Wednesday, 15 August 2012

Olympic Legacy

It's fair to say that the the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympic Games were nothing short of a triumph. Although the latter was hampered slightly by occasional miming and bizarre choices of artists (why not have David Gilmour play "Wish You Were Here" instead of the drab Ed Sheeran?), from start to finish this country proved that we can put on a party and a great event too.

Perhaps the biggest legacy was on a cultural level. With events still taking place, the Cultural Festival has been as diverse as culture can be. And now the best news from the festival seems to be that the Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has issued an investigation over whether it would be feasible to hold this festival on a biennial basis.

This is a rare right step from Mr Hunt, who seems to have become the fall boy for a lot of the coalition's problems. If the Olympics have proved anything about the legacy of Great Britain, it's not just to do with the excellent sports results from the likes of the rowers, the cyclists, Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah. It's our arts and culture too which make us a part of who we are; and we shouldn't have to wait for the opportunity of a generation, the biggest sporting event to be staged, to show the rest of the world what we can do with the pen, the brush and the stage. And although there are plenty of opportunities to do this anyway  (Edinburgh at the moment an obvious and classic example) London should be given the chance to shine at every opportunity. 

No comments:

Post a Comment