Abstract

The 2012 London Olympics have been excellent, definitely one of the best Olympic Games in the history of our era. The organising model and its efficient management, featuring a mixture of British pragmatism and active participation by the public, have been the driving force behind a magnificent Olympics, and this alongside appropriate, practical and environmentally-friendly facilities have turned these Games into a model. Organisational success has been combined with the triumph of its sports competitions which have promoted Olympic values, confirmed legends and the emergence of new heroes, set new records and featured a growing presence of women in the Games (45%). The worst thing has been the rampant and ethically unscrupulous commercialism with Olympic sponsors that promote food products which are harmful to children’s health, pollute the environment and hire children as cheap labour. London’s great contribution to the history of the Games and the world in general has been the first full participation by women athletes in the 204 teams involved. The remaining challenges are the ability to recycle and reuse Olympic facilities and amenities for the needs, uses and enjoyment of the public, getting ordinary people, especially women, to do more sport and the banning of Olympic sponsorship by companies with no moral conscience about children and the environment.