人文奥运
[font=Helvetica][size=16pt][color=white] London’s Cultural Olympiad[/color][/size][/font][font=Helvetica][size=16pt] [b]A strong cultural programme helped to bring the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to London – and will benefit communities throughout the UK[/b][/size][/font]
[font=Helvetica][size=16pt]London was not expected to be chosen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Paris was the favourite to win, but a strong campaign by the London team – including then-Prime Minister Tony Blair and soccer star David Beckham – helped to bring the Games to the UK.
There were two main factors that gave London the edge over Paris. One was its emphasis on the social and economic benefits that hosting the Olympics would bring – particularly to the disadvantaged area of East London where the 2012 Games will be held. The UK delegation emphasised this point by taking 100 schoolchildren from the area to the IOC meeting in Singapore in 2005, where London eventually emerged as the winner.
The other factor that sealed London’s victory was the strength of its cultural programme. There has always been a cultural dimension to the modern Olympic Games. Medals were awarded for art, literature and music as well as sport until 1948 – the last time that the Games were held in London. Since then, each Games has included cultural events designed to reflect the Olympic values of international cooperation and friendship. But these have generally been limited to activities such as the opening and closing ceremonies or the Olympic torch relay, which take place at the same time as the sporting games. In 2012, London seeks to make culture as important as sport to the Olympics.
The scale and variety of the cultural activities planned for London 2012 is unprecedented. The Cultural Olympiad will run for four years, beginning as soon as the Beijing Olympics ends. There will be at least ten major, national cultural programmes, encompassing festivals, exhibitions, carnivals, theatre, dance, music and film. All of these activities will be designed to celebrate friendship and internationalism, to inspire and involve young people and to leave a positive legacy. The intended legacy will be to bring communities together, to help young people gain new skills and cultural experiences, to encourage regeneration, to promote health and sustainability, and to promote tourism. Most of this activity will be funded by the state, through national and local government.
Cultural Olympiad activities will include the Olympic Proms, a major programme of classical music concerts. The International Shakespeare Festival will celebrate the work of England’s greatest dramatist, with performers from around the world. Film and Video Nation will enable thousands of young people to make films about the Olympics, which will be shown on outdoor, public cinema screens in major towns and cities throughout the UK. Artists Taking the Lead will promote the creation of new work by emerging and established visual artists and sculptors. Carnivals and festivals will take place in every region of the country.
In this way, the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be about more than London, more than sport and more than the summer of 2012.
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