“The media whacks the Olympics every day – and a large proportion of that is totally uninformed and wrong,” she told the audience at today’s CBI Business Summit. “But you have to live with that.”
Despite the fact that the 2012 Games is continually slammed in the press, Jowell says that public support remains high.
“I think it’s because of the ambition parents have for their children, and the ambitions young people have for themselves.”
She says the Games are a chance to boost the image of UK plc and to prove that “we’re not just a country of Beefeaters”.
“When I go into schools and ask how many children would like to get involved in the Olympics, everyone’s hands shoot up,” she says. “Twenty-five per cent say they’re going to win a medal.
“The 2012 Games will be a huge challenge but the scale of ambition in this country is unprecedented.
“Just remember: no-one thought we should bid for the Olympics. No-one thought we would win. But we did.”
