The fates of David Cameron, IOC president Jacques Rogge and Lord Coe linked by need for a convincing Olympic legacy
With the sun shining on Downing Street and the hubbub of tourists on the Mall mingling with the warm words of Olympians and Paralympians on the cobbles, it was easy to believe what was being said by those behind the lecterns inside – the International Olympic Committee president, Jacques Rogge, David Cameron and Lord Coe.
Like a modern-day Barnum, Cameron promised London would in less than four months play host to "the greatest show on earth", with, the prime minister added: "great sport, great culture, great business and a great legacy for Britain".
An "extremely grateful" Rogge, present for the 10th and final IOC inspection visit to give his stamp of approval, praised London organisers for creating a new "legacy blueprint".
Coe, chair of the organisers, said London had already delivered on its promises and insisted the Games would enthuse a new generation as well as regenerating a neglected corner of east London. Tessa Jowell, the shadow Olympics minister, looked on from the front row in a show of cross-party unity that added to the impression of a love-in of Olympian proportions.
The trio competed to see who could use the L-word – legacy – most often and Cameron sought his own personal world record for overuse of the word "great" amid a blizzard of statistics. The government has spent more than £100m on its "Great" campaign, which it claims will attract four million more visitors, spending £2bn extra, and £3bn of inward business investment in the wake of the Games. Like the three wise monkeys Rogge, Cameron and Coe could neither see, hear nor speak any evil about the Games. Was Rogge concerned about terrorism or transport? "No," said the Belgian. "We are a happy International Olympic Committee," he declared, though it's not his style to show it.
As the trio spoke, it became increasingly clear that their fates are yoked together. Coe needs the legacy story to convince not only because he passionately believes it but to justify the promises he made almost seven years ago in Singapore to win the Games. Cameron is hanging his hat on the legacy benefits – from regenerating east London to boosting tourism – as justification for spending £9.3bn on a giant party at a time of austerity cuts. And Rogge, for whom London will be his final Games as president, perhaps needs the legacy schtick to stick most of all.
With Greece still all too visibly counting the cost of its 2004 Olympics and Rome having recently withdrawn its candidature as an Olympic city for 2020, it needs to convince future bidding cities in the west that the Olympics remain a worthwhile investment.
"I have seen extraordinary examples of new sports initiatives taking hold everywhere in this country. New clubs springing to life, reinvigorated sports facilities, more coaching opportunities, more athletes visiting schools, more sport and more values being driven off the back of sport," said Coe, although the figures don't yet back up his confidence.
Cameron was even more effusive, insisting there was a direct link between feats of excellence on the track and inspiring young people to play sport. "It's well known this has a transformational effect. You can have any number of government summits talking about sport in schools but the sight of Chris Hoy actually has people in shops saying: 'I want to buy a bicycle and I want to go on a bike.' That's something you can't touch and is very powerful." It is also completely unproven – no previous Games has increased grassroots sports participation among the population.
Sports participation figures were being measured wrongly, said Cameron, claiming he would not count under current measures because he ran once a week and played tennis once a week. This made him "rather sad". There was no mention of whether a later badminton knockabout with Coe in the Downing Street garden would count towards the total.
Having taken on President Obama at table tennis and London's mayor, Boris Johnson, at tennis for previous photo opportunities, perhaps Cameron is working towards a beach volleyball moment during the Games – which will take place down the road on Horse Guards Parade.
The trio shrugged off difficult questions over school sport cuts, Dow Chemical's sponsorship and the ticketing arrangements. The only point at which Rogge looked disconcerted was when he tried to follow Cameron's convoluted tale about a pasty purchased at Leeds station as part of a digression into a defence of his government's decision to charge VAT on hot snacks.
"We are all confident we will have a great Games. But the proof of the pudding will be in the eating," concluded Rogge. There was no mention of whether the pudding would be warm, cold or subject to VAT.