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2012 chief: Greenwich Park won't be harmed
Rashid Razaq05.12.08
Staging equestrian events in Greenwich Park will not be an expensive and damaging exercise with no legacy, the capital's Olympics chief has claimed.
Paul Deighton, chief executive of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, denied the events would ruin the park at a public meeting at the IndigO2 last night.
He had faced claims by protest organisation No To Greenwich Olympic Equestrian Events that "the only legacy for Greenwich Park is a bill for repairs" and was criticised for not finding an alternative venue. But Locog has pledged that no trees, not just ancient ones, would be cut down to design the course. Planning applications are due to be lodged at the end of next year.
Mr Deighton said: "We are making provision so that the park is restored to how it was in the first place.
"It is a crucial part of our job to make sure that we get good value for money. Our attitude is to be precisely that in this extraordinarily complex project."
Concerns were also raised among the 500-strong crowd that the public transport system would not be able to cope with the increased demand.
They were told that efforts were being made to ensure that closures around the park were limited to a few weeks before the Games.
Locog chairman Lord Coe said the Games would introduce young people to riding. He said: "We have the opportunity to put this [equestrianism] centre stage. We have the opportunity of allowing young people who have probably never ever recognised that equestrian may be for them and to put it in their backyard and not a hundred thousand miles away as it was in Beijing."
Greenwich council leader Chris Roberts also promised no damage would be done. His borough will host nine sports at the Games including wheelchair basketball and artistic gymnastics.
Reader views (12)
People from horsey and rural backgrounds are very hard working and want to achieve and better themselves unlike some city foke. This is the London Olympics so all events should be staged in London, that was the whole point of winning the games in the frist place. Greenwich park is a great venue to host the equestrian events and unlike some city foke we known how to look after "green areas". Think yourselves lucky you have such a brilliant event taking place on your doorstep. Or if it bothers you that much, why not take a holiday and rent you house out, you won't have much to complain about then, will you.
- Tracy Jones, Ivinghoe, Bucks
It's PC claptrap to suggest that their is major value in promoting equestrianism as a sport for people who live in the city. Whether they are rich or poor, it cannot be so. Equestrianism is a rural sport of necessity, and we have great venues in the countryside, like Blenheim and Burghley. If the IOC bigwigs can't be bothered to travel that far, let them watch on TV in their suites at their Park Lane hotels.
- Oliver Chettle, Bedford
Susannah - Since when have public school educated people been 'role models' and 'high achievers'? Most of them wouldn't have got anywhere if they hadn't been given a head start purely because of their parents' bank balances. Few of us in Greenwich want a collection of upper-class delinquents tearing around the park and disturbing the rest of us. The fact is no-one cares about 'events' like this.
- Matt, Greenwich
Rachel Mawhood. You are talking rubbish. I ride and I am certainly not "public school" - neither are most of the people who staff stables and teach riding; they come from every sort of background and every country. And I don't see why public school educated people are not "role models" - they should be. Like it or not, they are high achievers- and what is wrong with that? It is your kind of ridiculous, inverted snobbery which has dragged this country into the gutter and has done our children no good at all. I despair.
- Susannah, London, UK
Goodness - what a load of moaners most of you are. I'm really excited about the games coming to London. Get a bit more positive.
- Matthew, Bromley, Kent
We have not heard a dicky bird yet from LOCOG about how they plan to safeguard the protected species in Greenwich Park: the tawny owl, whose nests and roosts are protected by law, and the large community of stag beetle. The stag beetle is a globally threatened species, protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), and listed as a priority species for the UK and London Biodiversity Action Plans. If you clear away dead and fallen trees, so that the Park looks pretty for American tv, you will kill several generations of stag beetle.
Equestrianism is an "elite sport". Contrary to what Seb Coe asserts, the Games will not introduce young people to riding, in the sense of making them take up riding. That's what the Government's own 2002 report ("Game Plan") by the Strategy Unit and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport found; and that's what House of Commons Public Accounts Committee said (HC 477 published July 2008) on page 5 and elsewhere, "There is no clear evidence that elite sporting achievement influences people to take up sport in the long term": around 80 per cent of Olympic medal-winners went to public school and thus are not seen as desisrable role models by most young people.
- Rachel Mawhood, London, UK
Jacqueline of Hampstead. Why is Greenwich not "really in London anyhow"? Certainly King Charles II, when he rode through Deptford (1 mile from Greenwich)in 1666 thought he had returned to the City of London (the City is still only an under River walk away). And I thought I lived in London when I lived in Greenwich. Now, sadly, I too live in Hampstead. Not an improvement in my view.
- Susannah, London UK
We have world class equestrian facilities which could be used for the Olympics. Apart from Badminton, Gatcombe etc, why not use the racecourses close to London - eg Sandown, Kempton? Ready made spectator facilities and the centre of the track can be converted for show jumping and dressage. Windsor Great Park can be used for 3 day eventing. How much more of OUR money will these self serving committee members waste? Let alone the damage to the Greenwich Park. Under planning laws, anyone wanting to cut a tree to build a house faces a no no and a protest from local residents. Are the Olympic committee [like the Government] above the law??? MADNESS
- Susan, Ascot, UK
I still cannot understand why a park has to be sacrificed for the equestrian events, just because it will look prettier on TV, when we already have purpose-built facilities at Hickstead, Badminton and in Warwickshire. If the Chinese were able to spread their games around the country - eg equestrian events took place in Hong Kong, why can't we?
- Matthew, london
It costs too much for Londoners and there will be NO legacy. It is not even really in London anyhow.
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
Lord Coe is talking self-serving nonsense,as usual. The way to encourage more young people to ride is to have more riding schools, but the reality is that these are closing down because of idiotic "elfnsafety" regulations. The same is true of other sports. We need lots of local sports centres but,of course, the money's all being drained away to pay for 2 weeks of Olympics.
- Nick, Hong Kong
If Lord Coe can add a zero to the distance to Beijing it might explain the trouble they're having with the budget. However,I'm inspired by his vision of a pony in every flat in Leytonstone.
Unfortunately, in the real world stables close to east London face closure because of the extra delivery costs of fodder imposed by the recent emissions tax on lorries coming inside the M25.
- Mdj, Leyton, e10 london
