Hopefully London 2012 will pass without incident, but anyone who has had the (mis)fortune of living in London at any time of their life will know the place is generally quite crowded and full of little traps. These days, my only experiences of London are typically as a commuter. To put it another way, my experiences of London are not particularly pleasurable ones. So what could possibly go wrong at the forthcoming Olympics? Here are some ratings of potential incidents that could ruin the big event.
#1 Airport check-in chaos: The government, whose policies threatened organised chaos at the Queen's jubilee celebrations, threaten the Olympics massively. Government cuts have led to a much-publicised shortage of border staff at airports. I hope the vast amount of people expected to fly over for the event are preparing themselves with sleeping equipment for the long wait at check-in. Likelihood of chaos: 9/10
#2 Train meltdown: I am hopeful that first and foremost, Britain's train drivers will be good sports and put any industrial action on hold until after the event. Public support is essential to the success of a good strike, so I am sure this would be the case. More of an immediate concern is specific to the London Underground and its incapability to handle the number of passengers the Olympics will generate. Anyone who has used the London Underground will be aware of the incessant line closures and miserable overcrowding. Anyone unfortunate enough to use the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow Airport may have experienced the frustration of having to unship all their luggage on to the platform of Northfields station, as an airport-bound train is unexpectedly terminated there. Transport for London will surely not close lines and clip services at times of such high demand. More alarming is the London Underground's tendency to break down. The grim reality is the system is bound to grind down at some stage of the event. Likelihood of chaos: 8/10
#3 Britain's athletes disappoint: In comparison to the other concerns listed here, this may seem a trivial point, but there is a serious aspect to it. The home nation's success at the Olympics would be great for national morale. The potential problem here is that our medal haul will be measured against the success of our last Olympics campaign in Beijing, where results exceeded expectations. Home advantage should keep the medals ticking over as long as we maintain realistic expectations. Likelihood of chaos: 4/10
#4 Terrorist atrocity: Relax, the government has got this! The military will be on hand to make sure that anyone wishing to mastermind an attack during the Olympics will not get an easy ride. Perhaps less encouraging are the private contracts given to security inside the arenas, therefore we will have to keep our fingers crossed that safety is not compromised over cost. It is a good thing that despite the permanence of fear generated by terror (which is the idea of terrorism, of course), actual attacks are rare. Such is the fear of terrorism though, the feeling that something could happen will not go away. Likelihood of chaos: 3/10
So there is my pessimistic outlook for the forthcoming Olympic Games in London. On a more positive note, win or lose, I am sure Jessica Ennis will brighten up the games with her presence. Good luck to all taking part.
