London 2012 has published their final report concerning the sustainability of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Commission has provided an assurance statement which is contained in the report, and can be read in full below:
Assurance Statement by the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012
This final sustainability report of London 2012 presents an unprecedented opportunity to consider how London 2012 performed against its stated sustainability commitments. It has been the role of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 to hold each of the London 2012 bodies formally to account throughout the life of the 2012 programme and, in this final sustainability report for London 2012, we provide here a summary of our view on the programme’s performance.
Over its life, the Commission has undertaken an extensive number of planned and responsive thematic and annual reviews, resulting in 235 recommendations. Progress against these along with full reports can be found on the Commission’s website at www.cslondon.org. At the time of writing, over 70 per cent have been achieved or satisfactorily closed, while just 10 per cent have either not been achieved, show no progress yet, or are at significant risk of having not been achieved. This demonstrates that London 2012 has been largely responsive to criticism to ensure that it remained on course in meeting its sustainability commitments.
This final report highlights in a commendably transparent manner London 2012’s successes and learnings from hosting the Games themselves. The report is focussed on what lessons can be learnt by future Games organisers and associated industry players across themes most important to stakeholders. It is supplemented by summary reporting against all sustainability related Games-time targets.
While we are not in a position to comment on the veracity of the data presented in this report, there is nothing that contradicts our own observations from the Games period which we reported in our post-Games report ‘London 2012 – From Vision to Reality’.
London 2012’s sustainability achievements surpass any other Games and have in many cases set new world best practice across development and events related sectors. As the world economy struggles in a climate of austerity, it would be easy for governments and industry players alike to view London’s performance as an unrepeatable high-point, domestically and abroad. This would be a mistake in our view.
The sustainability team within London 2012 ceases in mid December 2012, and our own Commission ends on 31 March 2013. There is a limited window to ensure that London’s legacy is best applied and not simply a fond memory. The Commission has one final review to undertake before we close, entitled ‘Beyond 2012’. We will focus this review on the many ways in which London’s performance can be embedded into wider industry practice.
A key question in our final review will be how the UK government can keep London’s legacy alive. We are heartened by the creation of a legacy unit within the Cabinet Office and under the leadership of Lord Coe and we look forward to seeing plans that set out how London’s legacy will live on.
A legacy of change
The final London 2012 sustainability report can be downloaded here
London 2012 – from vision to reality
The Commission’s post-Games report can be downloaded here
