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London 2012 has been a great success. The sport has been excellent, the transport system has survived and there have been no major security incidents.
Seven years in the making, how has London performed?
London 2012’s organising chief Sebastian Coe thinks the atmosphere of the 2012 Games are close to matching Sydney’s benchmark in 2000.
“Sydney I think stood tall in the Olympic movement as a great sporting event with excitement and enthusiasm and great atmosphere, the way a city embraced the Games. We are nudging on that,” Coe said.
Before the Games commenced, London transport officials were at pains to downplay concerns about whether the city’s aging transportation system can handle the extra traffic from tourists, spectators and others expected to use the network.
Experiencing it first hand, London’s transport network appears to have passed its Olympic challenge.
London 2012 hasn’t gone off without a hitch.
A shaky start saw India demanding an apology over a mystery woman who appeared to gatecrash the country’s Olympic parade.
The woman was not an athlete or apart of Team India and it was later revealed the mystery lady in red was a cast member of the opening ceremony show, who clearly got slightly over-excited.
London 2012 organisers were then forced to apologise to the North Korean football team after initially showing South Korea’s flag alongside North Korea’s women’s player profiles on stadium screens as they warmed up before their opening match.
North Korean players left the pitch in protest at the blunder and initially refused to play, but the game was eventually played more than an hour late after hurried corrections to rectify the mistake.
The incident caused huge discomfort to Games organisers considering they had been particularly keen to avoid such sensitive protocol blunders when it came to anthems and flags at medal ceremonies.
Olympic organisers were forced to investigate why many seats were empty during events at venues including the Aquatics Centre in east London.
Early investigations indicated that the empty seats were in accredited seating areas which frustrated the locals greatly considering how many fans missed out on securing their Olympic moment.
London 2012 chairman Lord Coe went as far as threatening to name and shame companies which do not use their tickets.
Finally, after three days of half empty stands and pleads from thousands of frustrated fans, the unused Olympic tickets were made available for resale.
Ultimately, organisers have delivered on their promise to put the athletes first, provide inspiration for young people to play sport, set up a legacy for future generations and transform a desolate area of east London into a thriving community.
Passionate spectators have provided the theatre for the athletes who have responded with 99 Olympic and 38 world records to date, public transport has worked and the volunteers have made the Games with their kindness, friendship and helpfulness.
Australian disappointment aside, London 2012 has been a joyous experience, but has it been the best ever?
Over to you Rio 2016.