Olympic Site Research Articles

Total Legacy: The Stratford Metropolitan Area Masterplan

On 16th December, 2010 the Mayor of Newham approved the Stratford Metropolitan Masterplan as a strategic statement for the regeneration of the Stratford area including the existing town centre, Stratford City and the Olympic Site after the 2012 Games.

West Yorkshire's Sporting Heroes

This article attempts to offer an insight into the benefits of merging sport and heritage work, through the experiences of the Sporting Heroes project being delivered by the West Yorkshire Archive Service. This summer, the Olympic and Paralympic Games will open in London before millions of spectators across the globe. There is no doubting the opportunities for raising and improving the national profile and London tourism industry, and also increasing local jobs, housing and business trade through the Olympic site alone. However, the wider question being addressed here is how the rest of the UK can take advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime event coming to these shores, in particular the heritage sector, to create a legacy of sporting archival collections (mostly in digital format) and stronger, broader means of partnership-working. To add an alternative angle to this discussion, it considers whether the phenomenon of the London 2012 Games has in fact been such a driving force behind the emergence of sports heritage projects and their potentially successful outcomes.

Mathematical models to predict soil heavy metal toxicity in the 2012 Olympic site

Heavy metal concentrations in samples collected from the London 2012 Olympic Village were determined using a three-step sequential extraction and a rapid extraction method. Metal toxicity was measured by employing the Microtox® solid phase analysis. Both extraction methods produced comparable results (p = 0.996), but the rapid method produced higher readings. A number of heavy metals were detected using the two extraction methods, including aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, nickel, lead and zinc; beryllium, molybdenum, niobium and titanium were also found in low concentration ranging between 0.16 and 27.10 mg/kg in the total acid digestion. The total metal levels in all the soil samples were within the UK Soil Guideline Value (SGV) except for lead which ranged between 62.9 and 776.2 mg/kg. The 30 min EC50 of different soil fractions was 2–5.8 g/L. In the absence of any of heavy metals in the SGV, the Dutch Guideline values were referred. Mathematical models for a number of metals were generated based on the changes in EC50 values between each (F1, F2 and F3) soil fractions and the initial toxicity in the non-fractionated samples. The resulting models produced good R2 values (>96%) for predicting the change in toxicity of lead, cadmium, zinc and copper by measuring their changes in concentrations. These models could substantially reduce the time requires to determine the toxicity in the samples; they would be a useful tool in the clean up process where monitoring of metal toxicity is required.

Powering the games [energy efficiency

The first work at the Olympic site was developing the power infrastructure, and as the games approach we look back at the projects involved. The buzz phrase for the 2012 Olympics development has been sustainable legacy and in the electrical infrastructure they have certainly delivered on that promise. The landscape of East London has been transformed with the removal of overhead pylons, construction of new, energy efficient energy centres and substations, and above all the infrastructure has been future-proofed by building in flexibility to incorporate any future technological advances. "The energy buildings are embedded in the community - part of the urban mix, the new urban mix for this part of London, but they also hold gateway positions at the eastern and western edges of this regeneration area, so they just become objects of familiarisation," Liam O'Sullivan, project manager at UK Power Networks explains. "Landmarks that people can orientate themselves by. So we thought that it was important that we were not just in boxes. They had to relate back to the passers-by as a way to offer something back".

Lieux de mémoire/sites of memories and the Olympic Games: an introduction

In recent decades, research about collective memories of groups or nations has increased decisively. At the same time, ‘lieux de mémoire’ have become an issue of heated debates and controversies about the ‘right memories’, which may support political claims or even wars. Sports provide excellent opportunities for the representation of groups and nations and for the construction of collective memories which are intertwined with political myths and anchored in cultural values and ideologies. In this article, theoretical approaches to sites of memories, collective symbols, and political myths as well as the politics and processes of remembering are discussed. The theoretical insights are transferred to the field of sport, in particular to the Olympic Games. Not only the competitions but also the buildings, rituals and ceremonies, the athletes and teams, and the audiences have been used to construct, change and revive collective memories. The Games of 1896, the architecture of the Olympic site in Berlin, and the opening ceremony in Sydney in 2000 are used as examples.

Motion and landscape: Otl Aicher, Günther Grzimek and the graphic and garden designs of the 1972 Munich Olympics

ABSTRACT:This article focuses on Otl Aicher's design and Günther Grzimek's garden architecture for the 1972 Munich Olympics. We argue that the functionalist aesthetics of the Munich Olympic site should be interpreted as a translation into graphic and landscape design of 1960s progressivism in West German society and democracy. In the process Aicher and Grzimek somewhat paradoxically drew on the tradition of the Olympic Gesamtkunstwerk inaugurated in Berlin in 1936.

