Insert name of presentation on Master Slide Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy 18 th July 2012 Malcolm Ward

Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy The Olympic Legacy “…delivering a mass participation legacy for sport from London 2012 is one of my three top priorities. I want to see a marked, and sustained, cultural shift toward greater participation in sport” (Hugh Robertson, Minister of Sport and the Olympics, 2010). “The 2012 Olympics will inspire a generation of kids..” (John Steele, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust).

Olympic Ambition “We were determined to be the first Olympic bid to set challenging but achievable targets as a measure of our ambition—that by 2012 two million more people would be physically active, a million more would be playing sport regularly, and 60% of young people would be doing at least five hours of sport per week.” (Tessa Jowell, 2005) Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy

Social Leverage “The trend in conducting assessments or evaluations of the Olympic Games and sports events is to move beyond a straightforward focus on impacts to consider opportunities that can be "leveraged“. Unlike impact assessments, leverage has a strategic and tactical focus. Like much previous research on the Olympic Games and sports events, this debate about the need for a leveraging focus has largely taken place in relation to economic issues. However, recent work suggests that these processes are transferable and, as such, discussions have been extended to incorporate a social dimension.” (Weed M et al., Using the Olympic Games to Leverage Sport and Physical Activity Participation and Health-Related Behaviours – A Worldwide Systematic Review of the Evidence Base. last viewed 11 th July Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy

Lessons from History Sports participation increases are often assumed very readily by host cities. Both Barcelona and Sydney provide evidence for some positive short term impacts. However there is doubt about the sustainability of Olympic effects and Sydney evidence is ambiguous. (A Lasting Legacy for London? Assessing the legacy of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, London East Research Institute of the University of East London, May 2007) Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy

Barcelona: 1992 “The proportion of the population which does some kind of physical or sporting activity at least once a week has grown from 36% in 1983, to 47% in 1989, and went up to 51% in 1995.” (Truno 1995:11) “Truno goes on to outline some other research findings although the scale and detail of his methodology here is unclear. What should be understood is that the Olympic Games are likely to have been one factor amongst many (of varying significance) in these reported changes.” (A Lasting Legacy for London? Assessing the legacy of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, London East Research Institute of the University of East London, May 2007) Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy

Atlanta: 1996 Identified expenditures on sporting goods and may serve as a general level indicator for the impact of the Olympic Games on consumers’ interest in sports. While of course a good deal of sporting expenditure does not lead directly to regular sports participation. These figures indicated some steady growth and a general increase in expenditure in sporting goods. Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy

Sydney 2000 Immediately following the Games, the Australian media provided anecdotal evidence of large increases in interest and participation in Olympic sports. It appears however that in most cases this increase may not have been sustained. (Haynes, J (2001) Socio-Economic Impact of the Sydney Olympic Games. Barcelona: Centre d'Estudis Olimpics l de l'Esport (UAB)). Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy

Athens: 2004 Sakis Pappous, of the Centre for Sports Studies at the University of Kent, analysed the effect of the Games in Athens. Although in the year before the event in 2004 some 6% more people in Greece took part in sport, the rise proved short lived. By 2009, the number of people exercising regularly had fallen by 13% and had even slipped well below the level seen before BMJ 2012; 344 doi: /bmj.e4207 (Published 21 June 2012) Cite this as: BMJ 2012;344:e4207 Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy

Other Studies Another study, like Truno’s conducted in the mid 1990s examined the impact on club membership in New Zealand in the period following the 1992 Alberville Winter Olympics and the Barcelona Olympic Games. Their research concluded that there was little increase in sporting demand and concluded that ‘trickledown benefits from the Olympics are not automatic’ (Hindson, A., Gidlow, B and Peebles, C (1994) “The trickledown effect of top-level sport:Myth or reality? A case study of the Olympics”, in Australian Leisure and Recreation, ). A yet more pessimistic study reporting on the Manchester Commonwealth Games indicates that participation and membership to sports clubs declined in the post-Games period (DEMOS (2005) After the Goldrush, London: DEMOS). Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy

General Findings There is little data available to inform the impact of major events on sports development and participation according to the Leisure Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University. There exists research focusing on sports development participation levels which examine local and national initiatives but not the impact of major sports events. Brown, A and Massey, J (2001) The Sports Development Impact of the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games: Initial Baseline Research for Sport England, Manchester: Manchester Institute of Popular Culture Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy

Systematic Review The evidence.... concurs with the increasingly accepted view that merely hosting the 2012 Games is not enough to develop a sustained legacy. Legacy must be leveraged. In particular, it should be noted that the use of the 2012 Games to promote physical activity and sport may result in ‘aversion’ effects (i.e. may stimulate negative responses that may put people off physical activity and sport) among those who do not support the hosting of the 2012 Games in London and/or the UK. A Systematic review of the evidence base for developing a physical activity and health legacy from the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games. By the Centre for Sport, Physical Education & Activity Research; Canterbury Christ Church University, 2009 Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy

Conclusions The over-riding conclusion of this review is that the direct evidence base to inform the development of physical activity, sport and health legacies from the 2012 Games is poor. Perhaps the single unequivocal conclusion is that the 2012 Games (or any major sports event or sport franchise) is not a magic bullet to raise participation in physical activity and sport, or to encourage Positive health behaviours. Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy

Recommendations Physical activity, sport and health development programmes should be integrated, in particular, with the Cultural Olympiad, and should be granted use of the ‘Inspired Mark’ to engender a feeling of being part of the wider four-year festival. It is important for stakeholders at all levels to understand that what may motivate some groups through the 2012 Games may de-motivate others. Care must be taken to target messages towards those who are likely to react positively to them. Effort should be directed to emphasising the relevance of the national event to local and cultural communities. Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy

Further Recommendations Legacy efforts should be integrated across sectors, but aspects of local identity and engagement must be a key part of physical activity, sport and health legacy activities, drawing on local history, culture and personalities to make the national festival locally significant. Programmes and initiatives relating to or incorporating the 2012 Games must be integrated with wider physical activity, sport and health programmes and with existing needs and policy goals. The 2012 Games must be consistently promoted as a significant national festival that is bigger than and beyond sport.... Effort should also be directed to emphasising the relevance of the national event to local and cultural communities. Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy

Implications for Wales Based on the evidence: How can we ensure Wales ‘levers’ the optimal gains in physical activity and health from the Olympic legacy? -Locally -Sectorally -Nationally Physical Activity & the Olympic Legacy