East London and the Olympic and Paralympic Games

Our location – just two miles from the main site of the Olympic and Paralympic Games – has placed the Games squarely in Queen Mary’s consciousness. We have drawn on our academic expertise to query and explore how this world-class event is shaping life in Britain. A fascinating series of public lectures on the Olympics has been running since 2009.

The ORiEL project led by Professor Steven Cummins is investigating the impact of regeneration in the Olympic host boroughs, while Professor Kam Bhui is looking into how physical activity affects our mood and mental health.

Queen Mary is also actively involved in the Games – volunteering as gamesmakers and working in the Olympic Polyclinic – a state-of-the-art healthcare facility that will be open to the public after the Games finish. Professor Nicola Maffulli, lead for the Centre for Sports and Exercise Medicine, has worked with repairing achilles tendon injury injury in elite athletes, while Professor Pankaj Vadgama has developed ‘smart sensors’ to learn more about how athletes bodies work.

Our proximity to the Games has opened up exciting opportunities for new projects that build on existing links with our local community in Tower Hamlets, Hackney, and Newham. Drama company in residence Phakama is running workshops for young people designed to empower and build employability skills. We also have two projects in High Street 2012, an ambitious programme to celebrate the ribbon of London life that connects the City at Aldgate to the Olympic Park at Stratford, led by Mile End Films and Dr Ali Campbell.