid to bring the Olympic Games to the UK in 2012”.
Meanwhile the London Evening Standard reports that Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell described Prince Harry’s “Nazi gaffe” as “extremely foolish” while another senior minister warned it would “damage London’s chances”.
Bid leader Sebastian Coe, London 2012 chief executive Keith Mills and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Craig Reedie have been promoting London’s bid and winning IOC friends as they travel around the world to lobby Olympic leaders, reports the Standard.
