Commentary on Sections Part 3: National Lottery: Olympic Lotteries Section 30: Distribution
86.Section 30 requires the Distributor to make grants or loans (subject to conditions) in connection with staging the London 2012 Olympic Games. The MoU between Government and London proposes that the broad intention is for Lottery funding to be primarily directed to sports investment, Olympic facilities and event staging and for money raised through Council Tax to address the capital requirements of the Games including transport infrastructure. A further revenue stream is provided by the IOC in the form of marketing and the sale of television rights. This revenue is provided to the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (OCOG) and must be used to defray expenditure directly related to staging the 2012 Olympic Games. In order to ensure that Lottery funding is spent appropriately, and to give the flexibility to enable costs to be met according to need, it is necessary for the OLD to be able to make loans. It is difficult to anticipate, in advance of complex decisions which need to be taken on staging and delivery mechanisms for hosting the 2012 Olympic Games, exactly how such loans might operate. One example of exercise of the power to make loans might be the OLD making a loan to enable the OCOG to create a media village in anticipation of their receipt of television rights income from the IOC. Once received by the OCOG, the income from television rights could be used to repay the loan from the OLD.
87.Subsections (2), (3) and (4) relate to the purposes for which the OLD may distribute money, namely for provision of facilities, services or functions in connection with London hosting the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012.
88.The nature of these facilities, functions and services will to a large extent be detailed in the host city contract which is an agreement between the IOC and the host city which is signed by both parties and comes into effect on the day of the decision (6 July 2005). The host city contract will set out how the 2012 Olympic Games will be delivered, based on the proposals made by the host city in the Candidature File which is submitted to the IOC in November 2004. The Candidature File contains details of venues, transport, timetabling, how and when the 2012 Olympic Games will be delivered etc. Subsection (3) requires the OLD to have regard to the host city contract and to the Olympic Charter.
89.The Olympic Charter sets out the aims and objectives of the Olympic Movement, the legal status and structure of the International Olympic Committee, and regulations and guidance in relation to National Olympic Committees, the Olympic Games and Olympic Protocol. The current version has been in force as from 4 July 2003.
90.In the event of a successful London bid, certain sporting events will take place outside London, the host city, for practical reasons. Subsection (4) makes clear that the OLD may fund facilities outside London and also could fund non-sporting events which form part of the wider Olympic programme, including cultural events. The IOC provide that the organising committee must organise a programme of cultural events as part of staging the Olympics.