APPENDIX 22
Memorandum submitted by the Corporation
of London
1. The Corporation of London is supportive
of international sporting events being held in London. It has
a long tradition of supporting major events such as the London
Olympics in 1948 and the World Cup in 1966. More recently we supported
and hosted an event for Euro '96 and backed the bid for the World
Cup in 2006. We would also endorse the holding of the International
Athletics competition in 2005 and support the Mayor of London
in a bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
2. The Corporation feel, however, that a
factor that could delay progress on the staging of international
sporting events in the United Kingdom is transport. This is especially
the case in London where the transport infrastructure is already
overcrowded and prone to failures under present usage levels.
A major international sporting event would place further burden
on the already strained London public transport system which in
turn could adversely affect the essential business of the "Square
Mile" which, of course, is the Corporation's main concern.
A sporting event staged in cities elsewhere in the UK, such as
Manchester or Sheffield, could still have detrimental effects
to London public transport because many spectators would travel
through London to get to their destination. It is for this reason
that the Corporation is strongly in favour of initiatives such
as CrossRail and the extension of the East London Line that would
ease the burden on the current infrastructure.
3. The Committee may therefore wish to consider
as part of their inquiry the issue of transport as a hindrance
to the further promotion of the UK, and indeed London, as a stage
for major international sporting events.
December 2000
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