London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act.
What will the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act do?
The Act enables us to deliver a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, in line with what we promised in our bid.
The Act does three main things:
- It sets up the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to manage the Government's interest in the Olympic project:
o The ODA is clearly accountable for public money spent on getting venues and infrastructure ready on time and on budget;
o The ODA is provided with planning and land acquisition powers, along with specific transport powers which give the ODA prime responsibility for co-ordinating the Olympic Transport Plan;
o The ODA also has the power to ensure the provision of necessary services such as street cleaning and lighting around venues during the Games.
- Grants the Mayor of London (who is a signatory to the Host City Contract) Olympic-specific powers:
o These powers enable the Greater London Authority and Mayor to fulfil all obligations to help prepare for and stage the Games.
- Ensures that we meet the commitments given in London's bid on how the Games, and the Olympic environment, will be managed:
o In line with International Olympic Committee requirements, the Act regulates commercial exploitation of the Games. Olympic symbols and intellectual property are given additional legal protection. Controls will be placed on advertising and street trading around venues. Ticket touting is made a criminal offence for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
In addition, Regional Development Agencies have a new specific purpose of preparing for the Games.
Read the full text of the Act, along with the Explanatory Notes at the Office of Public Sector Information's website
The Act received Royal Assent on 30 March 2006, and some of its provisions (including those that set up the ODA, outlaw ambush marketing and give the Mayor of London Olympic-specific powers) came into force on that date.
Other provisions in the Act will be brought into force by orders made by the Secretary of State. This includes the power to make regulations about advertising and street trading around Games venues. It is anticipated that these regulations will be made much closer to 2012. You should refer to the Explanatory Notes for a compete guide as to which provisions came into force on Royal Assent and which will be commenced by order.
The measures in the Act are designed to enable us to deliver a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. Many are time-limited - once the Games are over, they will no longer be relevant, so will cease to apply.
Exactly when they cease will vary depending on the nature of the power.
For example, the restrictions on advertising and trading will cease to apply five days after the Games. So will the Olympic Transport Plan.
The Act gives the Secretary of State power to dissolve the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and to rescind the Mayor's Olympic-specific powers by order. We expect such orders to be made once the Games are over and once the ODA has made the necessary arrangements for the legacy use of venues, although the exact date cannot be predicted at this stage.
The Act provides for restrictions on marketing in five ways:
- Regulations on advertising in the vicinity of Games venues
- Regulations on street trading in the vicinity of Games venues
- Restrictions on ticket touting
- Clarification of protection for Olympic symbols
- Specific restrictions on associations with the London Games
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Regulations on advertising in the vicinity of Games venues
As a result of the International Olympic Committee's requirements, we need to be able to regulate advertising in and around Games venues. The IOC requires that venues are clean from advertising and that advertising around venues is controlled. This is in order to protect what the IOC term the 'look and feel' of Games venues and to prevent over-commercialisation of the Games.
The advertising regulations will restrict advertising in the immediate vicinity of Olympic venues – likely to be around 200 – 300m. Regulations will be in force for a maximum of two weeks prior to the opening ceremony, up to a maximum of five days after the Paralympics closing ceremony. In practice, we expect regulations to be in place for much shorter periods around venues that are only used for a few days, such as for football in Cardiff. A draft of these regulations will be published around 2010 and we will consult on that draft.
Regulations on street trading in the vicinity of Games venues
Similar to the regulations on advertising, we must control street trading around Olympic venues as a result of IOC requirements. The Olympic Delivery Authority, in consultation with local licensing authorities, will grant authorisations for trading in the vicinity of Games venues. The regulations will be in place for the shortest time possible and in a tightly defined area. These regulations will be published in draft form around 2010 for consultation.
Ticket touting
The Act makes it an offence to sell, or to offer to sell, a ticket for the London Olympics in a public place or in the course of business. Prevention of ticket touting is a requirement of the IOC that we agreed to upon signing the Host City Contract.
Clarification of protection for Olympic symbols
The Act updates the Olympic Symbols etc. (Protection) Act 1995 to clarify existing protections and extend them to the Paralympics. The Act also, in one area, provides extra protection for Olympic (and Paralympic) intellectual property.
Specific restrictions on associations with the London Games
The Act creates a new intellectual property right specifically related to the 2012 Games – the London Olympics association right. The right makes it an offence for a person to create - in the course of trade - a commercial, contractual or structural association between a good or service and the London Olympics, unless they are authorised to do so.
This means that only those authorised can associate themselves commercially with the Games. We have created this right as a result of the International Olympic Committee's requirements to prevent unauthorised commercial exploitation of the Games. The right provides protection to sponsors, and ensures that their investment in the Games will not be hijacked by non-sponsors. The association right came into force on 30 March 2006 and will last until 31 December 2012.
