Going for gold

Deloitte UK: powering the winds beneath London’s Olympic wings

What a summer this has been. The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games exceeded even the highest expectations and the outstanding performances of athletes from all over the world entertained and indeed, “inspired a generation.”

Supporting the sporting excellence was a program of such complexity that the numbers are enough to make the eyes boggle: 70,000 volunteers, 1.8 million pieces of sports equipment, 14 million meals, 10.8 million tickets, 4,700 medals – all taking place under the watchful eyes of 6,000 accredited media, in and around Olympic venues, with thousands more elsewhere in London.

London was a special place to be this summer, smiling faces filled the streets and strangers spoke to one another on the Tube. Even the weather held out, mostly. It was particularly special to know that Deloitte member firms, particularly the UK, had played such a key role in making this happen. As the official professional services provider to the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), over 800 partners and employees of the UK firm provided their expertise to support the delivery of the Games, including more than 130 on secondment to the organizers. In total, Deloitte UK has provided more than 750,000 hours of support towards the organization of London 2012.