ABSTRACT
In the years leading up to the thirtieth modern Olympiad, the official discourse of London 2012 was dominated not by athletics but by the prospect of urban regeneration in East London and by the possibility of mass participation in a community-building process. This chapter suggests that London 2012's officialdom did not credit the wider population with the level of discrimination required to appreciate the Games as the pinnacle of sporting achievement. Instead they made the assumption that most Londoners would remain consumed with self-interest, only supporting the Games if they thought that the Games were going to do something for them; moreover, something of economic or other tangible benefit. The chapter shows that in East London local people were equivocal in their response to London 2012, first in prospect and then in its development. It also shows that whether for or against London 2012, their responses were often qualified by awareness of counter arguments and contrary opinion.
