London 2012 Games most risk-aware in history

London 2012 has put more effort to averting catastrophe than any other Olympic Games in history, according to an independent expert. Will Jennings from The University of Manchester has assessed the state of play exactly a year before Britain's biggest ever sporting event takes place. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project identified the risks and challenges faced by the Olympics organisers and studied the measures put in place to combat them. However, the success of London 2012 can still be derailed by uncertainties relating to the performance of the transport system during the Games, the threat from terrorism and cyber attacks. Legacy planning could also be sidetracked, says Jennings, by more immediate concerns with the fast-approaching deadline of the opening ceremony on 27 July next year. Jennings has compiled a history of Olympic organization dating back to 1896 to understand how things can go wrong in relation to areas such as security, finance, politics and Games-time operations - as well as exploring the different sorts of measures that organizers put in place to manage these risks. He said: "Risk-based thinking has been more extensive than ever before in preparations for London 2012, with risk management practices found across all aspects of the Olympic programme.