IT is now one of the key questions around any big sporting event. Will it inspire those who see it to get more active and take part in sports? Will it, in other words, have a “legacy” beyond the stadium?
Three years ago, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow tackled the question head on, with the organisers promising that the event would inspire Scots to become more active. But the evidence since then has been disappointing, with the latest information from sportscotland showing no statistically significant change in sports participation among children.
In other respects, there is no doubt about the success of the games. The event created a wonderful atmosphere in the city, the opening ceremony was a triumph of Scotland’s self-mocking sense of humour and, after the games were over, the athletes’ village was transformed into 300 private homes, 400 homes for social rent and a new 120-bed care home for the elderly. Those are real benefits worth having.
As for inspiring more people to take up sport or do more of it, the benefits are less clear. One encouraging sign is that there has been a seven per cent increase in participation in Active Schools, the programme of extra-curricular activities carried out in partnership between sportscotland and local authorities. This might suggest that providing activities in the school environment is more likely to encourage children to take part.
But to truly transform the amount of physical activity among Scots and thereby tackle the obesity problem, it will take more than a one-off sporting event. It will take a commitment to keep sporting and community facilities cheap or free – not easy when local councils have been forced to look for cuts.
It will also take a commitment from government to encourage – and more importantly fund – a profound change in Scotland’s attitude to exercise and sport. Events such as the Commonwealth Games can be a great boost and fillip for a city and its people, but it will only ever be one element of a much more complex, difficult and expensive question.
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