2012 Ad

Leisure Report, Nov, 2008 by Ray Algar

In the first article in this two-part series (2012--After the golden show, Leisure Report, October 2008), I discussed the size of the ambition that organisers and stakeholders have set for London 2012. London aspires to go far beyond any previous host city to leave a tangible and enduring participation legacy that enriches the lives of those not just in the UK, but globally. The economic and 'hard' legacy that flows from hosting the world's largest sports event is now a given and London is looking way beyond physical regeneration. This is a games designed to move people; to ignite dreams and inspire individuals to leave the comfort of the sofa and experience the joy of human movement. The ambition is to enthuse more people to be more active, more often across both structured sport and in their everyday lives. This article explores the participatory aspects of London's legacy and its ambition to get the nation moving.

Can the Olympics inspire people?

With a previous focus on social and economic regeneration, the Olympics have not previously been harnessed to catalyse a nation into physical activity. This means that evidence from past Games tends to be more anecdotal than empirical simply because insufficient emphasis was placed on measuring the 'Olympic effect'. As Cathy Livock, director of consulting at pmpLEGACY comments: "Sports participation has not traditionally been a priority for Games legacy so the impact of hosting the Games on sports participation is unclear."

After Sydney hosted the 2000 games, participation in key Olympic sports such as cycling, running, tennis and football all rose. However, some sports later experienced a fleeting 'Wimbledon effect' with a decline the following year. In addition, Sydney did not see participation rises across all Olympic sports, especially those that inevitably received less television exposure such as table tennis, horse riding and martial arts. There was also a spike in non-Olympic activities such as walking and climbing which may suggest that Australians were inspired by the Olympics, but not Olympic sports. Sydney's commitment to measuring the national participation legacy was weak with some Australian academics describing it as "incompetent". London will not make the same error because there is a real sense that London 2012 can deliver so much more than a 17-day sports festival. Accurate measurement of the Olympic effect is now expected.

The widening reach of the Games

One indisputable fact is that the core Olympic and Paralympic event is getting larger (see illustration below). Athlete numbers have grown 90% since the Mexico Games forty years ago. This suggests a broader global base of grass-roots participants with more young people believing they possess the potential to one day compete on a global stage. For example, the GB team is actively recruiting for new handball players. New pathways to the Olympics now exist that were not there a few years ago.

London promises

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published Before, during and after: making the most of the London 2012 Games in June this year. It is the first part of a legacy action plan that fleshes out how the five key promises that underpin the 2012 legacy will be delivered. The underpinning promises are:

* Making the UK a world-leading sporting nation;

* Transforming the heart of East London;

* Inspiring a new generation of young people;

* Making the Olympic Park a blueprint for sustainable living;

* Demonstrating the UK is a creative, inclusive and welcoming place to live, visit and for business.

This article focuses on the first and third promise. The figure overleaf illustrates participation aspects of the 2012 legacy. It shows how the core promise cascades to a series of UK-wide and overseas events that are already underway.

Taking London's Games nationwide

The Nations and Regions Group (NRG) has been formed to ensure that the benefits that flow from 9.3bn [pounds sterling] invested in London 2012 ripple nationwide. NRG comprise 12 senior regional representatives from UK business and sport. Charles Allen, a London 2012 Organising Committee Board member is the chair. Each NRG member leads a taskforce of regional stakeholders to ensure that London delivers on its legacy promises.

Legacy Trust UK was launched in November 2007. Its mission is to support an array of innovative cultural and sporting activities, which celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and which leave a lasting legacy in communities throughout the UK. It has been endowed with 40m [pounds sterling] from The Big Lottery Fund, the Arts Council and the DCMS. Its aspiration is to double this figure from other public sources. Its core funding themes are: Sport and well-being; Knowledge and learning; Arts and culture.

Some 6m [pounds sterling] of its funding has been ring-fenced for the U K School Games. This Olympic-style event brings elite school-age athletes together in a multisport event. The event will operate annually up to 2011. In August 2008, the Trust awarded 13.4m [pounds sterling] to six of the NRG's. For example, the South West was awarded 1.6m [pounds sterling] to operate an alternative sports festival featuring skateboarding, surfing, free running and mountain biking. The Trust will cease in December 2013 but until then Moira Swinbank OBE, its chief executive, is on a mission to "inspire the widest possible range of projects in which the maximum number of people across the UK can get involved". So, get to know your NRG and start bidding.