The_Torch

I live a stones throw from Statford, which is home to the London 2012 Olympic Park. I've lived in the East End of London all of my life, and have visited all of the existing facilities that will be used for the the Olympic Games in London.

The UK has always suffered from poor sporting facilities and a general lack of funding. Great Britain winning the Olympic Games has changed this significantly, and we can now boast some of the best facilities world wide. Though the Games will cost around £10 billion to stage, the legacy of staging such an event is truly significant for our small island nation.

The last 8 years especially have seen a gradual increase in top class athletes able to contend for medals at both the Sydney and Athens Olympics. The British Olympic Association stated that their wish for 2012 would be for Great Britain to finish 4th in the medal table. However, no one could have forseen that Team GB would hit this target 4 years earlier than planned in Beijing.

London 2012 and Glasgow 2014 will prove a concrete turning point for sporting infastructure in Great Britain. The legacy will be significant, and the fruits of this legacy will create many great athletes for years to come.

Great Britain still has a long way to go to match the stadia and facilities of other nations. There can be no better foundation than the Olympics and Commonwealth Games to solidify this process.