On 25 May, 20:41, Ivor The Engine wrote:

As someone living in Manchester in the run
up to the 2002 Commonwealth Games (and two previous failed Olympic
bids, one of which generated enough cash for the carbunk^H^H^arena
above Victoria Station) I don't think many locals really cared about
what was happening during the development years. *But as the stadium
took shape and the city changed character, people really began to take
it on board. *

It was much smaller in scale and in a much smaller city but I reckon
come 2012 the attitudes will swing back in London. *Great atmosphere
and something from the legacy - though how much regeneration that was
promised in the Eastlands area actually happened as a result of the
Games is debatable.

I think the 'much smaller in scale' is significant. The Olympics are
simply too large in scale, and too expensive. As for the size of the
City, in most of London you're not really aware of the games, but in
Stratford you certainly are aware of them; they totally dominate the
area.