Thursday, September 04, 2008
Olympic update
2012 medal map
Forget Boris's statistically-suspect crime maps. Here's a much more reliable geospatial graphic - the London 2012 medal map. It shows which boroughs will be hosting Olympic events, and which boroughs are getting diddly-squat. And what do you know, some of the official host boroughs are getting diddly-squat.I've used the same colours as the new crime maps:
Red means more than 50 gold medals, yellow means 2-5 gold medals and purple means no medals whatsoever.
High Above average Average Below average Low
(The green kidney shape in East London is the location of the Olympic Park)
(H = Host Borough)
Let me explain how I've worked out the figures, taking the borough of Westminster as an example. Westminster's hosting the Archery (4 gold medals), the Triathlon (2 golds) and the politically suspect Beach Volleyball (2 more golds). The cycling road races take place in both Westminster and Camden, so I'm sharing the 4 golds between them (2 golds each). And the marathon runs through several boroughs, so I'm sharing the two golds between all five (0.4 golds each). Total for Westminster = 10.4 gold medals. So Westminster is coloured orange.
The table below shows the medal totals for all the boroughs hosting events in London 2012. Please note that several of these boroughs are outside the capital (and therefore not on the map).
2012 medals, borough by borough 186.1 golds: Newham Athletics, Swimming, Wrestling, Weightlifting, Judo, Boxing, Track Cycling, Fencing, Taekwondo, Diving, Table Tennis, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo, Hockey, BMX, Walk, Modern Pentathlon, Basketball, Marathon
45.8 golds: Greenwich Gymnastics, Shooting, Equestrian, Badminton, Basketball, Modern Pentathlon
26 golds: Windsor & Maidenhead Rowing, Canoe & Kayak (Flatwater)
11 golds: Weymouth and Portland Sailing
10.4 golds: Westminster Archery, Beach Volleyball, Triathlon, Road Cycling, Marathon
4 golds: Broxbourne Canoe & Kayak (Slalom); Hackney Handball, Hockey; Merton Tennis
2 golds: Camden Road Cycling; Kensington & Chelsea Volleyball; Castle Point Mountain biking
1.9 golds: Tower Hamlets Walk, Marathon
0.4 golds: City of London/Southwark Marathon
0.3333.. golds: Birmingham/Brent/Cardiff/Glasgow/Newcastle/Trafford Football
The lion's share of our 2012 Olympic medals will be competed for in either Newham or Greenwich. Newham (186) scores extremely highly because it contains the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatic Centre and the ExCel exhibition centre. Greenwich (46) does well because of events at the Dome (but might lose ground if organisers decide to shift the bang bang and the gallopy gallopy elsewhere).
But Newham and Greenwich are just two of the five councils that have been designated official "host boroughs" for the 2012 Olympics. The other three, despite being part of the Olympic Park, aren't hosting very much at all. Bad luck Hackney (4), there are only three mini-stadia within your boundaries, so all you'll get are the medal-feeble hockey and handball. Poor old Tower Hamlets (1.9). We were expecting the basketball stadium, except the latest round of cost-cutting shifted it over the river into Newham, so all we'll see are the middle sections of the marathon and some walking races. And sod off Waltham Forest (0), because you'll be generating absolutely no Olympic medals whatsoever. Which is rubbish.
Almost a sixth of London's 2012 medals are being awarded outside London. A bit of water outside Windsor gets to be the site of a giveaway paddling bonanza. The lovely Dorset Coast will be doling out 11 golds to capable sailors. Hertfordshire's whitewater slalom and an Essex mountain bike course will both be more productive than my home borough. And even far-flung Newcastle, host to a few football matches at St James' Park, will see more Olympic competition than supposedly-central Waltham Forest.
But never fear, Waltham Forest, because the Paralympics are coming to your rescue. The former Eton Manor sports centre is being transformed into the venue for the Paralympic Archery (9 golds) and the Wheelchair Tennis (6 golds), which means 15 precious ribboned discs are on their way. And Hackney at least scores highly in the legacy phase, gaining a new industrial resource when the huge International Broadcast Centre is handed over to the community.
