Do The London Games Make The Grade?

Do The London Games Make The Grade?, The venues showcase the city’s rich history, but not everything is so spectacular. Making the grade: How did the London Olympics stack up?, Great Britain doesn’t like to be made fun of, and heading into these Olympic Games one of the primary concerns for the locals was not being embarrassed.

Following the extraordinary and lavish display of national pride that was Beijing, 2008 was going to be a difficult act to follow, and Londoners feared a calamity-ridden Games that would give the city and the country a black eye in front of the world.

Throw in the administrative hurdle of a global economic downturn, and London had plenty of factors stacked against it, but has managed to get to the finish line without any major issues.

As ever at the end of an Olympics, thoughts turn to how it stacks up against those that came before it. So how did London fare?

Crowds: B+

The ones that got in were terrific. Eighty thousand per night at track and field, swimming and boxing packed, basketball overloaded, even nearly 30,000 for dressage. The locals were into it, and London was accessible to so many nations. Plus, this is one of the most, if not the most, diverse city in the world, so many who live here now could root on the nation they left behind. The energy was incredible.

The only downside was the traditional plague of empty seats courtesy of sponsor and IOC sections. London was slow to react with a plan to fill them with people who couldn’t get a ticket in the first place.

Venues: A

Perhaps no city in the world could produce such a combination of traditional landmarks, historic sporting grounds and modern construction.