Tim Williams

I realise outside London the row over the route for the 2012 marathon doesn’t butter many parsnips with those who prefer my metropolitan-bashing tendencies. Comrades, bear with me one more blog on this subject. I bring news: Locog are not being straight on their reasons for seeking to move the route out of East London.

They are being economical with the verite. They seem to be saying there are ‘transport’ reasons why the route must be changed from the one which secured the support of local communities and indeed the IOC – the one down Whitechapel High Street through the largely Bangladeshi areas of the borough.

They have never published the reports into this ‘problem’ on which they rely. I understand also that such reports – which Lord Coe indicates were carried out by Transport for London – have never been seen by the Transport Scrutiny committee of the GLA. I suggest they call immediately to see them and invigilate Peter Hendy of TfL on their contents.

My informed guess is that they are not definitive and offer choices to Locog. It would be strange, for example, if one choice offered to Locog was not to move the marathon route from Whitechapel High Street to the official Olympic Route network which also goes through Tower Hamlets. I don’t believe that this alternative route couldn’t be used. It would, by definition, be secure as it is the official route for Olympic officials. Something doesn’t add up in the rationales being offered by Locog and Lord Coe.

What does add up is the money from sponsors offered to change the route. My own sources suggest that the compelling reason for Locog to betray East London is a combination of new bilateral sponsorship deals being offered by individual countries seeking their ‘live sites’ to be televised and pressure from Visit London to highlight mainstream tourist destinations along the route. I invite them to deny this. It smells true.

It is inconceivable that Locog wouldn’t find a way to put some of the marathon through East London if they had the will to do so. I note in passing that this ‘unavoidable decision’ came in the wake of an election which left Locog’s Tory Lord Coe free to ignore Labour local authorities now that there is no Labour government to worry about. Does anyone really believe that Coe would have got away with this under even Tessa Jowell? Pull the other one. She would have remembered how we won the Games in the first place and the role which both the regeneration of East London and the community cohesion of its people played in that victory. It was Tower Hamlets and its diverse communities wot won it for us – and it is they who are being insulted by this high-handedness.

We won’t forget – but then I’m not assuming this decision is final. Community and political action can make even Olympians think again. This can be and must be revoked – something I suspect the soon-to-be elected mayor of Tower Hamlets (a fortnight away) will make a priority. Of course there are bigger issues in the borough. But there was an important social inclusion/community cohesion/regeneration symbolism to the marathon going from central London through this most disadvantaged and diverse community on to Stratford. This was a core part of making the Games the social cohesion Games and of including East London in an expanded central London. That’s why many of us have taken the gloves off on this one. And by the way, Coe himself will remember winning against the odds. Oh, and losing against them also.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Coe, East End, east London, fair games, Locog, Lord Coe, Olympic Games, Olympic legacy, Tessa Jowell, Tower Hamlets |