Urban regeneration for the London 2012 Olympics: Issues of land acquisition and legacy

This article sets out to explore issues associated with the immediate legacy of the assembly of land to form the site for the 2012 Olympics. In selecting this focus, we recognise the difficulties of defining Olympic legacy - given that the concept has come to embrace a multitude of meanings - and also the challenge of speculating on how current plans for it will unfold beyond 2012. We begin this paper by setting out what we mean by Olympic legacy. In the first part of the paper, we explore the process of planning for legacy along with some of the debates and issues this has raised. We focus particularly on the question of how much difference winning the bid in 2005 has actually made, given that plans for the regeneration of east London’s Lea Valley were already in progress then. The preparations for hosting an event can have a significant impact on the decision-making process as the tight timetable, and specific Olympic objectives, shape behaviour. One dimension in this process is the impact the preparations and the process have had on the people living and working on the Olympic site. In the second part of this article, we look at the way the process has been affecting the people that were relocated from the site in 2007. How have they been affected and what kind of legacy has the Olympic project produced for them, at least in the short-term? Specifically, we examine the impact of the Olympic timescale on community participation opportunities and the way in which land acquisition has been undertaken. We conclude that experiences and results of the process have been varied, suggesting broader challenges of delivering local or evenly distributed benefits through mega-event driven development.

Visibilities and Invisibilities in Urban Development: Small Business Communities and the London Olympics 2012

The principal stated rationale for bringing the 2012 Olympic Games to London was that it represented a once in a generation opportunity to regenerate the city’s East End. And yet, its arrival opens up questions over how problem places within cities are characterised and how selective and power-infused visualisations shape the form and character of urban policy interventions. This paper draws on research conducted on a community of over 200 small businesses that existed on the proposed Olympic Village site in east London before they were evicted in the summer of 2007. It documents the effects of the regeneration on their competitiveness and explores the highly circumscribed politics of contestation that emerged. Collectively, it argues that there should be a greater policy and academic concern with the less visible and ‘spectacular’ elements of cities and communities who cannot easily be seen, but are vital to urban vibrancy, diversity and sustainability.

Olympics watch: The velodrome

For the construction of the Velodrome as for all buildings on the Olympic site there was a lot of rubbish to be cleared away first. Work began with a 35t recycling machine clearing up a 100-year-old refuse site.separated up to 500t a day of industrial and domestic waste into glass, metals, concrete and soil that was used elsewhere on the site or recycled. Of course there were discoveries too: a medieval waterway called Hennikers Ditch ran along the route of the ancient River Leyton and passed through the site of the VeloPark. It was diverted away from the site through a specially constructed underground concrete channel. A 150-year-old cobbled street was also unearthed part of an old Templar Knights mill, experts believe. Then the real work began with the scooping out of a bowl 100m long by 60m wide and 4m deep. Then more than 900 piles of 26m were driven in to give the arena a strong foundation. This article uncovers spectacular engineering behind the Olympic Velodrome.

Green Britannia: Deconstructing ‘Team Green Britain’ and the London 2012 Olympic Games

The London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympics Games will be the 'greenest' games in history according to the British Government. Since the Sydney games (2000) there is increasingly a conflating between sports and environmentalism. Indeed, a key factor in London's securing of the 2012 games was sustainable development and a green legacy; as it promises to addressing climate change, waste, biodiversity, inclusion and healthy living (LOCO website). This sports/environmental discourse also extends to key corporate partnership of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics games. Today sponsors are reconstructing – or at least representing themselves as ecological. Major sponsors EDF Energy have combined sports and environmentalism to create 'Team Green Britain'. EDF Energy aims to raise awareness of climate change through sports and music events. 'Team Green Britain' applies a sports narrative to environmental discourse. Their logo, a 'green' union jack flag implies both the sense of nationalism associated with mega-events such as the Olympics, and adds an environmental vernacular to its' image. Yet, the green union jack is also the logo of 'Ecotricity' an energy company which invests in renewable sources. Indeed, Ecotricity have two wind turbines close to the Olympic site in Stratford. This form of 'green washing' has been leveled at the Sydney games (Beder 2000) and potentially could impact on London 2012. This paper will deconstruct how sports narratives, such as nationalism, patriotism, social and cultural success, combined with environmental rhetoric represent 'Green Britannia'; and ask if 2012 can truly be the 'greenest games in history'.

