Source: UK Sport

The Government and Mayor of London have today published a report ‘Inspired by 2012: The legacy from the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games’ which describes the activities since the Games to build a lasting legacy across a number of commitments including: sport and healthy living, the regeneration of east London, bringing communities together, the Paralympic legacy and economic growth.

The report includes a foreword by the Prime Minister and the Mayor of London, an assessment of progress and next steps by Lord Coe in his role as the Prime Minister’s Olympic & Paralympic Legacy Ambassador, and comment from Jacques Rogge – President of the International Olympic Committee who this July said: The London 2012 Games have definitively served as a catalyst for development and improvements, both tangible and intangible, which would otherwise have taken decades to achieve. There is no doubt that the citizens of London and Great Britain will benefit from the Games for a long time to come. 

The headline of the report is that the UK economy has seen a £9.9bn trade and investment boost from the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, one year into a four-year programme of activity and events. The boost comes from businesses securing contract wins, additional sales and new foreign investment in the last year, since UKTI’s British Business Embassy at Lancaster House hosted a Global Investment Conference and a series of 17 business events – the largest such programme ever held in Britain.

The report shows strong progress against all the legacy commitments including:

·         an increase in volunteering, halting the steady decline seen since 2005 – today (19 July) an event on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will kick start a summer of ‘Join In’ activity to encourage people to volunteer locally;

·         1.4 million more people playing sport at least once a week than in 2005 when the bid was won;

·         the legacy of all the permanent venues on the Olympic Park secured within a year of the Games – the park has started to reopen this summer with major sports, music and cultural events;

·         an independent report projects that the total benefit to the UK from hosting London 2012 could reach up to £41 billion by 2020;

·         £4bn of investment into London, including projects outside the scope of UKTI figures;

·         70,000 workless Londoners helped into Games-related employment creating a labour market legacy.

If you have any questions on the report or the legacy programme please contact the Cabinet Office legacy unit via [email protected]