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.
Andy
Guest
Having attended both Games extensively - firstly in what will always be my home town (Sydney), and now in my adopted home (London) - I feel well qualified to comment on this. London's were as good as Sydney's, but not better. Both have their strong points. Both were very well organised. London leaves a greater legacy with its Olympic Park, which frankly was a more pleasant place to spend a day than Sydney's Olympic Park. There were many more international visitors in London too, adding to the colour and spectacle. And I did not miss the 'oi oi oi' chanting one bit. High levels of security and sometimes over-officiousness of marshalls took a bit of the fun away in London - but the former is a sign of the times. Sydney felt more fun - and Sydney's smaller size (a 'regional' city than a truly 'world' city such as London?) contributed to this. London is too big, and too impersonal, to match the united elation and joy felt all over Sydney during the 2000 Games. Sydney's more personal scale (note: this is relative to London!) gave it greater intimacy - note only during the sport, but also in the ceremonies. I loved the Closing Ceremony at London - but for me personally, it can not match the experience of the moment of Slim Dusty walking into the stadium to close the Games by singing Waltzing Matilda. But if I were not Australian, I may not have had that same feeling or appreciated that moment as much. Finally, London has the confidence to care not about 'best ever' tags - as Seb Coe said, all that matters is that they did it well - it is a sign of Sydney's insecurity that this matters more to it.
Paul
Guest
I think we, as poms, are just glad it was enjoyable - it became a bit too 'jingoistic' for a time, which we know upsets a lot of people, especially you lot!
Paul
Guest
How could Nutbush city beat the Birdsnest ? Me thinks you have a bias ?
Paul
Guest
well said, and I'm a very proud, very happy, pom. We enjoyed it, I hope (rubbish medal tally aside) you guys did too (Anna Meares seemed too)
Paul
Guest
Well whatever, we loved it, like I'm sure you did yours. I've been to Homebush afterwards, and it's dead as dishwater, maybe that will be the true test ?
Paul
Guest
No mention of London then ? who cares if it was better ? Sydney was great. Loved it. But, aside from Australia (as a whole-wouldn't want to downplay Sally Pearson's excellence), did you enjoy London 2012 ?We did, but we're biased
Oliver
Guest
I would just like to point out that the Stadium was made smaller so it could be profitable at holding athletics meetings in the future. Athletics is not a crowd attracting sport in the UK and does not usually attract large spectator crowds unlike football. After the Olympics the stadium will be reduced in size to a 20000 seat stadium to allow it to be more profitable at athletics meetings. The stadium is also being sold to a football cub who only wanted a stadium of 20000. In Athens, the Stadium is derelict, the Montreal Games bankrupt the city of Montreal. People say Athens is a great Olympics but look at the buildings a lot are all empty, I bet Greece would not of volunteered to host the games now...I am supportive of the London Olympics but want to limit its loss to the UK people...A good games is great but not if the legacy is bankruptcy of a city.
Queensland's Game Is Rugby League
Guest
Beijing 2008 had the best Opening Ceremony. The special effects at Beijing were on another level.
Derm
Roar Guru
According to a poll in the Australian paper today, Australians voted London as the best to date.
IanL
Guest
It's really stupid to ask this kind of question where the majority of the respondents belong to the nation that hosted the Olympic games. Of course, most Australians will say Sydney is the best. What you do expect them to say?
Sid
Guest
i think the fact that we Australians can't agree whether Sydney was better than London says it all. The Brits have done an excellent job and it was certainly up there with the best...if not the best. Trouble is that is my view and as someone else said it subjective..like a pretty women. Forget people like Sandbag who just whinge...commentarys, my British friends, the press and athletes all say it was brilliant. From my point of view the atmosphere came across as brilliant and the wall of noise at nearly all venue's surppassed Sydney and must of been great for the athletes!! ps London's transport system kicks sydney butt!!
Sally
Guest
Definitely the best games ever, both opening and closing ceremony's . Howler channel 9 coverage was abysmal!!! Worst ever
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
Vancouver 2010 gets my vote.
Bakkies
Guest
Barcelona didn't have a massive stadium and it was old too.
Bakkies
Guest
Negative media coverage in Canada? I thought that would be more about their athletes being rubbish..
Bakkies
Guest
I have no problem with her wearing leopard print tights
Bakkies
Guest
I have no problem with her wearing leopard print tights
Australian Rules
Guest
"How she got to go over to London at all boggles the mind." Um, she's married to Ch.9 CEO David Gyngell...? I actually didn't think she was too bad. It's not her job to be a sports boffin, it's her job to be a generic blonde host and do links and fluff, which she did ok IMO.
Fazza
Guest
Sydney was the best, I remember it well, but London was another level, speaking as a patriotic Aussie I was always proud of the Sydney games. But we didn't have a golden Usain Bolt memory that will be cast into Olympic history. Beijing had the biggest, grandest opening/closing ceromony, Britain had Shakespere, John Lennon, the Who the Kinks, queen, madness, David Bowie, James Bond, the most incredible stadium pixel lighting display ever, every nation knows the British culture. The most famous sporting arena's Lords, wembley. This was the best my miles
Del
Guest
It was by far the best Olympics for atmosphere and attendance, far better than any modern Olympics including Sydney. Plus the Athletes like Phelps and Bolt have said it has been the best for the athletes. My issue as a person who lives close to the Olympic site was it was very elitest and the organising did their best to make sure the local east londoners didn't get in. They rigged the ticketing to favour wealthy people who could pay money upfront before knowing the event they had tickets. The Olympics was held in the most working class and multi-cutural part of London and all Oympic venues were full with white weathy people from other parts of London and the UK and local people were pushed out. This is why I can't say it was the greatest Olympics.