London Olympics Bill

I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for indulging me and other London Members, who have had to duck in and out of the Chamber to find out the impact of this afternoon’s traumatic events on our constituencies and constituents. I congratulate the hon. Member for Cheadle (Mark Hunter) on his maiden speech. As far as I am aware, I have never visited Cheadle, and although he did not say anything that put me off the idea, I suspect that it may be a little time before I get the chance to do so. I congratulate him on his model maiden speech and wish him well for the remainder of the Parliament. This afternoon’s events again bring into juxtaposition the Olympics and terrorism in London. It seems to be an unholy coincidence that just as the euphoria of the bid success in Singapore was succeeded by terrible atrocities the following day, today we are debating the Olympics and again we have seen appalling events in London. By 2012, the pain caused by the horrors of a couple of weeks ago, which will never be forgotten, will, I hope, have eased. A successful games will be the best memorial to those murdered two weeks ago. So far as I am aware, my constituency suffered more than any other two weeks ago, in that four of my constituents—Rachelle Chung Far Yuen, Michelle Otto, Neeta Jain and Anthony Fatayi-Williams—were victims. Those four people came from four different ethnic backgrounds, which reflects my constituency’s diversity, London’s diversity and our country’s diversity. Diversity was a key factor in our successful bid. Every visiting team will have its own home crowd, because among London’s residents there are people with roots in every nation in world. Some of those residents are recent arrivals to our shores, while others have been here for generations. The Norman Tebbit cricket test was out of place when it first appeared; it is out of place now; and it will be ancient history when we host the games in a few years’ time. People will back the GB team as well as the team from their roots country, which is how it should be. The GB team will be strengthened by our country’s diversity, because competitors from different backgrounds will add to our chances of striking gold, and the whole of our country will support it, irrespective of ethnic roots. A successful 2012 games is the best way in which to answer the bombers. I am pleased that the Mayor, Ken Livingstone, has announced that relatives of the victims and those who were injured will be given pride of place in the stadium at the games. Bombers and terrorists do not believe in the Olympics or the Olympic ideal. My hon. Friend the Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Derek Wyatt) has referred to the history of the ancient Olympic games. The Olympic truce was another feature of the ancient Olympics. We should consider trying to stop wars around the modern world, at least for the couple of weeks of the games, in the same way as wars were stopped in the ancient world as part of a religious duty. Greece tried to engender such a truce before and during the Athens games. We must build quickly and locally on the great enthusiasm for the Olympics. Good practice notes are needed to help communities and local authorities use the games as a focus for their own sporting endeavours. As has been said, London council tax payers will pay some £20 a year towards the cost of the games, and if we are to maintain enthusiasm, we should spread around the benefits. How should we go about arranging training camps for visiting teams and how can other countries’ Olympic associations find out what is available in our different communities? Shaftesbury Barnet harriers, one of the country’s leading athletics clubs, is based at the Copthall stadium in my constituency, where there are also two specialist sports colleges and many other public and private sports facilities. Some of those are in need of investment to bring then up to scratch, although in many cases it is not a large amount of money. We need to know whether that investment is available and how it can be readily accessed to ensure that in hosting visiting countries’ teams we can provide the facilities that they need to ensure that they can compete to the best of their ability. Will there be some co-ordination among areas able and willing to host visiting teams or a competitive environment with one authority bidding against another? I would prefer proper co-ordination around the country and around London to ensure that the games are distributed fairly.