On my almost-daily visits to the capital, I still travel past the Olympic Park in Stratford.

But no longer is it the lively theatre that so wonderfully showcased the world's greatest athletes to all four corners of the globe; rather an almost deserted building site that harbours the London 2012 ghosts of Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps.

Obviously it will soon reopen as the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park where we are promised it will become a vibrant new East London community. But I don't think anyone can honestly expect it to still contain the same magic that it did during this summer.

The people who made it such a marvellous spectacle are also gone to different walks of life.

Rather poignantly, I attended the 2015 Rugby World Cup draw on Monday (December 3) where Debbie Jevans, the former London 2012 Director of Sport, now serves as chief executive of the Organising Committee for the next big sporting event on English shores.

But when surrounded by the rugby media, not one reference was made to Jevans' past life at London 2012, despite her integral role in the bid for and then organisation of the 2012 Games.

But in a small corner of London this week, in SoHo Hotel, the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics was being remembered at the LOCOG annual (and last) Christmas media drinks.

Heading the cast was London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe with London 2012 chief executive Paul (now Lord) Deighton also in attendance.

As is customary for the event, Coe climbed on the table towards the end of proceedings to thank the media, surprisingly sincerely, for their contribution in making London 2012 such a success.


"It is you, asking the hard questions, that made us a better organisation," Coe said to widespread approval in the room.

He carried on in an emotional speech before humorously ending: "See you all at the British Olympic Association (BOA) soon!"

Of course Coe was referencing the fact that he is now BOA chairman, but the joke was that it seemed almost irrelevant in the context of this night.