tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/sports-legacy-3602/articlesSports legacy – The Conversation2018-02-22T23:52:33Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/922692018-02-22T23:52:33Z2018-02-22T23:52:33ZAs the Pyeongchang Olympics comes to a close, what legacy will it leave?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207434/original/file-20180222-65236-1abdbw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The main objective for most sporting event organising committees is to deliver an efficient and safe event.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Dan Himbrechts</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When major sporting events like the Olympics come to a close, the focus often shifts to the question: “so what?” For all the costs, the planning, and the efforts of athletes, officials, volunteers and staff, what will be the legacy? What will remain?</p>
<p>In his keynote address to the <a href="https://www.pyeongchang2018.uni-mainz.de/symposium-information-2/program/">International Sport Business Symposium</a> held in Pyeongchang to coincide with this year’s Winter Olympics, veteran sports official Dick Pound said of legacy:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>No-one promoting an Olympic bid would dream about not including the word in virtually every public statement made in support of the bid. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Yet, as he further noted, there is little research supporting legacy. Much of it is anecdotal, rather than empirical, which may have resulted in “decisions that are not based on reliable data”.</p>
<h2>The importance of ‘legacy’</h2>
<p>The increasing importance of legacy for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is reflected in the launch in December 2017 of a document, <a href="https://www.olympic.org/%7E/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/Documents/Olympic-Legacy/IOC_Legacy_Strategy_Full_version.pdf?la=en">Legacy Strategic Approach: Moving Forward</a>. </p>
<p>The key elements of this document may be new for the IOC. But for those versed in managing mega sporting events, what it suggests <a href="https://hbr.org/2007/01/leading-change-why-transformation-efforts-fail">isn’t new</a>: have a vision, plan for it, put the structures and finance in place, evaluate, learn, and celebrate.</p>
<p>But why did the IOC feel the need to put this on the public record now, when they note that in the document that legacy has been in Olympic discourse since the 1956 Melbourne Olympics? </p>
<p>Maybe the drop-off in countries bidding to host the Olympics is part of it. Maybe, too, the rise of BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as hosts of mega sporting events highlights the need for a demonstrated return on investment – not just more hype.</p>
<p>The main objective for most sporting event organising committees is to deliver an efficient and safe event. But is this the most important objective? For those outside the “fence” like the general public, the question becomes: what did we get for our multi-billion-dollar investment? </p>
<p>In some ways, the offer of legacy beyond the event helps organisers achieve a social licence to operate: that is, they obtain support to go ahead with the project. Policymakers and politicians need to clearly demonstrate that hosting sporting events is a better investment than spending in other public goods like education and health.</p>
<h2>What for Pyeongchang?</h2>
<p>The Pyeongchang Olympics’ <a href="https://issuu.com/thatsnotmypuppy/docs/pyeongchang2018volume1">proposed legacies</a> include purpose-built venues, sports legacies, and promoting the Olympic movement.</p>
<p>But, in contrast to many previous host cities, Pyeongchang did not offer a volunteer legacy. Rather, it aimed to draw upon the legacy of hosting a series, or portfolio, of previous events like the athletics World Championships in Daegu in 2011, the Asian Games in Incheon in 2014, and the World University Games in Gwangju in 2015.</p>
<p>Hosting the Olympics may have accelerated the delivery of some of these legacies, such as roads and railways. It may have also initiated others, like new venues.</p>
<p>The budget for Pyeongchang is in the vicinity of <a href="https://library.olympic.org/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/172488/questions-answers-regarding-volunteer-programmes-pyeongchang-2018-the-pyeongchang-organising-committ">US$13 billion</a>, up 50% from initial estimates. Before gasping at the amount of money involved, it is worth noting that the bulk of these costs are allocated to capital investments, such as new stadiums and infrastructure.</p>
<p>This includes the cost of building a 35,000-seat temporary stadium that will be used just four times: for the opening and closing ceremonies for both the Olympics and Paralympics. </p>
<p>It might seem strange to pull it down, but Pyeongchang is a poor rural community with a population of just 45,000. There is no obvious need for it to have such a stadium. And new stadiums are not cost-neutral: it has been suggested that a stadium’s maintenance costs alone could be in the vicinity <a href="http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/681591.html">of $20 million per year</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207466/original/file-20180222-152372-1edbvnd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207466/original/file-20180222-152372-1edbvnd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207466/original/file-20180222-152372-1edbvnd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207466/original/file-20180222-152372-1edbvnd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207466/original/file-20180222-152372-1edbvnd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207466/original/file-20180222-152372-1edbvnd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207466/original/file-20180222-152372-1edbvnd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A temporary stadium used for the Olympic ceremonies in Pyeongchang will be pulled down after the Games.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tracey Dickson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Future Olympics will be required to report on their legacies for up to five years after the event under the IOC’s new framework. This will include analysis of relevant data and the production of case studies to highlight how they achieved their positive legacies, so future organising committees may learn from them. </p>
<p>This will hopefully result in better planning for and delivery of not just a great event, but a legacy for host communities that is economically, socially and environmentally positive and sustainable.</p>
<p>Mega sport events can deliver legacies, but most examples to date have been about infrastructure. An era could soon be upon us when they can deliver on the other legacies like sport participation, volunteer legacies, tourism, and sustainability.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92269/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tracey J Dickson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Future Olympics will be required to report on their legacies for up to five years after the event under the IOC’s new framework.Tracey J Dickson, Associate Professor, Centre for Tourism Research, Faculty of Business, Government and Law, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/404002015-04-24T09:33:43Z2015-04-24T09:33:43ZManifesto Check: Tories’ sport manifesto is committed to the elite only<p>In its <a href="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/manifesto2015/ConservativeManifesto2015.pdf">manifesto</a>, the Conservative Party plans on investing in primary school sport, improving community facilities, investing in sport to improve health and increasing the involvement of women. </p>
<p>It is evident that the Conservatives place an emphasis on an active life, but they fail to check decreasing participation in flagship sports, and the deep impact which austerity has had on sport participation and facilities. A properly integrated, properly funded, cross-departmental plan for sport remains <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/blog/2015/mar/25/olympic-legacy-london-2012-idle-boasts">as elusive as ever</a>.</p>
<h2>Prioritising the elite</h2>
<p>Crucial areas of participation, grassroots sport, schools and health need much more than what is in this manifesto. Flagship high-participation sports such as <a href="http://www.sportsthinktank.com/blog/2015/03/postponed-due-to-pitch-conditions-grassroots-football-and-sport-participation">football</a> and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/31037310">swimming</a> are declining. Over the past year, the number of people playing sport for at least half an hour per week <a href="https://www.sportengland.org/media/650218/1x30_overall_factsheet_aps8.pdf">has decreased overall by 125,100</a>, largely as a result of a decline in the number of people who are swimming regularly. Worryingly, there was a decline in participation among those in the lowest socio-economic groups of more than <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/blog/2015/mar/25/olympic-legacy-london-2012-idle-boasts">470,000</a>. </p>
<p>While the Conservatives show a commitment to support elite sports funding as part of the legacy, some sports have had their funding removed entirely. It is perhaps <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/aug/30/basketball-funding-loss-fury-grassroots-inner-city-teenagers">basketball</a>, which best demonstrates the Conservatives’ lack of planning. The manifesto talks of the National Basketball Association playing in British inner-city stadiums, with the aim of establishing a franchise. </p>
<p>But this message conflicts with the last government’s approach to grassroots participants: as it stands, 217,900 people aged 14 and over play basketball at least once a week, and the sport receives £9 million in public funding from Sports England. Meanwhile, canoeing receives more than £20 million in funding from UK Sport, while participation in this sport stands at only 45,700.</p>
<h2>Commitment to schools</h2>
<p>The Tories also plan to support primary school sport with £150 million per year, paid directly to head teachers, until 2020, to support a minimum two hours of high-class sport and PE each week. This is a substantial commitment to engage young children in sport. This is needed, as in January 2015, a <a href="http://www.youthsporttrust.org/media/22091985/national_pe__school_sport_and_physical_activity_survey_report.pdf">survey reported</a> that on average pupils across all key stages were offered less than two hours of PE per week. There was also a marked decline in school links with outside clubs; a major factor not addressed in the manifesto.</p>
<p>There is a pledge to improve community sports facilities in more than 30 cities across England. In 2015, experts noted that <a href="http://www.sportsthinktank.com/blog/2015/03/postponed-due-to-pitch-conditions-grassroots-football-and-sport-participation">local authorities are core providers</a> of grassroots sports. But these bodies are experiencing problems relating to current economic climate, and have ultimately had to <a href="https://theconversation.com/austerity-cuts-to-local-leisure-services-is-a-false-economy-33320">reduce costs</a>. A result of this is reduced investment in grassroots sports provision and/or increases in pitch fees and the <a href="http://www.apse.org.uk/apse/index.cfm/research/current-research-programme/local-authority-sport-and-recreation-services-in-england-where-next/local-authority-sport-and-recreation-services-in-england-where-next/">cost of facility hire</a>.</p>
<p>While it is difficult to measure the impact that closure of facilities has on society, it will certainly have a negative impact on <a href="http://www.sportanddev.org/en/newsnviews/news/?7599/1/Two-year-social-cohesion-programme-by-UNICEF-and-Generations-for-Peace-to-benefit-five-thousand">social cohesion and well-being</a>. The investment in <a href="http://blakedown.co.uk/3G-pitches.html">3G pitches</a> is welcomed. But there is a missed opportunity to put in place a real grassroots agenda, which could have been funded by the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/feb/11/premier-league-tv-deal-sky-bt">2014 BT/SKY football TV deal</a>. </p>
