The London 2012 Olympic Games has given a massive boost to the UK construction industry, with an estimated £1.5bn in contracts waiting to be awarded for follow-up work related to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

The firms involved in the erection of the London Olympics' key structures - visited by millions in person and seen by billions more on TV - are expected to ride the wave of success generated by what's been described as an ‘outstanding' sporting event.

It's already known that the Rio 2016 Olympic Park will be designed by Aecom, while the 2014 Winter Olympics' stadium's design was carried out by Populous. For UK firms, a huge degree of construction involvement in both events is now forecast.

London 2012 Construction

"It's not only our athletes who have shown themselves to be world-class - British businesses have played a key role in delivering our most successful games in history", Nick Clegg - Britain's Deputy Prime Minister - explained in a statement on the London 2012 construction boom.

He continued: "Producing the most spectacular show on earth has given UK companies the skills and expertise to support Brazil as the baton is passed to Rio 2016. We have identified huge opportunities for UK firms to work on the next Olympic games in Sochi and Rio - a golden boost to British businesses that will create jobs and support economic growth."

UK Olympics Construction Boost

In comments that coincided with the UK Olympics construction boost announcement, the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Organising Committee's (SOCOG's) CEO and President, Dmitry Chernyshenko, recently highlighted the challenges involved in constructing this venue's new Olympic structures.

Considered the largest resort in Russia, Sochi lies on the Black Sea coast and was announced as the 2014 Winter Olympics host venue in 2007. The following year, the Russian government announced that $12bn would be invested into a venue construction programme.

"We are building an Olympic structure in the middle of nowhere", said Chernyshenko. "It's like a painter with a blank canvas painting a masterpiece. We are [also] building a new city with more than 100,000 hotel beds"

Image copyright Julian Osley - Courtesy Wikimedia Commons