Department of Sport Science, Tourism & Leisure

Aspirations for Aspirations for Olympic & Olympic &

ParalympicParalympicLegaciesLegacies

Issues and Debatesfor the HE Curriculum?

Mike Weed

London 2012

London is the first city in the modern era to host three Olympic Games, but London 2012 will be the first time London has hosted a full Olympiad:• The 1908 Games were reassigned from Rome

following eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906

LONDON 1908LONDON 1908

THE OPENING CEREMONY

THE ATHLETICS

THE ARCHERY

THE CYCLING

THE FENCING

THE GYMNASTICS

THE HOCKEY

THE LACROSSE

THE SWIMMING!

THE DIVING

THE WRESTLING

ICE SKATING

and at Alexandra Palace….

London 2012

London is the first city in the modern era to host three Olympic Games, but London 2012 will be the first time London has hosted a full Olympiad:• The 1908 Games were reassigned from Rome

following eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906• The 1948 Games – London stepped in to host

the post-war “ration book Olympics”

LONDON 1948LONDON 1948

London 2012

London is the first city in the modern era to host three Olympic Games, but London 2012 will be the first time London has hosted a full Olympiad:• The 1908 Games – reassigned from Rome following

eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906• The 1948 Games – London stepped in to host the

post-war “ration book Olympics”

That said, the London 2012 Games are:“the most planned for Games in history”

Legacies and Learning

London 2012 has extensive legacy aspirations and ambitions; there is also a wide range of legacy-related research

This provides opportunities for learning in:• Sociology• Social Policy• Economics• Geography• Social Psychology

• Sport Development• Health Promotion• Physical Education• Tourism• Urban Studies

Legacies and Learning

What are the key issues and debates relating to Legacy Aspirations and

Ambitions for the London 2012 Olympic and

Paralympic Games?

“Evaluation...must consider net outputs,

not gross positive indicators, ...and incorporate the

principles of attribution and additionality”

What is a Legacy?

Initiatives drawn under Olympic Umbrella

Broad sector (e.g. Sport development)

Broad sector (e.g. Sport development)

Initiatives or Resources attributable to Olympics

Sub-sector(e.g. Sport participation)

Initiatives or Resources attributable to Olympics

Sub-sector(e.g. Sport participation)

Initiatives or Resources attributable to Olympics

POSITIVE NEGATIVE

Sub-sector(e.g. Sport participation)

Initiatives or Resources attributable to Olympics

Alternative Investments or Emphases

POSITIVE NEGATIVE

Sub-sector(e.g. Sport participation)

Initiatives or Resources attributable to Olympics

Alternative Investments or Emphases

POSITIVE NEGATIVE

Sub-sector (e.g. Sport participation)

Initiatives or Resources attributable to Olympics

Alternative Investments or Emphases

POSITIVE NEGATIVE NEUTRAL

Sub-sector (e.g. Sport participation)

Initiatives or Resources attributable to Olympics

Alternative Investments or Emphases

POSITIVE NEGATIVE NEUTRAL

A B C

D E F

POSITIVE LEGACY: (A – B) > (D – E)

The Initial Five

Legacy Promises

(June 2008)

For sport and the most formal physical activities,

the process is a DEMONSTRATION

EFFECT in which the sporting values of the

Olympic and Paralympic Games are used to inspire more sport participation

For general physical activity and very informal sport-related

activities, the process is a FESTIVAL EFFECT which

builds a sense of community involvement in the occasion to promote active celebration of the Olympic and Paralympic

festival

Does the Success of the National Team Positively Affect Your Participation?

Cricket & Rugby Union

(n=1509)

%age of group highly responsive to demonstration effect (scored 8, 9 or 10 on

10-point scale)

Non-club members participating between 2/week and 2/month

32.4%

Participating 1/year – 1/month 35.0%

ALL GROUPS 25.1%

Target Groups forDemonstration Effect Initiatives

Source: Preuss, 2006

Employment in Olympic Host Cities

London 2012:Projected Macro-economic Summary

(change in GDP, £ million)

Pre-event(2005-2011)

During event(2012)

Post-event(2013-2016)

Overall(2005-2016)

UK 248 1,067 622 1,936

London 3,362 925 1,613 5,900

SOURCE: Price Waterhouse Coopers (2005)

World Shakespeare Festival(2012 = 448th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s Birth)

KEY QUESTIONS

• Would the WSF have taken place without the 2012 Games?