<p>The Tories promise to continue to invest in participation and physical activity. Recognising sport’s vital benefits to health is common ground with the main parties. The role of exercise in controlling diabetes is specifically mentioned. The <a href="http://www.who.int/whr/2003/en/">World Health Report</a> from 2003 found that physical inactivity is responsible for 1% of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) lost globally, and 3% of those lost in established market economies. The manifesto fails to make <a href="http://www.bhfactive.org.uk/userfiles/Documents/eonomiccosts.pdf">the link</a> between the cost burden of inactivity on the NHS. Scottish data indicates that for every £1 spent on reducing inactivity levels, £8 <a href="http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/6262.aspx">is saved</a>.</p>
<p>The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic impact and legacy are also central to the Conservatives sport pledges, underpinning much of their future plans. Through international sporting mega events, the manifesto suggests that the party will maximise the opportunities for tourism and jobs. But no pledges are forthcoming to demonstrate how they plan to deliver this promise. Recent evidence actually shows some sporting events can be <a href="http://www.citylab.com/work/2015/01/never-host-a-mega-event/384926/">bad deals for cities</a>.</p>
<p>The manifesto also promises to lift the number of women on national sports governing bodies to at least 25% by 2017 and seek to increase participation in sport by women and girls. This hardly seems ambitious or fair in terms of gender equality. The SNP, for example, are recommending 50-50 quotas on all boards. </p>
<p>The UK Conservative party manifesto for 2015 promises a better and more secure Britain in terms of sport. But there is a failure to find solutions for declining participation rates in key sports, and unhealthy inactivity levels. The insecure future for grassroots sport also needs a plan, and quickly.</p>
<p><em>The Conversation’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/manifesto-check-2015">Manifesto Check</a> deploys academic expertise to scrutinise the parties’ plans.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/40400/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Grant Jarvie receives funding from charities and research councils. He currently sits on the board of sportscotland and has provided independent advice on sports policy to governments both within and external to the UK. This article does not reflect the views of the research councils. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Widdop receives funding from charities and research councils. He has previously provided independent advice and consultation services to the Scottish Government on sport and leisure consumption.</span></em></p>Conservative sport manifesto puts the elite ahead of the grassroots.Grant Jarvie, Chair of Sport, The University of EdinburghPaul Widdop, Research Fellow in Cultural and Sport Sociology , Leeds Beckett UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/316952014-09-17T14:16:07Z2014-09-17T14:16:07ZHow investment in sport has helped Medellín shake off its violent past<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59309/original/m5h6zv3t-1410958653.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sport at the centre of Medellín's regeneration.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medell%C3%ADn#mediaviewer/File:Atanacio_girardot_antes_de_la_apertura_de_los_juegos.jpg">Atanasio Girardot</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Colombian city of Medellín doesn’t have the best reputation. Crime, violence, drug cartels and murder are all characteristics that spring to mind. Perhaps most famous for its two Escobars, Pablo the drug cartel king pin and Andrés, the Colombian World Cup 1994 player who was tragically murdered. Few would know the story of the city’s regeneration, and fewer the role sport has played in this. </p>
<p>Colombia shined on the world sporting stage this year, with their team’s success at the World Cup. And sport has been used to great effect in transforming the city of Medellín from the ground up. As well as helping foster elite talent, the investment in sports facilities have empowered local community leaders and helped strengthen communities.</p>
<p>But reputations are sometimes hard to shift. I had cautious feelings when I first prepared for a trip there, as part of a “Country-to-Country” universities exchange program. My impression of the country was not too dissimilar to those mentioned above. It didn’t help that my travel insurance detailed a high risk of terrorism, kidnap, extortion and theft. </p>
<p>And facts like Medellín once being home to the most notorious drugs cartel, with <a href="http://www.iadb.org/en/topics/citizen-security/impact-medellin,5687.html">6,349 killings in 1991</a> alone (this was a rate of 380 per 100,000 people), didn’t exactly ease my mind, either. </p>
<h2>Urban turnaround</h2>
<p>But these these outdated impressions were changed once I arrived in the country. Indeed since 1991, the city has won international awards for innovation and the <a href="http://medellinconnection.com/faq/">murder rate reduced by 80%</a>. It has even been highlighted as one of the first 33 cities of the Rockefeller Foundations’s <a href="http://www.100resilientcities.org/">100 Resilient Cities</a>.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59289/original/5cbphp2w-1410953355.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59289/original/5cbphp2w-1410953355.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59289/original/5cbphp2w-1410953355.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59289/original/5cbphp2w-1410953355.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59289/original/5cbphp2w-1410953355.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59289/original/5cbphp2w-1410953355.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59289/original/5cbphp2w-1410953355.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59289/original/5cbphp2w-1410953355.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">View from Medellín’s cable car: the crowded and deprived hillside communities with an outreach facility located at its heart.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dan Parnell</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many factors have been involved in the city’s incredible turnaround: developing urban infrastructure has been key, including the building of a metro system, cable car and community-based escalators up the city’s steep hills. Public spaces too, such as libraries and parks, the innovation centre (including the presence of MIT), and the presence of schools and police stations across deprived and hillside communities. </p>
<p>And, within the fabric of the community, sport is playing its part on a day-to-day basis through community outreach facilities. Some 18 sport complexes, which make high-quality sport and physical activities accessible to deprived and hard-to-reach communities that previously had little other option than entering into gang culture.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59293/original/vt4779c2-1410953917.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59293/original/vt4779c2-1410953917.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59293/original/vt4779c2-1410953917.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59293/original/vt4779c2-1410953917.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59293/original/vt4779c2-1410953917.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59293/original/vt4779c2-1410953917.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59293/original/vt4779c2-1410953917.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59293/original/vt4779c2-1410953917.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">INDER swimming facility.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dan Parnell</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The municipality of Medellín has received considerable public funding for sport and leisure activities. The majority has been delivered by <a href="http://www.inder.gov.co">INDER</a>, a publically funded organisation established in 1993, which has seriously invested in sport facilities.</p>
<p>The facilities are accessible and open throughout the day to coincide with the two education options available (morning or afternoon class). Children and young people can participate for free, provided an adult accompanies them.</p>
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<span class="caption">Tennis facilities at an INDER complex.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dan Parnell</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But these are not your typical leisure facilities. They have a dual purpose: as social projects that allow all ages and abilities to participate in sport and for talent development and performance at an elite level. The social projects have a focus on co-existence, which aims to develop respect, tolerance, responsibility, discipline and equality between different groups. Doing this through sport is a natural process and has been celebrated for helping facilitate greater peace across the city’s communities.</p>
<h2>Salute to sporting idols</h2>
<p>The naming of facilities has specifically been done to tie in nicely with Medellín people, or Paisas, as they are known locally. Paisas have a strong connection to the local area, people and the city. This passion often develops a mentality that “if they can do it, I can do it”. For example, football hero Andrés Escobar who has a centre named after him and there is a BMX facility that is tied to Mariana Pajón Londoño, an Olympic Gold medallist and BMX World Champion who is from Medellín and helping inspire a new generation.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iKmEPKLnzp0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The next generation of Medellín bikers in training.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So people see the success of their fellow Paisas and believe they too can succeed. Whether or not they do, this plays an important role in spurring people’s sense of self-belief and accomplishment.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59294/original/c8khjz3y-1410953973.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59294/original/c8khjz3y-1410953973.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59294/original/c8khjz3y-1410953973.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59294/original/c8khjz3y-1410953973.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59294/original/c8khjz3y-1410953973.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59294/original/c8khjz3y-1410953973.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59294/original/c8khjz3y-1410953973.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59294/original/c8khjz3y-1410953973.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Gymnastic arena for competition and community use.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dan Parnell</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>A focus on investment that is “in the community for the community” engages children and young people from across the municipality. Importantly, as Medellín is a city surrounded by mountains, working with the notably deprived hillside communities where gang culture once thrived. Instead, residents there are given free access to high quality sports facilities. The only cost incurred is a small fee for ten-pin bowling, the equivalent of about 20p to pay for disposable footwear. </p>
<p>So, as UNESCO wrap-up a <a href="https://en.unesco.org/events/meeting-experts-revise-1978-international-charter-physical-education-and-sport">meeting of experts</a> to revise the 1978 International Charter of Physical Education and Sport in Medellín, I will, in the spirit of the Paisas, ask you not to forget the past reputation of the city. </p>
