Exploring the ‘active-legacy’ of mega-events
The decision is designed to “follow up on the impact of the 2014 Commonwealth Games to determine the extent it has increased access to and participation in sport in the medium to long term”.
This move reignites the debate on the legacy of mega-events. Much has been written about infrastructure. The Queen Elizabeth II Stadium in London has been redeveloped for football at a controversial cost to taxpayers. The Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro and the Birds Nest in Beijing have been left to decay due to a lack of follow-up investment.
The new inquiry is designed to look at the impact of mega-events on sport participation in host nations. What defines participation, and how can it be measured?
Scottish government guidelines recommend adults participate in “150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week or an equivalent combination of both, in bouts of 10 minutes or more”. The Scottish Health Survey for 2013 found that, over a year before the games, there was already evidence of a rise in people taking part in regular exercise.
How can a three week sporting event inspire long term change in attitudes? A short-term increase is often seen. In the UK, tennis courts are mobbed in June and July as Wimbledon fever grips the British public. This is great, but there is evident short-termism. By August, the courts are empty and the tennis racquets begin gathering dust under the stairs again.
The same can be said of the London 2012 Olympics. In the months following the games, Sport England reported an increase of 750,000 people playing sport at least once a week in England; but four years on and the overall participation figure had decreased by 0.4% compared to 2012. This included a decrease in the number of people with disabilities. There is a lack of evidence linking mega-event hosting to increased participation.
Increasing participation long-term requires more than an inspiring lap of the track. Investment and education is key. Facilities need to be accessible and affordable. Otherwise active-gentrification will continue to create a division in health between those that can and cannot afford to participate.
People of all ages must be educated on the benefits of regular exercise. This can create a change in the nation’s approach to exercise and healthy living, but investment is still needed. Could the £575m cost of staging the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow be better spent?
The London 2012 legacy was to get 1,000,000 more people active by 2020, 1.6% of the UK’s population – if this is achieved, will this be worth the £8.77bn spent on the games during a time of economic recession? The Commonwealth Games cost less, but the legacy is vaguer. The organisers just want to get more people active.
The inquiry will hopefully give some clarity on the true value of staging mega-events for a nation’s health. For now, legacy continues to be a buzzword that is used to justify public spending.
Activity