Lord Coe leaves Vancouver with plenty of food for thought

From Sportsbeat staff, in Vancouver

LOCOG chairman Lord Sebastian Coe will leave Vancouver with a list of key areas, labelled the four ‘S's, in which he believes London should follow Canada's lead - perhaps surprisingly, success is not one of them.

PASSING THE TORCH: As the curtain comes down on the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Vanoc chairman hands the Olympic torch over the his London 2012 counterpart Lord Sebastian Coe (Getty Images)

Coe and Locog chief executive Paul Deighton headed a 50-strong team of 2012 officials to make the trip to Vancouver, eager to study everything and anything about the Olympic flame's last stop before arrival in London.

The 2010 Winter Olympics has not been without its critics and it is the British press who have been most acerbic, with some calling it ‘the worst Games in Olympic history'.

However, Canada have essentially done what their $110m Own the Podium initiative set out to achieve and while they did not garner the most medals in Vancouver, they amassed 14 golds - the most in Winter Olympic history by a host nation.

Coe has already been quick to pour cold water on the heated debates arising from the British media's perception of the Games, highlighting the strengths of Vancouver 2010 and how London can learn from them.

But while it was Canada's success in terms of medals that deflected attention from the criticism of their organisational skills, it is their stadia, service, sport and sites that Coe has picked up on.

"The Olympic Games in Vancouver will leave enduring memories where the athletes, organisers and people of the city came together to stage a truly memorable event," said Coe. 

"Over the last two weeks, the streets of Vancouver have been like theatres where people gathered to celebrate this fantastic spectacle of sport and culture.

 "The four ‘S's we've identified - sport, service, stadia and sites - give us real food for thought and an added level of detail to our planning as we become the next taxi off the Olympic Games rank. 

"Over the next two-and-a-half-years, we will use this information to ensure that we stage a Games for everyone in London. 

"In a couple of weeks' time, the Paralympic Winter Games will start and we will have a team in Vancouver once again, soaking up every last drip of knowledge."

Deighton was also quick to congratulate Vancouver on their success in playing host to the Winter Olympics, safe in the knowledge that Fleet Street's finest have set Great Britain up for a potentially mighty fall in 2012.

"Learning from other Games is vital for Organising Committees," added Deighton. 

"In 2008 we took a team out to Beijing to specifically look at the field of play and sport competitions, which enabled our sport competition managers to see first-hand how the events are run. 

"This year in Vancouver the teams were looking at how the city functions and how logistically, a team works together to deliver this event.

"We congratulate Vancouver on staging a hugely enjoyable Games - we look forward to taking what we've learned from both the Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympic Games to follow to ensure the Games in London are a fantastic success and a worthy successor to these Games."