Cardiff Council’s Economic and Culture Committee Olympic Legacy Report

I wrote a post last summer about the Welsh Government not taking full advantage of the economic opportunities the Olympic football provided for Wales mainly, but there were also issues around the failure to fully maximise the sporting or cultural opportunities presented when the football matches were being played at the end of July and August last year.

Since then the Economic and Culture Committee at Cardiff Council have published and initial report in November 2012 on the Olympic delivery and legacy on the City and where info is available for Wales as well.

The picture the report paints is mixed, on the Olympic legacy the results are mainly disappointing pointing to just the £38million of Olympic contracts won by Welsh business and only anecdotal evidence of increases in participation in sport for kids and adults, but it did highlight the £500,000 investment in sports facilities and the creation of a new boxing venue for the city.

However on the delivery and promotion of Cardiff as a host city for major sporting events and strengthening and  increasing it’s profile in new and existing markets the results are more positive as footfall was up considerably and retailers particularly jewellers and women's accessories saw a rise in sales. Hotel occupancy during the 11 football matches in the Millennium Stadium was substantially up on the year due to a mix of teams, staff and supporters.

As well as that Cardiff profile was raised by journalist from Brazil, Egypt, Japan and South Africa and others comings to Cardiff to report on the football and experience the City for the first time. Hosting the gfootball further strengthened the image of Cardiff as host city for major sporting events following the annual Six Nations and one off Ashes matches.

The report also praised the recruiting of volunteer Game Ambassadors (similar to London’s Games Makers) to welcome visitors to Cardiff and directing people to the Stadium etc.

The training camps for Olympic and Paralympic squads also boosted sport facilities in Cardiff University with investment from LOCOG to the tune of £500,000 and a new Boxing Venue with equipment and a ring used in the Olympics.

The next step for the committee was to talk to those who benefitted and were involved from Business people to Sport Wales staff to get a more indepth picture of last summer impact on Cardiff and Wales.

The full report called ‘Olympic Delivery and Legacy' can be downloaded here

Any source