<p>But, while remembering the past, let’s also celebrate the story of change in Medellín. It is a story that can provide hope for many other cities struggling with crime and social inequality.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/31695/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Parnell receives funding from the Higher Education Innovation Fund, the Leeds Beckett University, Carnegie School of Sport New Researcher Fund and a number of football charities. He is affiliated with ConnectSport UK Ltd, manages a non-profit online platform called The Community Football Hub and is on the Editorial Board of the Journal Soccer & Society. </span></em></p>The Colombian city of Medellín doesn’t have the best reputation. Crime, violence, drug cartels and murder are all characteristics that spring to mind. Perhaps most famous for its two Escobars, Pablo the…Daniel Parnell, Senior Lecturer in Sport Business Management, Leeds Beckett UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/315402014-09-16T05:17:56Z2014-09-16T05:17:56ZMega-sized sporting events too often fail to deliver health legacy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59034/original/twg9m6sn-1410780441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What has changed?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/en/pic.mhtml?id=187488458&pl=44814-43068">World Cup by Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Prince Harry’s Invictus Games is <a href="http://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/invictus_games_injured_cyclists_hoping_for_games_legacy_1_3769071">raising awareness of the achievements</a> of injured armed forces personnel and the games have once again spurred conversations about the legacy of big sporting events – in this case how the event might benefit injured personnel in years to come. <a href="http://www.pwc.co.uk/who-we-are/invictus-games.jhtml">One leading consultancy firm</a> has already pledged that the games will change the way they hire and include injured personnel in their business. </p>
<p>The potential for mega-events such as the World Cup and the Olympics to deliver benefits and messages is huge, and yet, despite the piles of money <a href="http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/footballdevelopment/medical/footballforhealth/index.html">and the promises</a>, all too often they fail on this promise. </p>
<p>The sporting world, and especially football, is in a commercially indulgent era of mega-events. But despite increasing talk of legacies and importantly, <a href="https://theconversation.com/olympic-style-mega-events-reach-new-frontiers-at-a-cost-22446">whether the money in matches the money out</a>, some have argued that the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-legacy-fallacy-the-olympics-doesnt-increase-sport-participation-8810">2012 Olympics Games</a> didn’t increase participation in sport. Perhaps the biggest miss of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-the-world-cup-leave-a-positive-legacy-in-brazil-27397">World Cup in 2014</a> in Brazil was the absence of any aligned social welfare or health-promotion strategy.</p>
<p>It’s a shame. With such investment, they have the potential to help tackle some big health issues linked to lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity and coronary heart disease. One good example was the European Championship in 2012. A <a href="http://bit.ly/1APRYcA">study into its health legacy</a> found a number of impressive potential health outcomes in host countries Poland and Ukraine. It found health promotion, vaccination awareness and better emergency preparedness were achieved through increased partnership between the World Health Organisation, governments and hospitals. Yet many of us are still sceptical about the ability of mega-events to always do this.</p>
<h2>Unhealthy profits matter more</h2>
<p>On <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlJEt2KU33I">his HBO talkshow</a>, comedian John Oliver lampooned the tactics of FIFA, football’s governing body, for pressuring Brazil into lifting a ban on alcohol sales at stadiums during the World Cup – the so-called “Budweiser Bill”, named after one of the major sponsors. In the British Medical Journal, journalist Jonathan Gornall criticised FIFA’s so-called “festival of football”, instead likening it to a <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3772">festival of alcohol</a>. </p>
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<p>This shows the potential impact FIFA and mega-events can have in the way they influence major law and policy change in countries. Unfortunately, this example paid little attention to the health legacy of the event. </p>
<p>The fact is that health promotion is often neglected at mega-events. Despite the positive rhetoric around events <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/fsas20/.VBNgLhaA31o">like the World Cup</a>, the story afterwards tends to be disappointing.</p>
<h2>Wasn’t always the case</h2>
<p>Gone are the early days of the health promotion that featured on the players shirts, such as West Bromwich Albion’s Health Education Council messages or encouraging safe sex at Millwall. </p>
<p>But let’s not despair, there is a <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/fsas20/.VBK_5haA31o#.VBb2gvldXsY">growing body of evidence</a> that football – at least at grassroots and club level – can and is making a difference. This includes football helping communities and fans lose weight, as seen in the <a href="http://bit.ly/1fhG5lO">Scottish Premier League</a>, football engaging with those who would be labelled “hard to reach” – like promoting better health engagement in older men as seen at <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2014.920624">Everton Football Club</a>, and improving lifestyles in the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23219262">English Premier League Men’s Health programme</a> to help prevent the onset of diseases such as obesity in later life.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58934/original/9vv3t4sq-1410559555.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58934/original/9vv3t4sq-1410559555.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58934/original/9vv3t4sq-1410559555.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58934/original/9vv3t4sq-1410559555.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58934/original/9vv3t4sq-1410559555.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58934/original/9vv3t4sq-1410559555.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58934/original/9vv3t4sq-1410559555.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58934/original/9vv3t4sq-1410559555.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Everton FC’s tackles men’s health.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Everton Football Club</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There have also been two recent academic special issues published, that were dedicated to the <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/fsas20/.VBK_5haA31o">social role of football</a> and the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sms.2014.24.issue-s1/issuetoc">health outcomes of playing football</a>, with the latter funded by FIFA. And platforms such as <a href="http://community.responsiball.org">Responsiball</a> and the <a href="http://www.healthystadia.eu">European Health Stadia Network</a> who offer case studies, reports and research with detailed examples of best practices across Europe and further afield. These examples offer FIFA with the evidence and guidance on what will work to improve health through football – though we have yet to see any of these lessons implemented or incorporated into mega-events. </p>
<h2>No thanks to any legacy</h2>
<p>None of these successes of these schemes come from the impact of mega-events and the often exaggerated claims around increasing participation. Instead, they come from the everyday brilliance of football staff, supporters and local communities. Many projects that achieve these health wins are managed by the social responsibility functions of the football clubs themselves, from premier league teams like Everton down to League Two teams such as Burton Albion FC. </p>
<p>There is no doubt that FIFA will continue to disappoint host countries, governments, politicians and the people that make up the football community. Audacious claims about “the power of football” from mega-events that don’t materialise is sadly widespread. Perhaps FIFA can look more closer at its <a href="http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/footballdevelopment/medical/footballforhealth/index.html">Football for Health 11 lessons</a> – notably number four: “Avoid Drugs and Alcohol”, to which FIFA has somehow managed to pay little attention.</p>
<p>While the majority of people who make up the audiences around the world forget about the broader health responsibility of FIFA – a multi-billion pound not-for-profit (yes, it operates as a non-profit) – because of the magic of Messi, Velencia, Neymar, Robben and Rodríguez, it’s time for for more attention and change.</p>
<p>It’s not a call to stop watching big events (unlikely to happen) but we can refuse to accept the status quo. As the commercial value of mega-events continues to grow, we must begin to challenge those involved in the organisation and delivery to get serious about health. We need to challenge them to use the evidence of what we know works to ensure their sporting mega-events live up to the spirit they so often claim.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/31540/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Parnell receives funding from the Higher Education Innovation Fund, the Leeds Beckett University, Carnegie School of Sport New Researcher Fund and a number of football charities. He is affiliated with ConnectSport UK Ltd, manages a non-profit online platform called The Community Football Hub and is on the Editorial Board of the Journal Soccer & Society.</span></em></p>Prince Harry’s Invictus Games is raising awareness of the achievements of injured armed forces personnel and the games have once again spurred conversations about the legacy of big sporting events – in…Daniel Parnell, Senior Lecturer in Sport Business Management, Leeds Beckett UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/286192014-08-03T20:05:09Z2014-08-03T20:05:09ZFrom Glasgow to the Gold Coast: what to expect in 2018<p>It’s hard to think of any two Commonwealth Games host cities more different than Glasgow and the Gold Coast in faraway Australia, home to the 2018 Games. </p>
<p>But as our small university delegation discovered after making a 30-hour trip across the world a fortnight ago, Glasgow has set a high bar for the Gold Coast to follow – not just with their venues, but with the warmth of their welcome to visitors.</p>
<h2>From cobblestones to surf beaches</h2>
<p>Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow is a 12th century, magnificent, cobble-stoned place, which is being revived after a long <a href="https://glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3372">post-industrial depression</a>. The Glaswegians I met at the Games were very proud of their city, and keen to tell how they and their ancestors were born there over many centuries. </p>
<p>In contrast, the Gold Coast is blessed with 40 kilometres of beautiful surf beaches and sub-tropical sunshine almost year round. </p>
<p>Not far from the coast, we also have lush, <a href="http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/things-to-see-and-do/gondwana-rainforests-of-australia/index.cfm">World Heritage-listed rainforests</a>, and mountainous terrain that will severely test the stamina of the 2018 Games bike riders. </p>
<p>But the vast majority of Gold Coasters – like me – were not born in our city, which is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Australia_by_population">Australia’s sixth largest</a>. It’s a mobile and multicultural population of <a href="http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/thegoldcoast/default.html">more than half a million residents</a>, including a <a href="http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/thegoldcoast/indigenous-people-894.html">proud but relatively small Indigenous population</a>. </p>
<p>It’s also a tourist mecca for both Australians and millions of people from overseas, with particular appeal for surfers, backpackers, and Asian and Middle Eastern tourists.</p>
<h2>The Gold Coast’s long and short history</h2>
<p>Senior members of the Glasgow City Council asked us how old the Gold Coast was. Our answer? Somewhere from tens of thousands of years old – with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Gold_Coast,_Queensland">archaeological proof of Aboriginal occupation</a> going back at least that far – to as young as just <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Coast_City">66 years old</a>.</p>
