And the winner of the Olympic bid is..........................................

[MarsLady]

LONDON

Well wilbur that's the best argument I've heard yet but I remain unconvinced!

No but it could be better spent though, but then it wouldn't throw the spotlight on one place would it.

sorry foxin - this thread is movely so quickly it's getting skim read

Foxinsocks, well, no, maybe it wouldn't have been spent on xtz good cause but the fact remains that billions of £s of public money will be spent and it has to a) come from somewhere and b) not be spent elsewhere, that's just logical.

I do think its god news we won but i do see the downfalls. IF the Olympics could be won by a Country (equal spread of events meaning equal pitfalls/benefits for all) it woul dbe much fairer. But hey a city has to win and I am pleased its a UK city.

nutcracker you're so sure, and so...sullen about this...how can you be so sure that london is the only area that will benefit? and www i do believe it's much much more than a 3 week event...we will experience the knock on of this winning bid starting today: success breeds successs...confidence in our ability to do things will have tangible results...

I think it is fantasic news and great for Britain. At the very least it might get kids interested in sport that would not necessarily have been (just thibk about all the kids in the park when Wimbledon is on)......that can't be a bad thing can it?

Fair enough sophable - I don't believe there is enought money to go around all of the UK and make the required infrastructure changes and investment needs of the South.

Nutty do you live in some tiny little village somewhere?

I am totally confused as to why you are saying about it not benefiting your children

Is there no way that they might even be proud to be british and excited about the games

And maybe be inspired to try a new sport

or even something like table tennis that willnot cost alot of money for them to try

Then try for playing for their school or club level or play for their county

I don't understand why you are so negative

{OK I understand about the money}

Huge tracts of land that have been derelict since the blitz will be re-generated for jobs, homes etc. IMO London and it's communities have still not recovered from the devastation that occurred over E London - attention moved away from the E End after the war, the docks were moved to Tilbury, communities were dispersed and under-valued etc etc, there has never been investment in TRansport to the east of central London.
But the use of sporting facilities will spread for miles. Contractors and manufacturers all over the country will benefit - factories in Stoke or Teeside will have just as much chance of getting huge contracts for t shirts or paint or stop watches or sun visors as anyone else. THINK of the huge manufacturing and retail opportunities. The textile industries around the countruy must be going bananas with delight! And all these things will be up for sale to tourists etc.

Think of the ice-cream manufacturers and soft drinks, and all that beer brewing in the midlands....it's a country-wide bonanza, if we market it right.

And international visitors will be very tempted to travle to attractions in other parts of the country...

And our athletes will come from all over the country....

There is no way this is a London-only opportunity.

www - wilbur and sophable go some way to explaining why it's not just about 3 weeks of sport.

no one has mentioned (i don't think) that we have a serious obesity problem in this country amongst our children: in that case, this bid could be v v important in terms of their health...if it mobilises them to excersise more, if it inspires them to want to get really good at a sport...and it will

Perhaps there won't be tangible material benefits for every child in the country (although I do remember a study about how much ££ is spent in the regions by tourists who primarily come to see London and it was very substantial) but what about the inspiration? What about the child who is struggling with maths or whatever at school and sees people being honoured for their physical prowess and realises there is more to life than exams, or the child who sees something to be really proud of and decides that aspiring to an impressive life, not neccessarily a sporting one, is better than just taking what comes their way. The hard work that athletes put into their lives and ambitions can be an inspiration to everyone and any exposure to that is going to benefit kids all over the world, I truly believe that.

It's interesting that no-one has yet said "I was in mancheter for the commonwealth games and it was awful - a real waste of money"

Some of the benefits of the games will only become clear when they happen, but better social cohesion in london could well be one of them.

Plus there will be benefits to local businesses of all types because of the increased number of visitors. Not all the jobs generated will be pool attentants etc. Also the thing will effectively be a 3 week advert for visiting the UK - after recent disasters with F&M and bad US exchange rates etc the tourist industry needs it.

Regeneration is great, of course, but why can't we regenerate an area without an expensive 'excuse'. Surely all the money this will cost could be used for regeneration? I hate sport and couldn't be less interested, frankly.

best post yet blu. don't see how you can argue with that tbh

Blu, so it's a profit making opportunity for UK plc? That's ok then! Never mind the public billions of outlay. Robinia, I know, and I responded.

What about all the better facilites that will be made to accomadate wheelchairs etc

For the para olympics

I didn't mean to cause offence Gomez, and yes of course I can see both sides, but compared to the Olympics, the C Games was a pebble in the pond, rather than a bloody great rock - smaller outward ripples and all that, hopefully all the cities in Britain can benefit - is it down to our local councils to ensure that we all get publicity and can benefit from the extra visitors to the UK?

Mind you if I owned property in Newham I'd be cracking open the champagne - watch those property prices soar.

Sophable, the obesity problem could be tackled in lots of ways and I could bang on about them at length but I won't! But hosting the Olympics isn't going to sort out the root causes of childhood obsesity!

I also am less than thrilled. And I live reasonably close to the area it will be held in. Ugh.

Well, we'll have a nice long holiday somewhere else that summer. I think my MIL wants the house.

(And no, I've never watched a big event and wanted to be there. I hate crowds and sport.)

And I'm not that excited about the facilities, because buildings built for a few weeks use are generally badly designed and built. The Montreal Olympic stadium started collapsing long before it was paid off.

Quite Aloha, re regeneration.

well said blu

deffo brill

No Kanga I live in Birmingham.

Can anyone actually tell me how me and my kids or any other kids round here for that matter will benefit ?????????

Ok so the school will go sports mad for a few weeks, great, but that won't last.
Will they get new equipment, trips to London, anything ?????????

I doubt it very very much