Slow off the mark

IT is ironic that Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, should visit York Racecourse and Headingley Carnegie to promote the London Olympics: both are great locations that could, potentially, have hosted events in their own right if the 2012 Games had been rolled out across Britain.

By The Newsroom

Published 19th Jan 2012, 08:52 BST

Instead Headingley will host competitors from overseas preparing for their date with destiny – while the Olympic torch relay carriers will sprint past the famous Knavesmire winning post where great equine deeds have been celebrated.

Yet, while it is welcome that Mr Hunt’s department intends to promote the whole of Britain, including Yorkshire, as part of its 2012 initiatives on tourism, his government cannot escape criticism for being slow off the mark.

Having successfully sold the concept of a British Olympics to the IOC in 2005, only now are organisers looking at the tourism spin-offs and the potential of a wider sporting legacy. It is a good job that Yorkshire’s gold medal contenders are far more advanced with their preparations – they know nothing should be left the chance. And the same applies to Mr Hunt and his team.