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<span class="caption">Where today’s skyscrapers stand: an aerial view from the beach end of Cavill Avenue looking south to Broadbeach, 1955.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.surfersparadise.com/about-surfers-paradise/history">Gold Coast City Council Local Studies Library</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>A bemused council member then asked about the Gold Coast’s oldest public building. After scratching our heads for a while we couldn’t come up with an answer – perhaps because none of the five-strong delegation was a born and bred Gold Coaster. Both sides decided it was time for a drink.</p>
<p>Having thought about it since, there’s good reason why we couldn’t name any historic public buildings: there are none, at least not by Glaswegian standards. Some of our oldest buildings include beachside bathing pools, like <a href="https://heritage-register.ehp.qld.gov.au/placeDetail.html?siteId=16028">the Main Beach Pavilion</a>, built in the 1930s to cater for the influx of people after the First World War who were not yet comfortable in the surf. </p>
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<h2>Let the next Games begin</h2>
<p>The Gold Coast is in the middle of a massive building and redevelopment boom. (You can watch the <a href="http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport/imagine-gc2018-take-a-look-at-how-the-gold-coast-will-be-transformed-when-it-hosts-the-commonwealth-games/story-fnj94ixl-1227009462025">Gold Coast Bulletin’s new video and photos of the major Games venues here</a>.)</p>
<p>But it’s not all for the Games. The world-class Gold Coast University Hospital was only opened in the last year and overlooks the site of the 2018 Games Village. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.griffith.edu.au/">Griffith University</a>, established in 1971, is the largest and best-known of the city’s <a href="http://www.studygoldcoast.org.au/gold-coast-learning/universities">three universities</a>, and sits next to the Games Village. Its contemporary architecture is a long way from the centuries-old spires of Glasgow University.</p>
<p>Together with the hospital, the expanding university forms the heart of the new <a href="http://www.griffith.edu.au/health/griffith-health/gold-coast-health-and-knowledge-precinct">Health and Knowledge Precinct</a>, which is likely to be one of the main legacies of the 2018 Games. </p>
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<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Commonwealth Games Village site.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Queensland Government</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A sunny Scottish surprise</h2>
<p>Coming to Glasgow from Queensland – known locally as the Sunshine State – we had packed for Scottish weather with rain coats, overcoats and jumpers. </p>
<p>But we were in for a shock: the temperature was 27 degrees, the kind of <a href="http://www.weatherzone.com.au/climate/station.jsp?lt=site&lc=40764">weather we enjoy on the Gold Coast</a> for most of the year. </p>
<p>The locals couldn’t believe it either. Strangely to us, hordes of people sat eating in outdoor cafes in the sun, with no umbrellas or shade. Few Australians do this, as we have the world’s worst skin cancers.</p>
<p>So the weather became a major conversation point in a way we didn’t expect: we Australians complained about the heat, while the Scots laughed and warned us to enjoy it, as it surely couldn’t last (<a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGlasson/status/494448139307212800/photo/1">and it didn’t</a>).</p>
<p>But we found that Glasgow’s cooler climate is more than made up for by its people. It must be one of the friendliest cities in the United Kingdom and Europe. The Scots are not always known for their roguish charm and hospitality, but that’s what we received, admittedly at Games time.</p>
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<h2>Glasgow’s lessons for the Gold Coast and beyond</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://www.gc2018.com/">Gold Coast 2018 Games</a> will be very different to Glasgow. For a start, we can’t ask Birmingham, London, Manchester and Liverpool to send 500 buses to assist us with transportation. We can’t conjure up a history we don’t have, or a gritty tenacity that is peculiarly Scottish. We don’t have kilts and bagpipes either. </p>
<p>But we can learn from the best of what the Scots have done, especially the way they have seized the opportunity of the 2014 Games to revitalise their great city. </p>
<p>Glasgow’s long-term legacy programs – conceived of and delivered by locally-based community groups across the city and across Scotland – include the redevelopment of the troubled East End with recreational and housing infrastructure and the Games sporting infrastructure. The sustainable health and fitness projects we saw were truly inspired.</p>
<p>The Scots’ attention to detail especially for security was precise and comprehensive. If any one thing unnerved us, it was the scale and complexity required for the job ahead. </p>
<p>Just as importantly, the way the city hosted the event was friendly and welcoming. Clearly, the ‘how’ was as important as the ‘what’. They were never bossy, never too pushy: it was just constant, friendly efficiency. But you knew you were being watched, that someone was on the job – and that was very reassuring.</p>
<p>My colleagues and I returned to the Gold Coast with new questions to ask, including how we can achieve Glasgow’s level of security, especially establishing a buffer around our Games Village, which will be overlooked by two hospitals and a university. And will our new light rail project match the transport might of 500 British buses?</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55547/original/nsvq9djz-1406941903.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55547/original/nsvq9djz-1406941903.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55547/original/nsvq9djz-1406941903.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55547/original/nsvq9djz-1406941903.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55547/original/nsvq9djz-1406941903.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55547/original/nsvq9djz-1406941903.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55547/original/nsvq9djz-1406941903.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55547/original/nsvq9djz-1406941903.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One of the Gold Coast’s new light rail trams at Cavill Station in Surfers Paradise.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Simon Morris/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But as the world saw with the successful 2000 Sydney Olympics and 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, Australians always get the job done. And the exceptionally good 2018 Games Organising Committee is well on the way in its planning, even if it still has only 42 staff. </p>
<p>If you come to the Gold Coast in four years’ time, expect to be dazzled by our beaches, our sunshine and our efficiency in putting on big sporting events. If we can do all that, and give visitors as warm a welcome as we enjoyed in Glasgow, we’ll have done our job.</p>
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<p></p><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/63276004"></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/gc2018"></a><a href="https://vimeo.com"></a></p><p></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/28619/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Madden recently retired as Pro Vice Chancellor (International) at Griffith University. He is the Strategic Advisor to Griffith for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, which involves advising on strategies for the university to assist the state and local government and the Commonwealth Games Committee in the running of the 2018 Games. It also involves work on community engagement, legacy issues for the university, opportunities for students in volunteering, community and cultural engagement, internships and jobs.</span></em></p>It’s hard to think of any two Commonwealth Games host cities more different than Glasgow and the Gold Coast in faraway Australia, home to the 2018 Games. But as our small university delegation discovered…Chris Madden, Strategic Advisor on the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/289652014-07-14T02:03:53Z2014-07-14T02:03:53ZCultural and political legacies of the World Cup: where to now?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53685/original/bhp64c82-1405298846.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The World Cup may be safe in German hands, but the legacy the tournament will leave in Brazil might be contested for some time.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Srdjan Suki</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The losing World Cup teams and fans are licking their wounds, while newly crowned world champions Germany will celebrate for at least the next four years. However, the world has already started to ask whether the tournament’s so-called “legacies” were positive and will endure in Brazil.</p>
<p>As we pointed out in our pre-World Cup <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-the-world-cup-leave-a-positive-legacy-in-brazil-27397">article</a> about the tournament’s potential legacies, there is much more to be analysed than the immediate economic impact of the event. The intangible legacies, such as its cultural and political effects, must take centre stage in our judgement of the tournament.</p>
<h2>Changing public opinion</h2>
<p>In the months before the World Cup, there was a prevailing impression – ignited by the Brazilian mainstream media and diffused globally by their international counterparts – that the tournament’s organisation would be an utter failure. Stadiums would <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2014/06/02/sao-paulos-stadium-is-not-ready-at-all-for-the-world-cup/">not be ready</a>; public transport systems would <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/03/05/soccer-world-brazil-idUKL1N0BW1DL20130305">not be able to cope</a>. As the World Cup approached, fears of a major international embarrassment spread across Brazil.</p>
<p>But the feared embarrassment never materialised. It was not a perfect tournament, and there were plenty of issues, from <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/chilean-world-cup-fans-break-182746112--sow.html">break-ins inside stadiums</a> to claims of <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2014/world-cup-violence-erupts-brazil-3737903">violence</a> and security problems around venues and in other gathering spots. </p>
<p>Overall, however, the World Cup’s organisation was successful by any measure. Some European commentators and academics have even said that the event was <a href="http://www.free-project.eu/Blog/post/the-world-cup-2014-in-brazil-better-organised-than-the-olympics-in-london-2012-1928.htm">better organised</a> than the 2012 London Olympics. </p>
<p>The epithet “the best World Cup ever” has certainly been more than mere hollow rhetoric. The great party atmosphere, the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/10942308/World-Cup-2014-Fifa-study-explains-why-this-is-officially-one-of-the-greatest-tournaments-of-all.html">high quality</a> of football, the astonishing <a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/118622/world-cup-2014-could-break-record-most-goals-scored">number of goals</a> and the massive and convivial presence of supporters from all around the world all contributed to the rapid turnaround in public opinion.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53681/original/h9jq6pf4-1405297768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53681/original/h9jq6pf4-1405297768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53681/original/h9jq6pf4-1405297768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53681/original/h9jq6pf4-1405297768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53681/original/h9jq6pf4-1405297768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53681/original/h9jq6pf4-1405297768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53681/original/h9jq6pf4-1405297768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Despite early fears to the contrary, the World Cup’s organisation was a success.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Tolga Bozoglu</span></span>
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<h2>Political ramifications</h2>
<p>This success is not only a blessing for Brazilians’ self-esteem, but also a clear asset for Brazil’s government. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_general_election,_2014">elections</a> in October will fast replace the World Cup in media headlines and conversations across the country. </p>