But as for Tower Hamlets, being a "host borough" looks like being an underwhelming disappointment. One corner of our borough has been needlessly razed to build a food court and a non-existent basketball stadium, and all we'll see otherwise are a few brief sweaty-limbed athletes. Not one single Olympic or Paralympic event will either start or finish in Tower Hamlets. My local council has been reduced to crowing that "the world's greatest sporting occasion will be happening on our doorstep". But, alas, not at home.
...or read more in my monthly archives
Jan24 Feb24 Mar24 Apr24 May24
Jan23 Feb23 Mar23 Apr23 May23 Jun23 Jul23 Aug23 Sep23 Oct23 Nov23 Dec23
Jan22 Feb22 Mar22 Apr22 May22 Jun22 Jul22 Aug22 Sep22 Oct22 Nov22 Dec22
Jan21 Feb21 Mar21 Apr21 May21 Jun21 Jul21 Aug21 Sep21 Oct21 Nov21 Dec21
Jan20 Feb20 Mar20 Apr20 May20 Jun20 Jul20 Aug20 Sep20 Oct20 Nov20 Dec20
Jan19 Feb19 Mar19 Apr19 May19 Jun19 Jul19 Aug19 Sep19 Oct19 Nov19 Dec19
Jan18 Feb18 Mar18 Apr18 May18 Jun18 Jul18 Aug18 Sep18 Oct18 Nov18 Dec18
Jan17 Feb17 Mar17 Apr17 May17 Jun17 Jul17 Aug17 Sep17 Oct17 Nov17 Dec17
Jan16 Feb16 Mar16 Apr16 May16 Jun16 Jul16 Aug16 Sep16 Oct16 Nov16 Dec16
Jan15 Feb15 Mar15 Apr15 May15 Jun15 Jul15 Aug15 Sep15 Oct15 Nov15 Dec15
Jan14 Feb14 Mar14 Apr14 May14 Jun14 Jul14 Aug14 Sep14 Oct14 Nov14 Dec14
Jan13 Feb13 Mar13 Apr13 May13 Jun13 Jul13 Aug13 Sep13 Oct13 Nov13 Dec13
Jan12 Feb12 Mar12 Apr12 May12 Jun12 Jul12 Aug12 Sep12 Oct12 Nov12 Dec12
Jan11 Feb11 Mar11 Apr11 May11 Jun11 Jul11 Aug11 Sep11 Oct11 Nov11 Dec11
Jan10 Feb10 Mar10 Apr10 May10 Jun10 Jul10 Aug10 Sep10 Oct10 Nov10 Dec10
Jan09 Feb09 Mar09 Apr09 May09 Jun09 Jul09 Aug09 Sep09 Oct09 Nov09 Dec09
Jan08 Feb08 Mar08 Apr08 May08 Jun08 Jul08 Aug08 Sep08 Oct08 Nov08 Dec08
Jan07 Feb07 Mar07 Apr07 May07 Jun07 Jul07 Aug07 Sep07 Oct07 Nov07 Dec07
Jan06 Feb06 Mar06 Apr06 May06 Jun06 Jul06 Aug06 Sep06 Oct06 Nov06 Dec06
Jan05 Feb05 Mar05 Apr05 May05 Jun05 Jul05 Aug05 Sep05 Oct05 Nov05 Dec05
Jan04 Feb04 Mar04 Apr04 May04 Jun04 Jul04 Aug04 Sep04 Oct04 Nov04 Dec04
Jan03 Feb03 Mar03 Apr03 May03 Jun03 Jul03 Aug03 Sep03 Oct03 Nov03 Dec03
Jan02 Feb02 Mar02 Apr02 May02 Jun02 Jul02 Aug02 Sep02 Oct02 Nov02 Dec02
