Transport is key to making major events such as the Fifa World Cup succeed, John Armitt, chairman of the London 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority, told Qatari and British business people gathered in London.

Speaking at the MEED Qatar Infrastructure Projects 2011 in London on 4 July, Armitt said  that “understanding what it is you are putting on is essential”.

“The Olympics is biggest event in the world and therefore put enormous pressure on the delivery team. But it is not just about building stadiums. It is about logistics. It is about managing expectations. It is about moving people around. London has a mature transport, but still has to invest heavily it its transport because if you screw up on these basics then you screw up everything. So it is not just about sports.”

“Throwing money at everything is a recipe for failure,” he said. “If you throw money at things people will make poor decisions. So it is a matter of having the right budget. But also understanding what it is you are trying to do. Legacy and what happens after the games has been central to every decision we have made. It is not just about designing for the games, but for the next 30 years afterwards.”