<p>The World Cup constructions – airports, stadiums, urban mobility infrastructure – were not just a federal responsibility: municipalities and states were primarily accountable. But given the federal government took the blame for deficiencies in World Cup preparations, it also has been credited for the tournament’s apparent success.</p>
<p>International media outlets have already begun to <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/football-politics-brazils-humiliation-world-cup-casts-doubts-rousseffs-political-future-1622862">speculate</a> that Brazil’s crushing <a href="https://theconversation.com/off-the-scale-28992">semi-final defeat</a> to eventual champion Germany will hurt president Dilma Rousseff in her pursuit of re-election. With no evidence to support their arguments, these commentators seem to base their opinions on the view that Brazilians are passionate and irrational football lovers who are not able to differentiate between their beloved Seleção and the destiny of their country. </p>
<p>As Brazil did not win the tournament, Rousseff’s electoral defeat is inevitable, their argument goes. However, the recent history of Brazil’s presidential elections suggests otherwise.</p>
<p>Since the re-democratisation of the country (in 1985 or 1989, a contested date), five of the six direct elections for the presidency have taken place in the same year as a World Cup. Elections in Brazil usually take place in October or November, so just months after the tournament ends.</p>
<p>In 1994, Brazil <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_FIFA_World_Cup">won</a> the World Cup, and Fernando Henrique Cardoso was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_general_election,_1994">elected president</a>. A few months before the election as the then-finance minister, Cardoso had launched the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plano_Real">“Plano Real”</a>, an economic scheme that finally gave monetary stability to a country devastated by years of hyperinflation. Anyone would have been elected as the government’s candidate that year.</p>
<p>In 1998, Brazil <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_FIFA_World_Cup">lost</a> the World Cup final against host country France. Cardoso was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_general_election,_1998">re-elected</a>, and there was no direct relation between football and the election outcome. Four years later, Brazil <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_FIFA_World_Cup">won</a> the World Cup. Lula, the opposition candidate, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_general_election,_2002">won the presidency</a>. Once again, there was no direct connection between the Seleção’s performance and Lula’s electoral victory.</p>
<p>Brazil made early exits from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_FIFA_World_Cup">2006</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup">2010</a> World Cups. In 2006, Lula was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_general_election,_2006">re-elected</a>, and again no link between the defeat and potential government failure can be found. In 2010, Dilma Rousseff, the government’s candidate, was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_presidential_election,_2010">elected</a>, becoming the first female Brazilian president. People voted for her despite the Seleção’s defeat.</p>
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<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Could the Seleção’s failure to win the World Cup on home soil damage Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff politically?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Wenderson Araujo</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Brazil’s failure to win the 2014 World Cup on home soil has additional importance for the forthcoming elections. Rousseff’s opposition has already begun to use the Seleção’s semi-final drubbing as political leverage. The major opposition party, the Brazilian Social Democracy Party, <a href="http://www.psdb.org.br/derrota-jeitinho-analise-itv/">claimed</a> that the lack of planning that could be seen in the Brazilian team mirrors the way Brazil is being governed. Brazil, as well as the Seleção, would perform much better through systematic method and detailed preparation, the opposition argues.</p>
<p>In the same vein, the opposition believes that the World Cup would have been far more successful had it been planned more carefully.</p>
<p>This is a very risky political strategy. Brazilians are hurt and upset by the devastating loss against Germany, but they love the Seleção and their players. There is a huge identification among Brazilian youth with players such as Neymar and David Luiz. And as history shows, Brazilians are independent and clever enough to distinguish between football and politics. </p>
<h2>Human rights concerns</h2>
<p>Meanwhile, other political legacies emerged during the tournament. The federal government reportedly spent <a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/brazil-world-cup-2014-security-costs-five-times-much-south-africa-1452064">nearly £500 million</a> on policing the World Cup in a bid to suppress potential disturbances. </p>
<p>In a period when Brazil is <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-18073300">still searching</a> for the truth about the dictatorship period, the <a href="http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/314965.html">heavy hand</a> imposed on demonstrators and anti-World Cup activists was a clear undemocratic throwback.</p>
<p>The new repression strategies leave a political scar of profound disregard for human rights, which Brazilians will have to overcome in order to build their immature democracy. </p>
<p>The concern over <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/22/brazilian-police-evict-indigenous-people">forced relocations</a> also cannot be forgotten. The vulnerable people who were removed from their houses have the right not only to receive a new house, but also to be consulted on where they want to live. These places must have sufficient social support to enable the displaced people to quickly readjust to their new lives. </p>
<p>So far, this is the major negative legacy of the World Cup, one that has to be remembered every day until the right solutions are found.</p>
<h2>Football legacy</h2>
<p>Finally, the impact the World Cup will have on Brazil’s football culture in coming years cannot be underestimated. There will be a few white elephant stadiums, such as Cuiaba’s Arena Pantanal, that were specifically built for the World Cup and will be <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2014/07/10/white-elephants-4-world-cup-stadiums-look-for-fans-games-events-to-pay-16/">unable to attract</a> enough supporters to sustain it. Cuiaba’s regional football tournament has an average attendance of less than 1000. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53680/original/nvkmyy3k-1405297395.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53680/original/nvkmyy3k-1405297395.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53680/original/nvkmyy3k-1405297395.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53680/original/nvkmyy3k-1405297395.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53680/original/nvkmyy3k-1405297395.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53680/original/nvkmyy3k-1405297395.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53680/original/nvkmyy3k-1405297395.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some stadiums built for the World Cup, such as the Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba, may become ‘white elephants’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Marcelo Sayao</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The stadiums have also not been built to integrate into their local landscape and community. It is important that these enormous sports facilities integrate with communities and develop supportive social programs that justify their existence. Otherwise, they will continue to be seen as “rich” intruders in local communities.</p>
<p>Brazilians will also return to the reality of their own national league. After watching top-level football in brand new and crowded stadiums with an amazing atmosphere, the Brasileirão doesn’t look too attractive. In 2013, the league had an average attendance of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Campeonato_Brasileiro_S%C3%A9rie_A">under 15,000</a>, with matches often being played at 10pm on weekdays at the insistence of Rede Globo, the major football broadcaster in Brazil. </p>
<p>Brazilians will also complain about the quality of the football. Brazil’s better players play overseas, an issue that even the growing economy and good wages for top division players cannot solve. The lack of organisation of the Brasileirão continues to be an impediment to football’s development in Brazil.</p>
<p>The shocking semi-final defeat will certainly leave a perennial blot on Brazil’s football culture and history. The failures in the Seleção’s preparation and in the entire structure of the Brazilian Football Federation must be scrutinised. Change is crucial if Brazil wants to keep its historical dominance over the international football world, which is seriously under threat after many years of a lack of direction for the Seleção.</p>
<p>Brazilian football, as a central element of the country’s culture, needs urgent political and technical revolution. But will this revolution be one of the most important political and cultural legacies of the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/28174503">“best World Cup ever”</a>?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/28965/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ramon Spaaij receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jorge Knijnik does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The losing World Cup teams and fans are licking their wounds, while newly crowned world champions Germany will celebrate for at least the next four years. However, the world has already started to ask…Jorge Knijnik, Senior Lecturer , Western Sydney UniversityRamon Spaaij, Associate Professor, College of Sport and Exercise Science, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/274932014-07-08T05:13:29Z2014-07-08T05:13:29ZStatuesque strikers: how football fell in love with figurative sculpture<p>Football clubs around the world have recently been making some highly visible but immobile new signings. <a href="http://www.sportingstatues.com">Over 350 statues</a> of footballers, managers, chairmen and even fans now stand outside stadiums and amid city precincts and squares, the players variously posed with foot on ball, poised to shoot or save, or triumphantly brandishing a trophy. Almost all have been erected in the past two decades, with the UK leading the way numerically, followed by traditional football nations such as the Netherlands, Germany and Brazil, as well as countries such as China where enthusiasm for the game has not yet translated into success. </p>
<p>Increasingly fans are working together to organise and fundraise for a statue project. The methods may vary – in Argentina, River Plate supporters are collecting bronze in the form of old keys for a <a href="http://www.offbeat.group.shef.ac.uk/statues/STFB_Labruna_Angel.htm">statue of Angel Labruna</a> and in Nottingham, Forest fans staged a Brian Clough play to raise money for a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/7711616.stm">statue of their former manager</a> -– but a common enthusiasm is displayed. Local authorities, too, are getting in on the act, with monuments to home-town heroes increasingly depicting a sportsman, and particularly a footballer. Ultimately, however, a footballer’s statue is still much more likely to have been commissioned by a football club or its commercial partners. </p>