An Olympic effort to secure the Games

Managing the security of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver is no mean feat. Danny Bradbury went behind the scenes at the Olympic site to talk to the people who are tasked with ensuring the event goes smoothly

Characterization of Ambient Fine Particles in the Northwestern Area and Anchorage, Alaska

Ambient PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter) in the northwestern United States and Alaska is dominated by carbonaceous compounds associated with wood burning and transportation sources. PM2.5 source characterization studies analyzing recent PM2.5 speciation data have not been previously reported for these areas. In this study, ambient PM2.5 speciation samples collected at two monitoring sites located in the northwestern area, Olympic Peninsula, WA, and Portland, OR, and one monitoring site located in Anchorage, AK, were characterized through source apportionments. Gasoline vehicle, secondary sulfate, and wood smoke were the largest sources of PM2.5 collected at the Anchorage, Olympic, and Portland monitoring sites, respectively. Secondary sulfates showed an April peak at Anchorage and a November peak at Portland that are likely related to the increased photochemical reaction and long-range transport in Anchorage and meteorological stagnation in Portland. Secondary nitrate at the Olympic site showed a weak summer high peak that could be caused by seasonal tourism in the national park. Backward trajectories suggested that the elevated aged sea salt concentrations at the Portland monitoring site could be regional transport of sea salt that passed through other contaminated air sheds along the coast. Oil combustion emissions that might originate from ships and ferries were observed at the Olympic monitoring site.

Obliterating Informal Space: The London Olympics and the Lea Valley: A Photo Essay

Caroline Christie and Bobby Lloyd have regularly photographed the Lea Valley London Olympic site since 2003. In 2006, they were joined by Tim Edensor for a day of walking and exploring. This article has emerged from this event as well as reflections on the photographs featured here. The area is one of the few remaining informal spaces in London, and the variegated activities and experiences it offers are being replaced by the giant Olympic development. The authors particularly focus on forthcoming loss: of the sensual experience of space, of the numerous possibilities for often improvisatory spatial practices, of an immanent and playful engagement with materiality, of a nondesigned and alternative spatial aesthetics.

Environmental Management Systems in Local Authorities: The Case Study of the Cesana Torinese Municipality, a Turin 2006 Olympic Site

Environmental certification according to the ISO 14001 standard and EMAS regulation represents an efficient tool for those organizations who want to continuously improve their environmental performances. Even though first thought up for application to the industrial section, in recent years these schemes have also proved to be valid in organizations with territorial competences, such as local authorities. The case study of the Cesana Torinese municipality, an important ski resort in North West Italy involved in the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games, which was one of the first local authorities in Italy and in Europe to apply these schemes, is presented in this paper. In particular, the paper is focused on the method used for the implementation of the scheme and on the main results obtained throughout on the territory, in terms of sustainable tourism, reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions, but also in terms of improvement in the quality of life of the citizens, integrating environmental aspects with social accountability. At the same time, the ability of the management scheme to respond to relevant modifications of the environmental scenario, such as the designation of the area as one of the competition sites for the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games, is highlighted.

Air quality during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

China is taking major steps to improve Beijing's air quality for the 2008 Olympic Games. However, concentrations of fine particulate matter and ozone in Beijing often exceed healthful levels in the summertime. Based on the US EPA's Models-3/CMAQ model simulation over the Beijing region, we estimate that about 34% of PM 2.5 on average and 35–60% of ozone during high ozone episodes at the Olympic Stadium site can be attributed to sources outside Beijing. Neighboring Hebei and Shandong Provinces and the Tianjin Municipality all exert significant influence on Beijing's air quality. During sustained wind flow from the south, Hebei Province can contribute 50–70% of Beijing's PM 2.5 concentrations and 20–30% of ozone. Controlling only local sources in Beijing will not be sufficient to attain the air quality goal set for the Beijing Olympics. There is an urgent need for regional air quality management studies and new emission control strategies to ensure that the air quality goals for 2008 are met.

On the determination of beryllium in light element matrices using PIGE and NRA

In the present work, the determination of Be concentration in soil, asphalt and concrete samples using several IBA (ion beam analysis) techniques (PIGE – particle induced gamma-ray emission, and NRA – nuclear reaction analysis/charged-particle spectroscopy) is presented. The samples originated from various areas of the former airport of Athens that is now closed to be used as an Olympic site. The main characteristic of the samples analyzed is their complex matrix consisting of light elements in high concentrations. For such matrices, the implementation of a deuteron beam at energies between 1 and 2.1MeV, via the 9Be(d,nγ)10B reaction, seems to be the most sensitive among the applied IBA techniques. A HP Ge detector of 20% relative efficiency was used to detect the 718keV γ-ray of 10B. The absolute γ-ray yield of the 9Be(d,nγ)10B reaction is presented and an attempt is made in order to evaluate the applicability of PIGE in the determination of trace Be quantities in complex matrices. The results are compared to existing literature data obtained with other IBA techniques (e.g. heavy-ion spectroscopy).