• Would the WSF have been funded at the same level without the 2012 Games?

• Would the WSF have the same emphases without the 2012 Games?

• Would the WSF have received the same level of promotion and support without the 2012 Games?

Cross Curricular Impact ofNational School Sport Week 2010

National School Sport Week emphasises the potential of Olympic and Paralympic themes to enhance cross-curricular activity. SPEAR’s evaluation of NSSW showed:

The percentage of teachers rating cross-curricular potential as important in signing up was up to 86% in 2010 (from 64% in 2009).

80% of primary teachers felt the National School Sport Weeks’ Olympic and Paralympic themes had an impact in the core primary school subjects of Literacy, Numeracy and ICT.

Eight out of ten teachers rated the impact of National School Sport Week on behaviour and on learning as good or very good.

Olympic Tourism Flows

May have positive, negative or neutral effects

Level of analysis (e.g., city, region, country) can change effect of flows

NEIGHBOURING

COUNTRIES

HOSTCOUNTRY

HOST CITYOR REGION

Olympic Tourism FlowsREST OF

THE WORLD

Source: Weed, 2008

Olympic Tourism Flows

NEIGHBOURING

COUNTRIES

HOSTCOUNTRY

HOST CITYOR REGION

REST OF

THE WORLD

NEIGHBOURING

COUNTRIES

HOSTCOUNTRY

HOST CITYOR REGION

REST OF

THE WORLD

NEIGHBOURING

COUNTRIES

HOSTCOUNTRY

HOST CITYOR REGION

REST OF

THE WORLD

Pre-GamesPre-Games

Post-GamesPost-Games

During-GamesDuring-Games

Source: Weed, 2008

Olympic Tourism Flows

May have positive, negative or neutral effects

Level of analysis (e.g., city, region, country) can change effect of flows

Understanding flows is crucial to effective Leveraging strategies

Minimising negative flows can be as important as maximising positive flows.

Generating Community

Outcomes from Live Sites

(and limiting negative tourism

flows)

PLACES TO PEOPLE

Most initiatives create identities that bring people to places, which does not always benefit local communities

Live Sites can:

• Bring PLACES TO PEOPLE• Use Screens and their surrounding environment

to create different TYPES OF PLACES for different occasions

• Satisfy demand (nostalgia) for SOCIAL EXPERIENCES that would normally require travel outside the community

FINALLY…

CRITICS DEMANDCONCRETE PARALYMPIC LEGACY

Professor Mike Weed & Suzanne Dowse, of the Centre for Sport, Physical Education & Activity Research in Canterbury claim that “the Paralympic Games, both intentionally and unintentionally,

are largely overlooked in legacy planning which appears to assume that they offer few specific opportunities beyond those

served by generic legacy strategies catering for “the 2012 Games” (i.e., at once for both the Olympic and Paralympic

Games).”which leads Weed and Dowse to conclude that

“the development of social legacy from the 2012 Paralympic Games is a missed opportunity waiting to happen.”

The Sixth

Legacy Promise(March 2010)

Legacies and Learning

London 2012 legacy aspirations and ambitions are so widespread that they can provide source material for learning across a range of subjects, disciplines and methodologies.

An overarching question for students in HE to consider in relation to London 2012 legacies is:

What outcomes are being sought, how,for whom, and to serve what interests?

Department of Sport Science, Tourism & Leisure

Aspirations for Aspirations for Olympic & Olympic &

ParalympicParalympicLegaciesLegacies

mike.weed@canterbury.ac.uk

www.canterbury.ac.uk/SPEAR

Google: SPEAR Canterbury

@ProfMikeWeed @SPEARnews

tinyurl.com/OlympicLegacies