‘We are making Europe. We will
HE IS the man who sent handwrit t e n letters to every MP in the Commons and every member of the House of Lords to help persuade a reluctant British Cabinet to bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.
But now Simon Clegg is sipping a glass of red wine as he looks out over the Caspian Sea and ponders an arguably even bigger challenge.
For thi s dapper former Artiller y officer has less than 40 days to complete preparations for the inaugural European Games which will be staged in Baku, capital of the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, in June.
“Yes, this project could be my most demanding ever,” he says as we dine in his favourite down-town steak restaurant. “This is the first time this event has ever been held, we are pretty much putting it together in just 30 months when most countries have years to prepare.”
Mr Clegg, 55, deals in big challenges. He has managed 12 British Olympic teams and then, as chief executive of the British Olympic Association, he led the successful political lobbying campaign which ended with London staging the Games three years ago.
He is also the man who became a football club chief at Ipswich and appointed the notoriously volatile Roy Keane as manager — then sacked him.
The injection of London expertise is clear to see — there are now 234 former Ex-Olympics chief Simon Clegg talks to about what could be his biggest challenge yet — the inaugural European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan LOCOG/2012 employees out of a current workforce of 1,500. “The scale of the project is massive,” he says.
“But we have put together a great team, this is one of the most glamorous capital cities in the world and we have adapted to the local environment and are committed to making it work.”
More than 6,000 athletes from across Europe will be representing their nations over the 17 days in 16 Olympic and four non-Olympic events. Twelve will offer qualification opportunities for next year’s Olympiad in Rio.
British stars expected to take part will include boxer Nicola Adams, table tennis player Kelly Sibley and Taekwondo’s Jade Jones. Katie Taylor, the Irish boxer, will also be competing.
“We are making sporting history in Europe,” Mr Clegg adds. “It is a huge privilege to be in that position. I feel it is very much part of the expertise of London being passed on.”
Apa r t f ro m the logistical issues (Baku’s only other major event has been the 2012 Eurovision song contest), Mr Clegg also does not duck questions