After a statement made by IOC President Jacques Rogge muddied the fate of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium this week, we at Crunch attempt to get underneath the skin of the story.
Ever wondered about where the Olympics will be in London, or where the term ‘White Elephant’ comes from?
If so, read on………
2012 Olympic Stadium, Lower Lea Valley, East London
What will the Olympic Stadium look like?
An 80,000 seat athletics stadium will be converted to a venue over two-thirds smaller than that after the games.
Construction work started in May this year.
A half-mile round, 60 foot high collage will drape the façade of the stadium, on which will be images of past Olympic champions and country flags.
The Olympic Stadium will be on an island site, surrounded on three sides by waterways.
After the Games, the temporary seats will be removed, and it will be transformed into a 25,000 capacity venue that will host a variety of sporting and cultural events.
What is the Olympic legacy?
The plan is to develop the Lower Lea Valley area of inner-London, and in doing so create tens of thousands of new jobs and homes.
Situated three miles from Central London it includes parts of a number of boroughs such as Hackney and Tower Hamlets. With an unemployment rate of 35% on some estates, it is an area of just over two square miles in size, characterised by a large amount of derelict land.
To accommodate the population expansion of the coming decades, and to improve the lives of those already in the area, regeneration of the area has become a priority for a number of authorities.
The London Development Agency, Mayor’s office and the Government are all working on the plan.
There is due to be 50,000 new jobs and up to 40,000 new homes, nine thousand of which will be in the Olympic Park area.
Sporting Legacy
Creating the largest green space in London since Victorian times, one the size of Hyde Park, the games will promote family health.
Many new sporting facilities, including the aquatic centre will be left behind, intended to be used by the public.
The organisers hope to cash in on the tourism boom that hit Sydney post-2000. After the millennial Games, that city benefited from £3.5 billion of new visitor and business interest.
Where does the term ‘White Elephant’ come from?
In some far-Eastern lands the albino elephant was considered holy in ancient times, and they were given as a gift by the King to one of his subordinates. Because the elephant was seen as being sacred it was a great honour to receive one.
White, albino Elephant at Bangkok Zoo
But, to keep a white elephant was a financially crippling experience. The owner had to provide the elephant with special food and provide access for people who wanted to worship it.
It was an executable offence to refuse the gift, or fail to treat the animal in a manner befitting its status. It was not appropriate for a sacred animal to work and earn its keep.
Reference to Indian and Thai veneration of the white elephant was made in early 17th century literature. In this, it describes how the King would use the bestowed gift to ruin a courtier he no longer valued.
Rather than banish the man from his court, the King chose ease out the subject with more subtlety. On the face of it, the new addition is a valuable possession, but is one which its owner cannot dispose of, and whose cost (particularly cost of upkeep) exceeds its usefulness.
Crunch Magazine
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Olympic photo courtesy of mleroy1986 @ www.flickr.com
Elephant photo courtesy of sftrajan @ www.flickr.com
