However, I suspect there was also a message about China’s arrival on the world stage. All the volunteers I met were aged 18-25, well educated, graduates or students and ethnically Han Chinese. There were no old people, no disabled people, no Muslims or Buddhists. This was a statement about China’s emerging middle class.

At the time I expressed a desire that London could and should do better. In contrast to Beijing, London 2012 aimed to reflect the diversity of London and the wider UK in its volunteer force. The Olympic and Paralympic Games are a great opportunity to show off the rich diversity and inclusivity of our city and country. Of course, we won’t know the exact results against this target until after both Games have finished, but to the casual observer, the diversity of the volunteers is clear to see.

I am really proud of our Commissioners who form part of the volunteer force too. Ben Wilson, Andrew Myer, Gautam Banerji and Heather Barrett-Mold collectively have made a significant contribution to age diversity.

Up to now it seems London has done us proud, the volunteers rightly receiving a roaring cheer from the crowd as various thanks were read out at the Olympic Games Closing Ceremony. The prospect of this Paralympics being the first in history to sell out is further testament to progress in attitudes around inclusivity, as reflected in the volunteering force at the Olympics.

So as we wave a fond goodbye to the world’s Olympic champions and London takes a quick collective breather, work is well underway to transform the Park and other venues to welcome the elite sports men and women destined to become the next Paralympic champions…and our proud volunteer force practice their smiles and prepare to do it all over again.

Shaun McCarthy

August 2012

As we approach Games-time the push to sell London 2012 merchandise is hotting up. You can see the offers available on the London 2012 website at http://shop.london2012.com/  

When I was at the Beijing Games in 2008, I commented on these pages about the huge appetite Chinese people had for the Games and the cheap merchandise that went with it. I tried to describe the huge retail outlets piled high with all manner of stuff carrying the Beijing 2008 logo and the hot, tired shoppers queuing outside the door to get their hands on these items. At the time I expressed a desire that London 2012 would be different.

During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, I commented on the horror stories coming from China about the labour and environmental standards employed at the factories making the mascots for the event. Claims of excessive profiteering were abundant, damaging the reputation of the event.

This was shortly before LOCOG gave the world Wenlock and Mandeville, the twin Olympic mascots for London 2012. I must say I was quite impressed with the way sustainability messages were weaved into the introductory video, that they were made from scrap metal and presented to the children in old shoe boxes. – http://www.london2012.com/mascots   

The Commission will review merchandise with LOCOG in 2011 but early signs are encouraging. For example, a London 2012 branded Hornby train set can light up the eyes of your offspring on Christmas morning for £150. This is an expensive gift but there is a great story behind it. We understand that as a result of engaging with LOCOG and needing to comply with their packaging requirements specified in the sustainable sourcing code, Hornby has revised its entire packaging strategy, minimising the amount of packaging used and maximising the recycled and recyclable content. We eagerly await more examples like this.

Such a high profile project will inevitably attract investigative journalists hungry for a story like the one for the World Cup mascots. We will be making sure LOCOG continue to pay great attention to labour standards in their supply chain. The role of adidas as apparel sponsor makes us more confident; I have been very impressed with their experience in this area.

There will even be attention paid to the way we take this stuff home. I have been assailed by various groups recently advocating the banning of single use plastic carrier bags. They want a “plastic bag free Games”. We are sympathetic to this cause and aware that LOCOG are working on it but you need to be careful what you wish for, especially at Christmas. Some of the alternatives can have very negative impacts. Our merchandise snapshot review will cover this and at the moment I am confident that LOCOG have the issue under control.

I wish you a merry Christmas and a prosperous but sustainable 2011.

Shaun McCarthy

December 2010

I visited Coca-Cola and GE Eco-Imagination pavilions, and had a tour of McDonald’s outlets at the various venues. The pavilions are huge, two-storey buildings the size of several football pitches, housing exhibition areas open to the public, as well as VIP areas for corporate guests.

The Chinese people are keen to soak up the whole experience and there are long queues outside many of the buildings. The Coke experience is particularly inspiring for the local people, as it celebrates the stunning recent achievements of China and honours its past by showcasing each province of China individually. Whilst there is a strong environmental section in the Coke pavilion, the GE Eco-Imagination site is entirely dedicated to sustainability efforts of its various businesses, their technology and financial products.