<h2>What earns a statue?</h2>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53206/original/t29f3rq9-1404748740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53206/original/t29f3rq9-1404748740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53206/original/t29f3rq9-1404748740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53206/original/t29f3rq9-1404748740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53206/original/t29f3rq9-1404748740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53206/original/t29f3rq9-1404748740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53206/original/t29f3rq9-1404748740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53206/original/t29f3rq9-1404748740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Man of service and success: Brian Clough.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11245047@N06/12069196906/">Alan Feebery/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
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<p>Looking at the predominant characteristics of statue subjects and their locations can tell us a lot about the motives behind their commissioning. There are many great footballers who have yet to be sculpted so this honour isn’t simply a reward for being the best player for club or country.</p>
<p>For fans in any footballing nation, the question of which players deserve to be honoured by a statue and which don’t is an intriguing and never-ending pub argument akin to picking an all-time team. The criteria for being cast in bronze is a matter of opinion, of course: some fans would no doubt point towards great feats of goalscoring, others to the entertainment they provided or loyalty shown to their club. For the casual supporter, an individual’s contribution to national success or off-pitch persona may carry more importance. </p>
<h2>Loyalty and Nostalgia</h2>
<p>Players are typically honoured around 20 to 30 years after their career has concluded. More often than not the subject is still alive – it is a misconception that statues are bronze obituaries, an exception being in Eastern Europe where cultural tradition and superstition restrict them to the deceased for fear of cursing the subject portrayed. But the <a href="https://www.academia.edu/5539821/The_Thierry_Henry_Statue_A_Hollow_Icon">experience of Arsenal’s Thierry Henry</a>, who on his return to the Emirates for a second spell found himself playing in front of his own statue, is also a rare one. So too are examples of clubs or fans commemorating players whose feats are beyond the living memory of most fans.</p>
<p>From the humble and prosaic, such as Port Vale centre-half Roy Sproson (842 appearances for the Valiants) to bona-fide national heroes such as Peru’s Lolo Fernandez (22 years playing at Universitario of Lima), statue recipients are also typified by their loyalty. You earn a statue through service as well as skill. </p>
<p>Together these characteristics suggest that, by erecting these figures, football clubs and fans are looking to evoke or reflect nostalgia. Most obviously this is for a past hero or a great team, but perhaps also for happy moments in supporters’ childhoods, and for a time when footballers were located heroes rather than transient celebrities. Nostalgic feelings help to draw fans back to the stadium, and collective memories of “one club” heroes helps to counterbalance the more overt commercial activities that long-term fans especially find jarring.</p>
<h2>Creating identity</h2>
<p>Around the world, statues tend to be found at new stadiums, in the anywheresville-precincts of new towns, or in urban areas where a prominent industry has disappeared. This characteristic points towards their use in <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17430437.2012.753527#.U7qJJbGmUgU">helping create a sense of identity</a>, both cultural and visual, in locations that lack it. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53189/original/3nyh8t95-1404739912.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53189/original/3nyh8t95-1404739912.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53189/original/3nyh8t95-1404739912.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53189/original/3nyh8t95-1404739912.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53189/original/3nyh8t95-1404739912.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53189/original/3nyh8t95-1404739912.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53189/original/3nyh8t95-1404739912.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53189/original/3nyh8t95-1404739912.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">West Ham’s (World Cup) Champions Statue outside their ground.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Wilson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The modern football stadium in particular is a blank canvas, especially when compared to older football grounds that have embedded personal and collective memories of fans in their quirky fabric. A statue is a relatively simple way for clubs and fans to carry some of their history with them to a new home.</p>
<h2>Nation v club</h2>
<p>Both club and civic subjects are also often associated with national successes. Eight of West Germany’s 1954 “Miracle of Bern” XI have been commemorated and over half of England’s 1966 winning team have been depicted at least once. But, apart from Bobby Moore’s statue at Wembley Stadium, none of these statues can be considered truly national monuments. Rather, they are examples of the player’s club or hometown basking in the reflected glory of their favourite son’s achievements. </p>
<p>This lack of national statues can be attributed to the “club over country” attitude of many football fans, and the absence of coherent, committed bodies of national fans who might fundraise or campaign for a monument. Conferring national hero statue status requires consensus across partisan club supporters, and perhaps also wider recognition from non-football-fans, who may prize good character and personal qualities as well as playing achievements. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53183/original/c6kp62kt-1404738503.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53183/original/c6kp62kt-1404738503.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53183/original/c6kp62kt-1404738503.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53183/original/c6kp62kt-1404738503.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53183/original/c6kp62kt-1404738503.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53183/original/c6kp62kt-1404738503.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53183/original/c6kp62kt-1404738503.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53183/original/c6kp62kt-1404738503.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Not so victorious: the Chinese World Cup 2002 Statue.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Etienne Francois</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In many countries, the lack of a national stadium also raises the issue of a suitable location for such a statue. Only the Chinese can be said to have completely embraced this genre, with their entire 2002 World Cup qualifying squad cast alongside a giant bronze victory “V” (an overly optimistic piece of iconography given that they subsequently lost all three games in the finals, without scoring even a single goal).</p>
<p>England’s disappointing World Cup performance certainly won’t lend itself toward any statues being commissioned. Steven Gerrard’s service makes him a prime candidate for future memorialising, but the insular nature of club supporters means that an England captain is more likely to be depicted lifting a trophy won by his club than country – should they ever succeed in winning an international tournament. More generally, the enthusiasm for footballer statues shows no sign of abating, with unveilings in Paraguay, Brazil, Germany and Holland within the past few weeks, and more than 30 projects planned worldwide.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/27493/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Stride receives funding from ESRC.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ffion Thomas does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Football clubs around the world have recently been making some highly visible but immobile new signings. Over 350 statues of footballers, managers, chairmen and even fans now stand outside stadiums and…Chris Stride, Senior Lecturer (Statistician), University of SheffieldFfion Thomas, PhD Canidate, International Football Institute, University of Central LancashireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/94392012-09-10T04:00:59Z2012-09-10T04:00:59ZBeyond the Paralympics: where to for disability sport in Australia?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15224/original/rfcvrfpq-1347236528.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Australian Steelers celebrate a gold medal after beating Canada in the men's wheelchair rugby final.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kerim Okten/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the bright lights of the London 2012 Paralympic Games begin to dim, and as the media focus diverts back to everyday life, we’re left with a pertinent question: where to now for disability sport in Australia? </p>
<p>The Australian team performed brilliantly, coming fifth internationally, with a total of 85 medals on the <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/medals/medal-count/">official medal count</a>, behind the world sporting powerhouses of China (231), Great Britain (120), the Russian Federation (102) and the Ukraine (84, but with one more silver than Australia).</p>
<p>Individually there were a number of standout performances, with <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/jacqueline-freney">Jacqueline Freney</a> bringing her eight gold medals in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S7_%28classification%29">S7 swimming</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Evan O'Hanlon celebrates winning gold following the men’s 200m - T38 final.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Tal Cohen</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Who would have thought somebody would have equalled or outshone Matthew Cowdrey’s five gold medals and two silver medals, that gave him a total of 22 Paralympic medals for three Paralympic games.</p>
<p>The men’s and women’s <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/sports/wheelchair-basketball">wheelchair basketball teams</a>, (two silver) together with the <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/sports/wheelchair-rugby">wheelchair rugby team</a> (one gold) <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/country/australia/medals/index.html">received well-deserved medals</a>.</p>
<p>Yet, how does this elite performance translate to grassroots participation of people with disability in sport in Australia?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Madison De Rozario prepares to compete in the women’s 400m-T53 final.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Kerim Okten</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Representatives from the <a href="http://www.olympic.org/ioc">International Olympic Committee</a> (IOC) and the <a href="http://www.paralympic.org/TheIPC">International Paralympic Committee</a> (IPC) will tell you that elite sporting success acts as inspiration for ordinary people to get motivated to participate in sport, in what is known as the “trickle-down effect”.</p>
<h2>Participation</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19407963.2012.662619">Research</a> carried out by the <a href="http://www.olympic.uts.edu.au/">Australian Centre for Olympic Studies</a> at UTS by Tony Veal (UTS), Kristine Toohey (Griffith University) and Stephen Frawley (UTS), including an examination of participation rates of Australians in sport, refutes this assertion – at least for Olympic sports.</p>
<p>The research took data from the Exercise Recreation and <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/information/casro/ERASS">Sport Survey</a> (the study was a joint initiative of the Australian Sports Commission and State and Territory Departments of Sport and Recreation) on the frequency, duration, nature and type of recreation and sports activities participated in by persons 15 years and older annually between 2001 and 2010, and tracked participation rates. </p>
<p>No increase of participation in Olympic sports was found.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">(L-R) Annabelle Williams, Jacqueline Freney, Katherine Downie and Ellie Cole celebrate gold in the women’s 4x100m medley relay.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP Image/Jeff Crowe</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Similar work cannot be carried out for Paralympic sports – simply because the data does not exist, as the research funded by the Commonwealth and State departments of sport never included a disability module.</p>
