ABSTRACT
The concluding chapter focuses on three themes raised in this book. First, the characteristics of the Games as the world’s premiere ‘mega event’ are examined, picking up discussions found in Part 1. In particular, we focus on the necessity for the Olympic movement to sustain its adaptive capacities if the Games is to continue as the leading global sporting event. Second, the Games as ‘legacy’ is conceptualised and analysed with reference to the experiences of those cities discussed in earlier chapters in Part 2. Finally, the possible trajectories of the legacy for East London are briefly discussed in the light of earlier contributions and with reference to the aspirations of government, 2012 ‘stakeholders’ and the area’s communities. In particular, the discussion of East London examines the challenges facing all of us who are concerned with social change and the reshaping of East London in the twenty-first century.
