Jowell paints glowing Olympic picture
Britain must seize the opportunity of the 2012 Olympics to become the kind of country it wants to be, Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said today.
While the Games had already led to an increased investment in sport, she told the Labour party conference in Brighton that the Games must be the platform for much more.
“We must seize the opportunities the Games bring – to express pride in our country, to express international solidarity, to celebrate our diversity and to be guardians of the dreams of millions of young people,” Ms Jowell said.
The minister’s presentation was a welcome respite from a debate on pensions, giving delegates a vision of a “showcase” for the country’s cultural and athletic pride.
And it enabled her to press the positive image of where Britain would be under a third Labour term – a Britain with good public services and with the will to tackle poverty both at home and abroad.
“Just as we won the right to host the Games because we dared to be bold, we will keep faith with young people by doing all we can to tackle the poverty of aspiration,” she said.
“When people say we can’t have the best state schools or public services in the world, we say we can, and we will. When people say you will never conquer child poverty, we say we will not rest until we have done so.”
The government has set up a ten-year trust fund for upcoming athletes, as well as investing in the talented athlete scholarship scheme to ensure children have access to sport regardless of their backgrounds.
And today Ms Jowell announced a ‘passport’ scheme for top athletes, giving them free accommodation on London’s transport and giving elite and aspiring athletes access to cheaper air travel.
Coupled with the sporting investment, the Olympics would also be a chance for Britain to show off its culture and its sense of community, the minister said, with 70,000 volunteers expected to take part in the proceedings.
This was not to mention the 45,000 new jobs and 550 new businesses that would be created, Ms Jowell said, adding: “Now we must ensure that the reality matches our dream.
“That the Olympic Games are not just 17 days of sport for the competitors and spectators but the inspiration for a generation.”
