2011 was a challenging year for the British Olympic Association (BOA) and its Chairman Lord Moynihan. A widely publicised debate regarding the operating surplus from the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012 left Colin and his Chief Executive excluded from London 2012 board meetings from March until May. More recently, debates between the BOA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (regarding the BOA by-law imposing lifetime bans on athletes who have intentionally used performance-enhancing drugs) have led to Colin once again making headlines. He launched a stinging attack on the Anti-Doping Agency saying that ‘the sanctions against the hard-line cheats have never been so weak since the end of the Cold War.’

Epigram met with Colin to discuss London 2012, his experience as a past Olympian and doping in sport.

What has changed in the Olympics since you won a Silver Medal in Moscow in 1980 coxing the Men’s VIII?

There has been a massive change. In 1980 we were still very much in the days of amateur sport. Today, sport is a global industry. It is highly professional and the attention to detail to deliver a gold medal requires a wide range of sophisticated, professional, dedicated support structures which were never there 30 years ago.

The preparation of the athlete and the financial support needs to be substantial. Today, the athlete will have strong lottery and sponsorship funding and Britain has had a budget of close to £100 million a year for nearly 6 years to support the 26 Olympic sports. The total budget for sport throughout the UK in 1980 was less than £50 million, and that included all the facilities (Olympic and non-Olympic) as well.

How do you manage your time to allow you to be such a figurehead in British sports and what led to your position as Chairman of the BOA in 2005?

 I stood for election in 2005 under the impression that it would take 3 days a month. In practice if I get 3 days off a month I’m lucky! Having said that, to be head of the BOA at a time when the Olympic Games is coming to London is a once in a lifetime opportunity. As someone who has had a background in international sport and had the good fortune to be Minister for Sport, to be able to put time back in to support the young athletes of today and tomorrow is everything anyone could possibly hope for. So, it is an amazing experience, it’s a great opportunity to support the athletes of TeamGB and whilst it’s difficult to fit in a business career, work in parliament and spend time with the family it’s nevertheless been a five year journey I will never forget, and never regret. I love every minute of it.    `

What has it been like working across the political spectrum in the 10 year build up to London 2012?

If you look at the cities that have hosted the Games in the last 30 years, the key to the success of staging the Games is consistent all-party political support. Thankfully, that has been a characteristic of the run-up to London 2012, from the work of Tessa Jowell and Tony Blair, to the equally enthusiastic support from Gordon Brown, David Cameron and the Coalition Government.

Why are you so passionate about fighting for the BOA by-law to stand (imposing lifetime bans on athletes who use performance enhancing drugs)?

First and foremost because the athletes want us to run a Selection Policy that ensures that the Games deliver competition between the world’s greatest clean athletes and not between chemists’ laboratories. Second, the use of performance-enhancing drugs is dangerous. Top sportsmen have lost their lives through taking performance-enhancing drugs. Third, if National Olympic Committees did not fight to ensure clean sport, then the whole edifice of competitive Olympic sport would be damaged globally; so this issue goes to the heart of the integrity of Olympic sport. Fourth, what message would it send to a 16 year old athlete if they saw that the only way to get to the top was to take drugs? Fifth, it is inherently wrong for someone secretly to take a cocktail of drugs to beat a clean athlete out of selection. There is no redemption for that clean athlete who is not selected, who doesn’t get another chance, who is never heard of again despite the years of training they have devoted to their sport to reach the pinnacle of their sporting career. To deny a clean athlete the opportunity to compete is unacceptable. So, for all these reasons it is important to take a tough stance on doping in sport, and to fight against the development of sophisticated performance-enhancing drugs which constitute cheating in sport.

Onto London 2012, what should we expect from the Opening Ceremony?

A memorable evening, hopefully without rain! It will be a great celebration of ‘the old’ and ‘the new’. We should never forget that the Opening Ceremony is to celebrate the athletes, so the parade of the athletes and their enjoyment of what should be a great party atmosphere will be critical.

What are you most looking forward to in the Olympics and what are your biggest fears about it?

I am most looking forward to the performances of Team GB as I believe we have a strong team that will deliver outstanding results. I have no fears but there are continuing concerns, mostly surrounding security and transport. We are going to have close to 100 world leaders here following their teams in the Opening Ceremony. The global spotlight will be on London, and we are a very open and welcoming country, so security must be appropriate. Regarding transport, given the network of access to Europe and the attraction of London as a city for tourism, we could see literally millions of people coming to London to enjoy the Games and we need to make sure our transport system works in a faultless way, since the whole Games programme is built on public transport.

What special factor will London give to the Olympics?

The greatest celebration of sport in my lifetime. Firstly, the British public are passionate about sport, their knowledge about sport is second-to-none in the world; the crowds will appreciate great moments of sporting excellence and the athletes will feel that knowledge and enthusiasm. Secondly, London is a multi-cultural city, there won’t be a single one of the 204 teams that won’t have some people from their country living in London, organising support for them, and giving them a great time. The atmosphere in London will be that of a party, and I cannot think of a better city to host a celebration of sport than London. London is on a high at the moment and I think it is ready to party!

What will the Olympics give to London, aside from state-of-the-art sports facilities?

My view is that the Olympic Delivery Authority have built phenomenal facilities, and left a major urban regeneration legacy for the East End of London. I think LOCOG have organised the Games highly professionally and have nurtured and trained a generation of sports administrators who will feed back into the coaching and sports administration network to support British sport in the years to come. Third, I think that TeamGB will perform outstandingly well, and that will leave a legacy of excellence in sport for future generations. But fourth, I think the problem and the challenge is for the government to design and implement a sports legacy policy which reaches out and changes the whole fabric of sports delivery in the UK and here I don’t think we are making the progress we should. I have yet to see the amazing nationwide inspiration caused by the Games being translated into practical policies of securing playing fields, improving the delivery of sport in schools, protecting local authority spend and transforming the sporting landscape. That is the challenge of government and I hope it rises to that challenge in 2012 and beyond.

Following on from that point, do you think there need to be changes in the government support for sport after the Games?

The importance of sport in public policy has changed radically over the last 20 years. It is now an integral part of policy-making in a whole range of government departments, from Education (with school sports), to Health (in the fight against obesity), to Home Office policy (where sport is seen as an important area of contribution to taking young people in inner city areas off the escalator to crime), to international reputation (through the hosting of global sporting events), to the economic impact of sport (which is a multi-billion pound industry today).

These are major challenges and lead me to the view that a stand-alone Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is not the most effective way of ensuring joined-up government and coordination of sports policy in the United Kingdom. I hope that the Prime Minister will look at whether he can use the Cabinet Office to drive the importance of the sports agenda throughout government departments, as Francis Maude has done so effectively on other public policy issues. Equally, I think the biggest post-Games challenge is to address the inadequate structure of delivering competitive sports in our schools and creating far stronger links between schools, clubs, coaches, volunteers and local authorities. I think there is a really strong case for ending the divided responsibilities of school sports between DCMS and the Department of Education, and putting the key central role of a senior Sports Minister within the Department of Education.