Icons
Icon of the month: The Olympic Stadium
Paul Powell
Was it really 12 months ago that we were shouting at television
screens, chatting on trains, raving about post boxes and ranting
over empty seats? That we developed a fervent appreciation of
modern pentathlon, Greco-Roman wrestling and even the labyrinthine
logistics of the cycling keirin?
For two magical weeks (and again a fortnight later) the British
populace underwent a collective loss of marbles. Forget Agincourt,
Waterloo and ITV's Broadchurch - unhinged consensus was
that London 2012 was our greatest hour.
As the dust settles and the medals gather dust, critics dare to
pose the positively thorny question of legacy. What has survived
that glorious summer? Well, Westfield shopping centre has gained a
spacious back garden, ticket touts need never work again and mod
sideburns have become the epitome of cool. We may have squandered a
fortune but we have memories that will never fade. Precious
memories of Super Saturday when Jessica Ennis ran, jumped and
tossed like Tigger on a pneumatic drill, when Mo Farah achieved
immortality by screwing up the actions to 'YMCA', and when Greg
Rutherford jumped into the only sandpit in London that doesn't
double as a litter tray.
However, a battle continues to rage over the centrepiece of that
sporting smörgåsbord. The Olympic Stadium may have hosted
world-class track and field but now it's embroiled in a grubby tug
of war. A sporting pantheon where athletes stretched sinews in
search of glory is now bending over backwards in search of
cash.
When the bidding process for tenants opened in May 2010,
submissions arrived from all corners of the sporting firmament.
Football clubs and cricket teams, athletics groups and rugby
champions jostled for position alongside concert promoters and
entertainment giants before giving way to legal appeals and
judicial reviews. At the death, West Ham United Football Club dived
for the line and seized gold. Tottenham Hotspur huffed, Leyton
Orient puffed and London Mayor Boris Johnson did both as he ruffled
his hair and winked at a passing journalist.
And so a national landmark dedicated to the pursuit of faster,
higher, stronger was bequeathed to a national sport sullied by
bigger, crasser, richer. With a 99-year lease, West Ham will be
paying a mere £2m per year in rent. Fans may be forever blowing
bubbles but the club won't be blowing a fortune.
Redesigning the stadium will mean removing 26,000 seats,
extending the roof and smothering the running track with
retractable seats. The estimated cost varies between £150m and
£190m, with £60m coming from the Treasury and just £15m from the
club.
Reacting to the inevitable backlash, the Mayor argued that the
deal would generate substantial long-term revenues, as well as
creating thousands of jobs and revitalising a depressed part of
east London. This view is violently opposed by former Sports
Minister Richard Caborn who branded the decision 'the biggest
mistake of the Olympics'. Presumably he wasn't aware of Wenlock and
Mandeville.
Despite hosting athletics events this summer and the Rugby World
Cup in 2015, the transition to working football stadium won't be
complete for another three years. And if Stratford considers itself
depressed now, wait till it witnesses West Ham's endless parade of
long-ball football.
Ultimately, it's a discussion about the continuing relevance of
a much-loved building and the challenge of reconciling a glorious
past with a meaningful future. About balancing the demands of big
business with the needs of the local community.
I can't help making comparisons with the church. Are we too
obsessed with the past to embrace the future? How much are we
prepared to sacrifice to keep the church relevant? And most
importantly, who do we serve - Governments and corporations or the
local resident and the long-suffering enthusiast?
It seems the authorities have gone all out to prevent a famous
institution from succumbing to the ignominious fate of white
elephant. Twelve months on from that euphoric summer, has the
Olympic Stadium triggered a second wave of collective madness?