<p>The Australian Bureau of Statistics <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4159.0">general social survey</a> identifies that people with disability participate in sport significantly less than other Australians.</p>
<p>These participation rates are even lower depending on the type of disability and the higher the level of support needs an individual requires.</p>
<p>On a closer examination, two recent research reports critically examine the participation of people with disability in sport.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Matthew Cowdrey celebrates his gold medal win in the Men’s 400m Free S9 event.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP Image/Jeff Crow</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The first, released on the day of the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, <a href="http://www.disabilityrightsnow.org.au/node/15">Disability Rights Now</a> evaluates Australia’s performance against the <a href="http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml">UN Convention</a> on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. </p>
<p>It documents the marginalised position of people with disability within Australian society and in reference to other nations in the OECD and reports by the United Nations. That includes those living in poverty, with relatively low levels of employment and a high degree of unmet needs to address basic living conditions.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=186&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=186&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=186&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=234&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=234&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=234&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Australian Gliders celebrate their silver medal in the women’s wheelchair basketball competition.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Daniel Karmann</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>With regards to sport, the assessment of Article 30 of the <a href="http://www.disabilityrightsnow.org.au/node/15">Disability Rights Now</a> report on sport and recreation participation of people with disability states: “Support for grassroots participation and pathways to elite level competition are lacking …” </p>
<p>Instead, there is a reliance on the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its very successful Paralympic <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/talentsearch">Talent Search</a> program to identify potential Paralympians ahead of implementing a broader process of grassroots participation in disability sport.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kurt Fearnley won a bronze medal in the men’s T54 marathon on the final day of competition.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The emphasis on elite development ahead of grassroots participation is compounded as it was <a href="http://www.wallawallapress.com/benchmark_paralympics.php">estimated in 2008</a> that 85% of disability sport funding at the Commonwealth level went to the Australian Paralympic Committee and Paralympic sport.</p>
<p>Of course, sport funding goes beyond the Commonwealth but the 2009 Crawford Report called <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/1DDA76A44E5F4DD4CA257671000E4C45/$File/Crawford_Report.pdf">The Future of Australian Sport</a> identified a series of deficiencies in the current system and called for more funding for “sporting and other organisations that provide services and support to athletes with disabilities at both the elite and community level”.</p>
<p>The reasons for lower levels of participation are complex. <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/participating/disability/resources/research_and_reports/disability_participation_research">A report</a> by myself and UTS researchers Tracy Taylor, Aron Murphy (now University of New England) and Daniel Lock (now Griffith University) documents the complex set of intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural constraints people with disabilities face in trying to participate.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=999&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=999&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=999&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch win the gold medal in the Sailing Two-Person Keelboat (Skud 18)</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Gerry Penny</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The right fit</h2>
<p>Unlike previous studies, our report examined the constraints through looking at ten separate disability groups and five levels of support needs. It showed for the matrix of each disability type and support need there were a significantly different mix of constraints that needed to be negotiated in order to participate in sport.</p>
<p>For one of the most marginalised groups – people with intellectual disabilities with high support needs – parents with children who enjoyed sporting activities could see the benefits that sport and physical activity brought their children.</p>
<p>But those same parents were continually frustrated in their attempts to find their children appropriate support and activities in their local areas. </p>
<p>Opportunities to participate are great for the individual and also for the family as <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687599.2012.714258#preview">one sibling stated</a>, when the desire to participate and the means to do so come together:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s incredible […]. He [the brother] is like a flower that has opened up since he started. He is toned, more coordinated, starting to do the routines more clearly […] He runs into the class on Saturday morning. The other members of the class say they like having him there. A few of them are on his Facebook, others want to be, but he is picky!!. </p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=914&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=914&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=914&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1148&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1148&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1148&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Todd Hodgetts celebrates breaking the world record in the men’s shot put-F20 final.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Gerry Penny</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At the Federal and State government levels, hope is on the horizon. The <a href="http://www.disabilityrightsnow.org.au/node/79">National Disability Insurance Scheme</a> is being piloted. This includes individualised funding packages providing opportunities for people with disabilities and their families to not only get the care that they need but also broker their own sporting futures.</p>
<p>And that, is has to be said, is a goal worth cheering for. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9439/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Darcy has received funding from the Australian Sports Committee and the Australian Paralympic Committee for disability sport related grants.</span></em></p>As the bright lights of the London 2012 Paralympic Games begin to dim, and as the media focus diverts back to everyday life, we’re left with a pertinent question: where to now for disability sport in Australia…Simon Darcy, Professor & Co-Director Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Research Centre - UTS Business School, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/89132012-08-17T04:03:15Z2012-08-17T04:03:15ZWill the Olympics really inspire more people to play sport?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14357/original/7ht4s6vh-1345167328.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Australia's kayakers paddled their way to gold but don't expect a huge increase in kayak sales in the next few months.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Robert Ghement</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Did watching the Olympics inspire you to get out and play sport? Perhaps the gold-medal-winning effort of our <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/london-olympics/kayakers-win-gold/story-fncv4ypl-1226447039019">men’s K4 kayaking team</a> inspired you to take to the water. Or maybe <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/olympics/cycling-london-2012/meares-defeats-pendleton-to-win-sprint-gold-for-australia-20120808-23sug.html">Anna Meares’ gold</a> in the cycling sprint inspired you to head to your local veldrome.</p>
<p>If so, you might have been experiencing the “trickle-down effect”. This phrase has been used for roughly 40 years and refers to an increase in sports participation at a grass-roots level following a major sporting event. It’s a term that existed long before the fancier, all-encompassing term “event legacy” became de rigueur.</p>
<p>Even in the 1970s, the first chair of the Australian Insitute of Sport <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/history/">John Bloomfield</a> was suggesting the trickle-down effect doesn’t work, and that physically gifted athletes may actually <em>discourage</em> us average participants.</p>
<p>Today, the trickle-down effect serves as a wildly inaccurate justification for the funding of elite sport, with Federal Minister for Sport <a href="http://www.katelundy.com.au/">Kate Lundy</a> <a href="http://www.regional.gov.au/department/statements/2012_2013/files/Overarching_Sports_Package.pdf">recently stating</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Olympic sport inspires people to get involved at a grassroots level – driving increased participation in community sport”.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>No minister.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14346/original/zcg7jczh-1345165675.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14346/original/zcg7jczh-1345165675.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=850&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14346/original/zcg7jczh-1345165675.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=850&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14346/original/zcg7jczh-1345165675.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=850&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14346/original/zcg7jczh-1345165675.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1068&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14346/original/zcg7jczh-1345165675.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1068&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14346/original/zcg7jczh-1345165675.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1068&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kate Lundy’s comments show a lack of understanding about sports legacy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAPIMAGE</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sure, Professors <a href="http://datasearch.uts.edu.au/business/staff/details.cfm?StaffId=4181">Tony Veal</a>, <a href="http://www.griffith.edu.au/business-government/griffith-business-school/departments/department-tourism-leisure-hotel-sport-management/staff/professor-kristine-toohey">Kristine Toohey</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-frawley-10008">Stephen Frawley</a> found some <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19407963.2012.662619#preview">signs of increased grassroots sport participation</a> after the Sydney 2000 Olympics, the 2003 Rugby World Cup and the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. But, crucially, they couldn’t attribute the participation increases to the events in question.</p>
<p>So, if we can’t use major sporting events held in our own backyard to motivate the masses to get moving, what hope do we have when the event’s held in old Blighty?</p>
<p>It’s also overly simplistic to consider the Olympics as a mass media campaign for physical activity. There is a <a href="http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/7/1/36">whole area of research</a> examining the complex range of variables that are required to convert the <em>viewing</em> of sport into the <em>doing</em> of sport.</p>