Hydrochemistry in Reclaimed Lands of the 2000 Olympic Games Site, Sydney, Australia

Abstract The current study was undertaken to identify major sources of contaminants and to explain the hydrochemistry of groundwater in relation to past landuse and borehole types in the reclaimed lands of Sydney's 2000 Olympic Games site, at Homebush Bay in Port Jackson. The shores of Homebush Bay, including some of the Olympic Games site, were reclaimed using an estimated nine million tonnes of domestic, commercial and industrial waste over several decades. The impact of this waste on groundwater was also investigated. Groundwater (n = 101) and leachates (n = 4) samples collected in the reclaimed lands of the Olympic Games site were analysed for cations (Na, K, Ca, Mg) and anions (Cl, HCO3, SO4, and NO3), and pH and electrical conductivity were also determined. The mean concentrations of Na, Ca, Mg, Cl and SO4 in groundwater were more concentrated in reclaimed areas (infilled estuarine areas), followed by landfill areas (areas above sea level) and where least abundant in non-infilled areas because of sa...

Spatial distribution and source of heavy metals in reclaimed lands of Homebush Bay: the venue of the 2000 Olympic Games, Sydney, New South Wales

A large part of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Site at Homebush Bay was reclaimed over several decades using an estimated 9 Mt of domestic, commercial and industrial waste. Past activities, such as reclamation of wetlands, land clearing, shoreline remodelling and industrial practices, have caused an adverse environmental impact on the Homebush Bay site. Core samples (n = 4513) collected from the reclaimed lands of Homebush Bay show that, prior to remediation, soil contaminated by heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn) may have posed a threat to groundwater in the area. Mean Pb concentrations from the three land types at the Olympic site range from 65 to 374 µg/g in reclaimed areas, 78–167 µg/g in landfill areas and 44–52 µg/g in non‐infilled areas, respectively. Heavy‐metal concentrations in soils from non‐infilled areas indicate that these parts of the site were uncontaminated. The distribution of heavy metals in soil samples revealed a close association between elevated concentrations and the presence of fill materials at the site. Metal concentrations were frequently above Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality. The Olympic Coordination Authority's remediation strategy to clean up the Homebush Bay site included consolidating contaminated waste into landscaped hills, which were capped with impermeable clay and thermal destruction of scheduled waste on site. The primary aims of the current study were to provide a scientific foundation for the remediation/rehabilitation of natural systems, and to make a contribution to the Olympic Coordination Authority's Development Plan and Environmental Management System for the site.

Spatial distribution and source of heavy metals in reclaimed lands of Homebush Bay: The venue of the 2000 Olympic Games, Sydney, New South Wales

A large part of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Site at Homebush Bay was reclaimed over several decades using an estimated 9 Mt of domestic, commercial and industrial waste. Past activities, such as reclamation of wetlands, land clearing, shoreline remodelling and industrial practices, have caused an adverse environmental impact on the Homebush Bay site. Core samples (n = 4513) collected from the reclaimed lands of Homebush Bay show that, prior to remediation, soil contaminated by heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn) may have posed a threat to groundwater in the area. Mean Pb concentrations from the three land types at the Olympic site range from 65 to 374 μg/g in reclaimed areas, 78–167 μg/g in landfill areas and 44–52 μg/g in non‐infilled areas, respectively. Heavy‐metal concentrations in soils from non‐infilled areas indicate that these parts of the site were uncontaminated. The distribution of heavy metals in soil samples revealed a close association between elevated concentrations and the presence of fill materials at the site. Metal concentrations were frequently above Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality. The Olympic Coordination Authority's remediation strategy to clean up the Homebush Bay site included consolidating contaminated waste into landscaped hills, which were capped with impermeable clay and thermal destruction of scheduled waste on site. The primary aims of the current study were to provide a scientific foundation for the remediation/rehabilitation of natural systems, and to make a contribution to the Olympic Coordination Authority's Development Plan and Environmental Management System for the site.

Making headlines or saving a species?

Although problems such as inaccurate coverage, lack of professionalism and maturity arise when scientists deal with the media, the media do increase the public profile of projects, help attain funding and inform the public of legislative processes. Overall, from the perspective of the Green and Golden Bell Frog Litoria aurea project, I believe the media has a positive role to play in conservation and management. The major contribution of the media from a conservation point of view has been, and will continue to be, two-fold: to assist in the preservation and conservation of L. aurea within New South Wales, specifically on the Year 2000 Olympic site, and, more broadly, to remind the authorities of their pledge to the public - to keep the green games green.