You can't fool the kids...
I am often accused -- especially by people who contribute to this blog -- of being too negative about the Olympics and never looking at the positive side of the Games.
The criticism goes with the job. There are plenty of other people who have accused me of being in the pocket of 2012 and being too positive.
Neither is true, of course.
But when Sheffield teenager Simon Grunwerg contacted the blog a few months ago with questions about the Games, I decided to arrange a meeting for him with .
2012 promised during the bid that the Olympics would be for the youth of Britain. So a 17-year-old from Sheffield -- interestingly where London 2012 went to school and first got the "Olympic bug" -- should be the perfect barometer.
If 2012 officials are not satisfying him, then they are failing.
So we arranged for Simon to meet 2012 ambassador Jonathan Edwards near the Olympic site. I specifically refused to help Simon out with any of his research. I didn't tell him what questions he should ask and I left him to talk to the former triple jumper on his own.
You can see a bit of the interview here. Simon didn't hold back with his questions. He wanted to know whether it was right to spend so much money on the Games during a recession. Were the Games just for Londoners or the rest of the country? And he probed Jonathan about the use of the facilities after the Games.
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What it showed me was that young people are interested in the questions I ask 2012 every week. Even though they are not paying tax yet, they want to know that public money is being spent correctly. And this teenager was particularly aware of all the key financial, environmental and legacy issues.
That's not being negative. It's just questioning the work of people spending taxpayers' money.
The organisers of the faced some of the most intense scrutiny ever. The Australian media is particularly fierce.
And what happened? Sydney ended up putting on one of the most successful Games ever.
I'm Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú London's Olympics Correspondent, which means I report on every aspect of the preparations for 2012. I'm going to be telling you what people are saying about London's preparations - both in the Olympic corridors of power and on the streets of the capital - and I want to hear your views.
Comment number 1.
At 26th Jul 2009, kwikscull wrote:Adrian,
As one of the people who regularly criticise your negativaty towards 2012, I would like to point out that I have always said that every one of yoru stories is valid and should be reported.
It is also great to see young people taking an interest in what is happening with 2012 and the wider world, whethr they support 2012 or not the fact that young people will research facts and pose thoughtful questions is good to see, well done for giving this young man the opportunity to show what most of his generation are capable of.
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Comment number 2.
At 27th Jul 2009, DisgustedOfMitcham2 wrote:Yes, it's encouraging to see that young folk have such an insightful understanding of the issues.
Won't do them any good, of course, as the politicians aren't listening. They just want to go ahead with 2012 at any cost because it's such a great ego trip for them, and it's not their own money they're spending.
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Comment number 3.
At 31st Jul 2009, forgery23 wrote:"Even though they are not paying tax yet" - What about VAT, or have I been missing out on something?
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Comment number 4.
At 28th Oct 2009, parksmeup wrote:The view of one 17 therefore represents the views of all young people?
Particularly the type of 17 year old who contributes to a blog of this sort...
"If 2012 are failing this one person then they are failing"... I'm completely behind the 'every child matters' agenda but surely there is a flaw in your logic?
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