<p>There are two reasons why I find the term “trickle-down effect” disappointing. First, a trickle is a passive, osmotic process. We need to be active in leveraging sports events, to use them as a catalyst and drive the increase in participation.</p>
<p>Second, a trickle is a trifling and unimportant quantity – to justify this expensive inspiration, we need a flood of participation, not an intermittent drip.</p>
<p>But it’s not all bad.</p>
<p>Some <a href="http://www.sportengland.org/about_us/sport_england_conferences/idoc.ashx?docid=b97bc095-eb32-4c20-91d4-5943b85e9462&version=2">research</a> by British professor of sport in society <a href="http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/social-applied-sciences/sport-science-tourism-and-leisure/Staff/mike-weed/">Mike Weed</a>, suggests elite success in sporting events may have some effect on those already engaged or experienced in sport, but little or no impact on those who rarely or never participate.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14347/original/ms3hzzfb-1345166152.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14347/original/ms3hzzfb-1345166152.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14347/original/ms3hzzfb-1345166152.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14347/original/ms3hzzfb-1345166152.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14347/original/ms3hzzfb-1345166152.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14347/original/ms3hzzfb-1345166152.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14347/original/ms3hzzfb-1345166152.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sports clubs need to do more to attract would-be members.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Greg L. photos</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sporting bodies leverage this opportunity and encourage interested parties to participate. For many sports this is the only time they feature in mainstream media. National sport organisations need to prepare their clubs to promote themselves locally and make their sport accessible to aspiring Olympians.</p>
<p>Sporting organisations need to consider their potential customers. What are the barriers preventing them moving from indirect consumer to a consumer? How can we move light consumers into medium or heavy consumption?</p>
<p>The Olympics has provided an awareness of sport but sports now need to promote themselves and their products to prompt us into action.</p>
<p>If your child has been running around all week twirling ribbons, and the local gymnastics club offered introductory packages right now, chances are you’d be more likely to sign up.</p>
<p>Weed’s work shows that lapsed participants are especially influenced by major events. So now’s a great time for sporting to invite lapsed members to make an Olympics-influenced comeback.</p>
<p>For a trickle effect to work, we need sporting organisations at all levels to provide the plumbing that will divert potential participants into the catchment.</p>
<p><strong>Further reading:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-legacy-fallacy-the-olympics-doesnt-increase-sport-participation-8810">The legacy fallacy: the Olympics doesn’t increase sports participation</a> - Kate Hughes, The Conversation</li>
</ul><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/8913/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Danya Hodgetts does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Did watching the Olympics inspire you to get out and play sport? Perhaps the gold-medal-winning effort of our men’s K4 kayaking team inspired you to take to the water. Or maybe Anna Meares’ gold in the…Danya Hodgetts, Lecturer and Adjunct Research Fellow, Sport and Physical Activity, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/88102012-08-16T01:14:48Z2012-08-16T01:14:48ZThe legacy fallacy: the Olympics doesn’t increase sport participation<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14302/original/5st2ngk8-1345079105.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Olympics won't have an effect on sport participation after the fact unless time and money are properly invested.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Christian Charisius</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>This is an edited version of a letter sent to UK Prime Minister David Cameron and a number of other officials with connections to the London Olympics.</strong></p>
<p>Dear Prime Minister,</p>
<p>I have spent the past two weeks screaming with passion at the television. Why? Because you keep telling the nation that the Olympic Games will inspire sport participation, and yet you never tell us <em>how</em> this will happen!</p>
<p>I’ve spent the past four years researching this subject area for my thesis:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Sport mega-events and a legacy of increased sport participation: an Olympic promise or Olympic dream?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Olympic “promise” relates to the <a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100407120701/http:/www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/3101.aspx">statement made in 2007</a> by the last government that hosting the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games would inspire 2m people to become more active by 2012/13.</p>
<p>This idea, that elite sport performance acts as a catalyst to increased mass sport participation, is known as the “trickle-down” or “demonstration” effect. It’s a concept that has dominated sport policy in this country for decades but, as <a href="http://bit.ly/PnUEb0">Sport England reported in 2004</a>, sport participation rates in the UK have, over this period, remained static.</p>
<p>But how does this work in association with major sport events?</p>
<p>In 1994 researchers Anne Hindson, Bob Gidlow and Cath Peebles looked at the impact of the 1992 Winter and Summer Olympics on sport participation in New Zealand and concluded there were two antithetical models of the relationship between elite sport and grassroots participation:</p>
<ul>
<li>elite athletes become role models and attract new participants to sport</li>
<li>demonstrations of sporting excellence act as a deterrent to sport participation because of the perceived competence gap between the observer and the athlete.</li>
</ul>
<p>There are several factors that impact on the relationship between role-models and potential new participants. One is age.</p>
<p>Adults are more likely to be put off when seeing <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/video/2012/aug/05/olympics-2012-london-gold-win-jessica-ennis-rutherford-heptathlon-support-record-video">Jessica Ennis</a> or <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-2187857/Tom-Daley-London-2012-Olympics-diving-bronze.html?ito=feeds-newsxml">Tom Daley</a> perform as they perceive they can never reach such a standard - so why try?</p>
<p>In a paper published last year, <a href="http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/social-applied-sciences/sport-science-tourism-and-leisure/Staff/mike-weed/">Professor Mike Weed</a> from Canterbury University showed that role models can have a positive impact on young people and sport participation. But are there adequate public sport facilities to support these sporting aspirations?</p>
<p>An <a href="http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/AuditCommissionReports/NationalStudies/leisure_finalproof.pdf">Audit Commission report in 2006</a> suggested not and that it would take a minimum investment of £550m in public sport facilities to meet the then government’s sport and physical activity aspirations. I know that the coalition government has put £135m into the London 2012 legacy programme <a href="http://www.sportengland.org/media_centre/press_releases/places_people_play.aspx">Places People Play</a>, £80m of which is for facilities but, well, £550m - £135m … you do the maths.</p>
<p>When it comes to leaving an event legacy we know from the Faber Maunsell report on the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games that you need to put as much into the planning for legacy as into the planning for the event itself. But despite being the first Olympic Games host country to be implicit about delivering a sport participation legacy, we have really adopted a “legacy by osmosis” approach.</p>
<p>We planned for the Games from before 2005. It wasn’t until 2007 that the first warning bells were sounded about the lack of legacy plans, particularly for sport participation.</p>
<p>In response the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) published <a href="http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/handle/2100/449/Ourpromise2012.pdf?sequence=2">Our Promise for 2012</a> which included the sport participation promise to be driven and funded by current programmes. Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell had to be seen to be putting an end to the rising costs of the Games which, by this time, had spiralled from £2.1 billion to £9.3 billion.</p>
<p>Sport England were put in charge of the sport participation legacy, an organisation with a mandate to increase community sport provision. But this organisation had already seen its lottery funding cut, not once but twice, to support the rising costs of the Olympic Games’ budget!</p>
<p>Tim Lamb, CEO of the then Central Council of Physical Recreation (now the Sport and Recreation Alliance), also <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmselect/cmcumeds/cmcumeds.htm">pointed out</a> that Sport England didn’t have the political stature to deliver the sport participation legacy and that it needed a cross-government departmental body to act as a lead body. A Sport Legacy Board was promoted to be chaired by Sir Steve Redgrave that only seemingly ever had two meetings – one without Sir Steve.</p>
<p>In terms of the government’s “plans” for a sport participation legacy, that well-known chant from the terraces might have seemed pertinent at this point: “you don’t know what you’re doing”!</p>
<p>And then to the delivery of sport in schools. The coalition government has cut back the School Sport Partnership programme. This program, <a href="http://www.youthsporttrust.org/news-media/news/2009/10/olympians-fear-impact-of-school-sport-cuts.aspx">according to the Youth Sport Trust</a>, was delivering both more hours of school sport and teaching expertise into primary schools.</p>
<p>Last week, Jeremy Hunt told John Humphreys on the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/listen_again/default.stm">BBC Radio 4 program</a> that the cuts had to happen because of the country’s current financial deficit issue, but in the next news bulletin listeners were told that funding to Syria would be increased. Please explain the logic.</p>
<p>The activities of the British Cycling Federation (BCF) provide one glimmer of hope for the Games’ participation legacy. In 2009, the BCF told me they would have a Tour de France winner in five years and this, with the further success of Team Sky on the world stage, would drive community participation and locally based <a href="http://www.goskyride.com">Sky Ride programme</a>.</p>
<p>It is working but of course the BCF couldn’t and can’t market its activities during the London 2012 Games because the association with Sky would violate the IOC sponsors’ rights.</p>
<p>So, to conclude Prime Minister, based on the evidence I have given you <em>how</em> are you going to get more people, young and old, involved in sport as a consequence of hosting the Olympic Games?</p>
<p>Where is the evidence for the link between elite success and participation in sport? And <em>how</em> are you going to bridge the gap between the sport development structures we need to support more people doing more sport, and what is currently out there on the ground?</p>
<p>Yours sincerely,</p>
<p>Kate Hughes<br>
PhD scholar at Leeds Metropolitan University</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/8810/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>I was one of a number of researchers who received funding from the ESRC for the STORMING project
It led to the publication of a book
International Sport Events - Shipway and Fyall (eds). Routledge
However I did not receive and will not receive any money from the publication</span></em></p>This is an edited version of a letter sent to UK Prime Minister David Cameron and a number of other officials with connections to the London Olympics. Dear Prime Minister, I have spent the past two weeks…Kate Hughes, Lecturer, Liverpool John Moores UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.