London Olympics Bill

I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. I wish to take this opportunity to place on the record the warmest congratulations of—I hope—the whole House to Seb Coe, Keith Mills and the whole 2012 bid team, including Barbara Cassani, who chaired the bid for the first year, on the excellence of their campaign and the result of which we are all so very proud. The decision made by the International Olympic Committee on 6 July can change this city and this country forever. It awarded London the greatest prize that sport can bestow. The moment that Jacques Rogge opened that envelope will be one that millions remember for the rest of their lives. An act that appeared to take an age took in fact only a few seconds. Then we heard the simplest of statements: that it was ““London””, and that was sheer magic. The very next day, however, that euphoria turned to agony. The events of 7 July will forever be linked to, and help to define the spirit of, the 2012 Olympics in London. Those two days showed the world, in different ways, the very best of London. On 6 July, in Singapore, the world saw—directly personified in the presence of those 30 young people, representing 20 nationalities, from Langdon school in Newham in the east end of London—the tolerance and diversity that is London. They also saw a statement of our ambition for the future, which is not just to host the greatest sporting event in the world for 17 days but to unlock the ambition of millions of young people up and down our country—a real legacy for both capital city and country. In London the next day, and ever since, the world has seen the resilience of Londoners again, linked to a determination that the grief, the mourning and the outrage of the terrorist attacks will not translate into division or hate and to continue as the city of tolerance that has so defined us to the rest of the world. Why was it that we won in Singapore against—as many would say—all the odds? There is a simple answer to that question. The IOC was moved by the spirit so clearly articulated and represented in our bid and the presentation to its members. The IOC realised that for London the games were much more than 30 days of Olympic and Paralympic sporting excellence. For London, the games are a chance to transform one of the poorest and most deprived parts of our capital city; to inspire millions of children with dreams of sporting success; to launch a nationwide cultural festival; and to unlock sporting talent, both at home and abroad. On the strength of our bid to host the Olympic games, we have also begun a programme of sustained support and investment in our young athletes, with the development of the talented athlete scholarship scheme—TASS—and 2012 scholarships. We will bestow on our most talented young people the financial support that they need to realise their potential and to fulfil their ambition. We look back on a legacy of too much wasted sporting talent, especially in the children of families who are without the financial and other means to devote to nurturing the kind of talent that could become world class. There are too many children whose talent has never been developed, simply because their families could not afford the cost of their ambition. The talented athlete scholarship scheme and 2012 scholarships are direct and practical ways to address that problem. We celebrated the success of our gold medallists at the Athens Olympics, but we should remember that five of those medals were won by a combined margin of less than half a second. That is why, if we are serious about ensuring that talent and potential are realised, those two schemes are so important. The results are already impressive. At the Amateur Athletics Association under-20s national indoor championships this year, TASS athletes won six gold medals, seven silver medals and six bronze medals. As one TASS athlete said:"““As a student I am continually worried about money. At least now it should be easier for me to train and compete without worrying about paying for it.””" Two weeks have passed since we were awarded the games and we know that our focus now has to be on delivery. There is no time to waste. Much of the effort and a substantial share of the resources spent on bidding for the games were focused on preparing for delivery. I am delighted to announce today that the Government have already taken the first major step in the development of the best ever Olympic park in Stratford. I have today given the London Development Agency the go-ahead to start the massive construction and regeneration programme that will shape the Olympic park to be ready in seven years’ time. The first step is the undergrounding of the power lines that currently blight the Olympic park and the lower Lea valley.