The Paralympics have come a long way since 1948 when the "Parallel Games" were held for recuperating people at Stoke Mandeville hospital.
It was several years ago, 2008 I think, when one of our Commissioners, Professor Stuart Green had a little rant about legacy.
Expectations were high. London 2012 was expected to deliver the most sustainable Games ever. But will there be a legacy? I have always seen London 2012 as a sustainable regeneration project interrupted by a few weeks of sport. This is a view developed by the political leaders at the time and led to the concept of the sustainable Games.
When the competition is over, the judges' scores are counted and the chairperson of the judging panel adjudicates the result, which buildings will get the medals?
The doom-mongers gleefully predicted "gridlock", "transport meltdown" and "commuter hell". Monday 30 July was the day it was all supposed to go pear-shaped. To find out what it was actually like I took a tour round some of London's venues by a range of different transport options.
Over the seven years I have been chair of the Commission I have met a wide variety of people from NGOs and also most of the corporate sponsors to talk about issues related to the sustainability of the Games and its legacy.
Wow, what a show! Danny Boyle has shown why London is one of the world's great centres for the creative arts by turning the Olympic opening ceremony into a compelling piece of theatre depicting our progress from "ye olde England" to the modern, eclectic society we have become today.
The Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 is the body responsible for assuring the sustainability of the London 2012 programme. London's bid promised the most sustainable Games to date and the Commission is there to provide independent assurance over this objective.
