Main content

Episode 1

Peter White brings together the 30 teenagers who were unveiled to the International Olympic Committee in Singapore exactly ten years ago in a bid to help London clinch the Games.

The thirty youngsters have gone from school life in 2005 to futures involving marriage, jobs and mortgages. In these programme he gets them all together to hear about their lives now and to reflect on the part that the Singapore trip played in shaping what happened next.

Some of them are living oversees - Perry, for instance, who has married an American and now coach's football on the East Coast. Amber has just finished her degree at an American University and is applying for a Green Card whilst Jessica, the promising heptathlete with the potential to have made the Olympics, is happily married in Canada and working in a sports store.

There were some stand out stars amongst the group - Ashley Mitchell went form that Singapore trip with Sebastian Coe to work as the Junior Mayor in the Olympic Village. He has finished his degree and is helping on Tessa Jowell's bid to be Mayor of London. But being Ashley he also has several other plans on the go - a pop up restaurant, a few charity projects and some impromptu family tuition for younger cousins!

For Thomas Brown the London Games offered the hope of Paralympic selection. His dreams fell apart when he left home and moved into a homeless hostel. His life was on hold as he struggled with independent living and wrestled with the training needed to really go all the way. He has now reconciled with his parents and rents a house with his girlfriend.

Perhaps the biggest star of all is a schoolboy who showed such promise in rugby that he was offered the chance to concentrate on it full time. He opted instead for the discus and reached the finals in the 2012 Olympics. Lawrence Okoye is now playing American football for the San Francisco 49ers and has married his girlfriend Pippa. He was touted as a possible medal candidate come Rio 2016 but he loves the path he's chosen instead.

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Sun 5 Jul 2015 13:30

More episodes

Previous

You are at the first episode

See all episodes from Children of the Olympic Bid

Broadcast

  • Sun 5 Jul 2015 13:30

Seriously...

Seriously...

Discover more seriously interesting radio documentaries.