To 2012...and beyond
Yorkshire Evening Post, 09 September 2009
By Vicki Robinson
The 2012 Olympics are all about London, right? Wrong, says Peter Smith, the man charged with ensuring Leeds enjoys a lasting legacy from the world's biggest sporting spectacle. He spoke to Vicki Robinson
It "will be great to have the teams stay here, but if that's all we do then we will have failed."
Peter Smith, the city's Olympics project manager, is adamant that Leeds can reap long-term rewards from the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Many have raised concerns that cities like Leeds will lose out as funding is diverted to the capital to foot the estimated £9.3bn cost of hosting the games.
However, Peter says there is nothing to stop Leeds and London both being long-term winners.
The short-term financial benefits for the city are pretty clear to see.
Leeds has already agreed a deal to host the entire Serbian Olympic squad on the run-up to the Games, providing accommodation and vital training facilities.
The Dutch swimming team has also agreed terms and talks are underway with several other countries.
In total, Peter says he will be "disappointed" if there are not 400 athletes staying in the city before the Games.
Experts estimate that each athlete is worth about £100 a day to the economy, which works out around £40,000 a day - a sum not to be sniffed at.
But Peter believes the economic benefits have the potential to be much more far reaching.
He said: "On the back of our relationship with Serbia, we invited business from Belgrade (the capital] to attend an event here and there was a reciprocal event there.
"Things like that will hopefully lead to a long-term relationship with them which will boost our economic relationship and hopefully increase tourism, too.
"In the future, we'd like to invite travel journalists here so they can write about the greater Leeds area, too.
"We are still talking to a number of teams, though it is our policy not to talk about that until we have a firm agreement.
"We have built up marketing collateral with a DVD, brochure and website and we've been attending different events and competitions to sell the city.
"We're also looking at the relationships we already have with our twin cities, such as Durban in South Africa and Hang Zhou in China. We've been using events around our city links to raise our profile.
"We're also talking to Commonwealth countries who will be coming to Glasgow in 2014 for the next Commonwealth Games.
"We're trying to make a long-term investment."
As well as economic benefits, Peter believes the Olympics should be a catalyst for better health, education and employment opportunities.
There are already several projects in the pipeline that have been influenced by the Olympics.
He said: "I would like kids to have a really good learning opportunity. The Olympics leads itself to so many learning projects. What are the different countries like? What is life like for people who live there? What is their diet, what is their school life like?
"The Paralympics, too, gives us an opportunity to work with our young people on raising awareness of disabilities."
Around 70 schools have already signed up to the city's Spirit Alive Olympics competition.
They get a small amount of money from Leeds Initiative and Education Leeds with which to plan their own event.
They then have to raise enough funds themselves to match it.
They can choose whatever event they want to run, whether it is a simple egg and spoon race or a mini Olympics tournament.
Peter said the city also wanted to concentrate on opportunities for volunteering and future employment.
He said: "Already 180,000 people have signed up to volunteer at the Games.
"Can we look at those people and get some of them volunteering here in Leeds? To go into schools to help kids, to work with local football teams, to work in the community?
"Then there are the unemployed groups. We can use the Olympics to engage them through sport, through school projects.
"We can identify kids who have left school or left school early and using a Sports Academy give them experience in terms of volunteering and some sporting qualifications.
"Perhaps that will lead them to look at a career in that direction. They might not necessarily go back to school but they might go to a further education college."
There will also be a major push towards increased physical activity.
Peter said: "It will be the thing of 2012. It's a spark, a hook, a way to introduce people to things they haven't done before, a way to get them more active. We'll also be building on the Breeze brand for our young people."
Message delivered, Peter prepares to return to the work he hopes will bear fruit for many years to come – but not before he makes one more rallying cry to the people of Leeds.
He said: "There are people who will see the Olympics as a negative thing, that funding is being diverted away from places like Leeds. But the majority of people do see it as a positive.
"Ultimately, we have to contribute towards making sure the London event is a success.
"We need that to enthuse. Without that we all fall flat on our face.
"It's about making sure we get the maximum benefit for the city and our communities. We have to make sure it has a lasting legacy for all of us."