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Coca Cola bottles representing Chinese provinces

Each of the sponsors I spoke to were very excited about the prospect of contributing to a sustainable London 2012. The “Green Pound” is very valuable, and the extraordinary performance of the LOCOG commercial team in securing sponsorship in these financially troubled times is, in part, to do with the attraction of being associated with the most sustainable games ever.

If we can combine the intellectual horsepower and financial muscle of these powerful partners, I am sure we can do something amazing. I look forward to seeing the plans unfold once the torch is handed to London and we become the host city.

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Johnson and Johnson pavillion - what has happened to it now?

There is a lot of discussion going on about the use of the pavilions after the games. The Beijing authorities want them to be demolished, but many of the sponsors plan to move them to the World Expo in Shanghai in 2010. It would be great if we could design sponsor facilities for London with legacy in mind, maybe for use by charities or other community organisations. This is one other small way we can set new standards of sustainability for our Games.

This post also appears at www.bbc.co.uk/london

While the Beijing smog has captured the headlines and made for some dramatic photo opportunities, London is not as immune to the ills of air pollution as we might like to think. Although the UK’s air quality problems are less visible to the naked eye, or indeed the camera, they are still very much an issue. Once the Beijing Games are over, and all eyes turn towards London, we will have to prove that our clear skies are not harbouring an invisible threat.

London is widely recognised as one of the most polluted cities in Europe for tiny particulates. These exacerbate conditions such as asthma and lung disease, with poor air quality resulting in between 12,000 and 24,000 premature deaths each year in the UK. As well as this human cost, there is also the financial cost to consider of treating these preventable illnesses.

To help combat this problem, and ensure the best possible air quality for athletes while earning green credentials in the process, the ODA has announced its aspiration to encourage 100% of spectators to travel to the Games by public transport, by bicycle or by foot. London can also expect the exciting new Javelin rail service, which will speed spectators from central London to the Olympic Park in seven minutes. Construction materials will also, as much as possible, be transported by rail and water.

But this is not a lasting solution to improving London’s air quality standards. Because road vehicles are largely responsible this pollution, London has already put in place the UK’s first Low Emissions Zone. I really hope this goes at least some way to ensuring that the cleaner air quality we hope to achieve for the Olympic Games is sustained, and that after the tourists leave London maintains the legacy of cleaner air.

In Beijing, rare days when the smog has lifted and air quality improves are known as ‘blue sky’ days. British summers being what they are, cloudless skies aren’t guaranteed for the 2012 Games, but I do believe the outlook is bright for cleaner air quality in four years time.

This post also appears at www.bbc.co.uk/london

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Fuel cell car

In addition, 70% of all government cars have been taken off the road for the duration. All this, with the goal to reduce the 3.3 million vehicles in Beijing by half during the Games. This is noticeable – most of the vehicles on the street are busses and taxis.

I travelled part of the way to the park by metro on Wednesday with Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, (who says ministers are chauffeured everywhere?). It is efficient, easy to navigate and mercifully air conditioned, (Beijing has also installed 200MW of wind energy in recent years) and your mobile phone works underground.

However, the journey from the centre of Beijing needs four changes and can take about an hour. There is only one rail option and it requires a lot of walking and stairs, disabled access is not good. Busses in Beijing are complicated and slow, despite efforts to reduce traffic.

Travelling by taxi is cheap but haphazard. There is no taxi rank near the park. I tried to flag down a cab on a six lane highway outside the park in monsoon rain conditions on Thursday in a desperate attempt to get to the rowing venue. Not much fun.

There is an urban myth that taxi drivers have been ordered to learn some phrases of English. This is nonsense. If you don’t have a book of “cheat cards” with clear instructions in Mandarin describing exactly where you want to go you have no chance. Even if you do, some taxi drivers are semi-literate and their knowledge of the city geography can be as hazy as the atmosphere. A taxi driver yesterday stopped to summon two young women to help to translate for us. This sums up the attitude here, everybody smiles and wants to help.

London has pledged to be the “public transport games” and I am confident that we can do better than Beijing in this area. Stratford will be served by the Central and Jubilee lines, the Docklands Light Railway, Eurostar and the exciting Olympic Javelin link to Kings Cross. There will be numerous bus options and whilst London cabbies may not be fluent in Mandarin or Cantonese, they know their way round their city.

The next twelve months will be critical in turning the pledge in to a detailed execution plan and deliver tangible results.

This post also appears at www.bbc.co.uk/london