sports event management - FIFA/CIES International University Network

BEFORE...AFTER...Horse Guards Parade in the heart of London is transformed as a beach volleyball venueAtlanta. I don’t think anybody thoughtat the time how popular it was going tobecome.“Move on to the next Games andSydney was really smart and put beachvolleyball on Bondi Beach. You can’t geta better location than that can you?“But if you look at the way it wasmade, it was kind of designed to be aseating bowl 360 degrees in the roundwith no views out. Beijing and Athens didthe same thing.“The problem with that is even thoughthe players and spectators at BondiBeach were only ten or so metres fromthe ocean, they couldn’t really see andexperience it.“One of the things we have done inLondon is create a lower bowl so we getthe atmosphere around the field of play.However, the upper tier has actually beenturned into a horseshoe shape that focusestowards Horse Guards itself. So anyonesitting there can always understand thecontext and where they are.“It’s what people are understandingabout overlay now. It can help brand acity and create memories in people’sminds.”Overall, London 2012 will haveapproximately 250,000 modular seats,165,000m of tents, 140km of fencing,250 km of crowd barriers and 100,000mof temporary sports surfaces.ENVIRONMENT Vs LEGACYOn the face of it, the debate on whethertemporary structures are more ecofriendlythan permanent stadia seemsSPORTS EVENT MANAGEMENT 23