Top > Sport > 2005 > July > 2005-07-19

So London has the 2012 Olympics - what now?

Overall control of 2012 matters will be in the hands of the four members of a powerful Olympic board. They are bid mastermind Lord Coe, U.K. Olympics minister Tessa Jowell, London mayor Ken Livingstone and the British Olympic Association (BOA) chairman, currently Craig Reedie.

Security was a key issue even before the recent London bombings, and Home Secretary Charles Clarke will chair an Olympic security committee. An Olympics Bill to set up the structures and safeguards London needs to deliver the Games is being accelerated through Parliament and should be passed by early next year.

A new Olympic lottery will provide 1.5 billion pounds towards the 2.375 billion pounds cost of funding the 2012 Olympic Games. Scratchcards are currently being printed and should be launched in the next few weeks. The main focus of 2012 building work will be the Olympic Park in Stratford in east London. Construction companies are competing for contracts, and there will be enough work to keep many of them busy for most of the next seven years.