Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Marsh (Crossbench). It was answered on Thursday, 22 March 2007.

Olympic Games 2012: Costs

Question: My Lords, is the Minister aware that it took 28 years to pay off the debts from the Montreal Olympics, and that Montreal was left with a lot of equipment which has become absolutely useless? Given that we seem to have serious problems with arithmetic, does he not think that the matter ought to be reconsidered?

Answer: My Lords, the Montreal Olympics is a dire example of things that have gone wrong in the past, but there are more recent illustrations. I do not think that the legacy of the Athens Olympics is looked upon with a great deal of pride either. In this Olympic concept and programme, the Games are the focal point of the development, but we have emphasised all along that attention to their legacy should be as positive as we can make it. That is why every aspect of the investment also relates to that dimension.

Secondary information