15 to 20 years to measure the true legacy of an event such as the Olympic Games or a football World Cup and so far no- body has been prepared to commit the research resources required to measure such legacy benefits. Some ad-hoc evidence exists to

suggest that the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games generated the largest legacy benefits, with tourism in Barcelona more than doubling since 1992 and at the same time, Barcelona becoming the most important European business centre in Spain.

that much of the infrastructure invest- ment is still being used productively. The success of the GB cycling team

at the Beijing Olympics, which has its elite squad based at the Manchester Velodrome, also emphasised the continued role of Manchester as a city of sport. Since much of the invest- ment in the new sporting infrastructure came from the National Lottery or central government, this is a clear economic boost for the area. Commercial investment also flowed into East Manchester as a direct result of

The report acts as a sort of guidebook for host cities to maximise the benefits of hosting a major sports event

Similarly, the Commonwealth Games

in Manchester in 2002 was the first event in Britain to actually plan for a legacy. Since it was only held eight years ago it is still too soon to assess the true legacy. However, the fact that Manchester City Football Club now uses the Manchester Commonwealth Stadium as its home ground and other sporting venues in East Manchester have become the English Institute of Sport and are used for the training of elite athletes, means

Issue 2 2010 © cybertrek 2010

the Commonwealth Games. One example is an Asda-Walmart superstore, which occupies 180,000sq ft and employs over 760 members of staff. Although there are examples of posi-

tive legacies from specific events, this is not always the case. Both Sydney and Athens were left with largely un- used sporting infrastructure following the Olympic Games of 2000 and 2004. Beijing has staged no major sporting competitions since 2008 in its flagship

Above left: Sydney 2000 and Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games (above)

facilities: the Birdsnest Stadium and the Water Cube. On the other hand, these facilities have become major tourist at- tractions for Beijing. There is little evidence that any Winter

Olympics has ever left a lasting legacy. Deloitte’s report does indicate clearly

the potential for cities to benefit sub- stantially from hosting major sports events. It claims: it ‘offers practical and proven insights to help cities and coun- tries capture and host a successful event that delivers a legacy of positive and lasting change’.

It does not, however,

offer a balanced view. The cost side of the debate is left out completely. ●

Professor Chris Gratton is director of the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University

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