DD1465 Taekwondo World Grand Prix 2017

1.1 Background

1.1.1 The success of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has cemented London’s position as a world-leading host of major sporting events. The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has also added significantly to the range of world class sporting facilities available for hosting events in London. A key part of the on-going legacy of London 2012 is ensuring that these facilities and others around London be regularly and fully made use of.

1.1.2 London has already secured a portfolio of additional events for the years ahead that will help sustain our position as a world-leading host and is in keeping with the stated legacy aims from London 2012, one of which is to ensure that the facilities built for the Games continue to be used to stage high-level international sporting events. They include the 2015 Rugby World Cup, 2015 European Hockey Championships, 2015 Formula E Championships, 2016 European Swimming Championships, 2016 Track Cycling World Championships, 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships and IPC World Athletics Championships.

1.1.3 Recognising that most major sporting events require some level of public support, the GLA allocated £2.4 million over four years to future major sporting events as part of the 2014/15 budget setting process. This Major Sports Events Fund supports the Mayor’s major sporting events strategy for London, ‘London: Home of World Class Sport’, which was published in April 2014.

1.1.4 This new London-wide approach to bidding for and supporting major sporting events establishes the Mayor’s Office as the first point of call for anyone looking to bring their event to London, and firmly establishes the Mayor’s Office as London’s strategic lead for major sporting events.

1.2 British Taekwondo Championships and WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix

1.2.1 Following the success of the Taekwondo competition at the London Games, and confirmation that it will remain a core Olympic sport for the foreseeable future, the World Taekwondo Federation has copied the route taken by many other mature Olympic sports and has created a competition format specifically attractive to broadcasters and corporate partners, featuring only the very best athletes in the world, competing regularly in high profile flagship locations. The series is now well known as the WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix. There are typically three events per year in this series, running from August to October, with the Grand Final taking place in December. The event is delivered across three days of formal training and three days of further training and competition.

1.2.2 Taekwondo GB is planning to bid to bring a package of events to the UK, starting with the 2017 Grand Prix. This would be followed by a Grand Prix in Manchester in 2018 and the WTF World Taekwondo Championships in Manchester in 2019. All three events will be bid for together, with the bid going forward in late March 2016. Whilst the starting point is that this is a bid for a package of three events, it is possible that the WTF may choose to award the two Grand Prix events to the UK, but award the World Championships to another country. This is thought to be extremely unlikely.

1.2.3 A key strength of the proposal from Taekwondo GB was to use the event as a platform for developing a significant community engagement programme around the event. Taekwondo is a sport with significant potential for growth in London and the GLA Sports Team has worked closely with Taekwondo GB to develop a strong sports development programme which we expect will deliver a significant uplift in the number of individuals regularly participating in Taekwondo in London.

1.2.4 Taekwondo GB submitted a funding application to the GLA Major Sports Events Fund for a £75,000 contribution towards the delivery of the event. The application submitted by Taekwondo GB set out how the event would satisfy the evaluation criteria set out in the GLA’s Major Sports Events Strategy, “London: Home of World Class Sport”.

1.2.5 Evaluated against the criteria, it was deemed that:

• the Economic Impact of the event falls below our minimum expectation;
• the International and Domestic Broadcast proposal for the event was evaluated as bronze.
• the Community Engagement proposal for the event was evaluated as silver.

1.2.6 Overall, the event scored bronze against our evaluation criteria. It delivers against the key Mayoral objectives of increasing tourism, by increasing exposure for London overseas, and of improving the health and wellbeing of Londoners, particularly through the establishment of a large-scale community engagement programme alongside the event. This means it is eligible for funding and therefore the GLA Sports Team recommended accepting the request to award up to £75,000. The GLA Events Steering Group (GESG) approved this recommendation.

1.2.7 The overall budget for the event is approximately £594,000. UK Sport are providing £330,000, with the remainder to be largely generated through sponsorship revenue and ticket sales.

1.2.8 In the bid to bring the 2017 Grand Prix to London, it was also agreed by GESG that the GLA would allocate up to £10,000 towards the cost of staging the 2016 British Championships in London. This will allow all partners to build profile for the sport in 2016, directly after the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio, helping to generate strong interest in the sport ahead of the 2017 Grand Prix.

1.2.9 In addition to the possible £85,000 contribution to the two events, £25,000 has also been allocated from the Major Sports Events Engagement Fund (part of the Mayor’s Sports Legacy Programme), approved by DD1335, to contribute toward the delivery of a grassroots community legacy project associated with the event.

2.1 The objectives of the proposed funding are to:

• Support the successful hosting of the 2016 British Taekwondo Championships and the 2017 WTF Taekwondo Grand Prix ;
• Support delivery of the Mayor’s major sports events strategy, ‘London: Home of World Class Sport’;
• Increase economic investment into London;
• Increase international exposure of London;
• Increase opportunities for Londoners to participate in sport and physical exercise programmes associated with major sporting events;
• Assist the Mayor in delivering his commitment to a lasting sports legacy following the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Increase opportunities for Londoners to volunteer at a major sporting events.

3.1. Every major event that seeks financial support from the GLA must demonstrate how the event will engage with the local community, in line with the Mayor’s grassroots sport policy, ‘A Sporting Future for London’ and the Mayor’s Sports Legacy Programme.

3.2 An equalities impact assessment has previously been undertaken on the overall Mayor’s Sports Legacy Programme.

3.3 According to the most recent Sport England Active People survey (APS 8 published in January 2015), levels of participation in sport and physical activity are variable across different socio-demographic groups in London. Across all 33 London Boroughs, average figures indicate that 43% of men participate in sport at least once a week compared to 32% of women. 37% of Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) people participate weekly compared to 39% of people of white origin. 19% of disabled people participate weekly compared to 40% of non-disabled people. 17% of people over the age of 65 participate weekly compared to 52% of those between the age of 16 and 25. 41% of people from socio-economic groups 1 to 4 participate weekly compared to 25% of people from socio-economic groups 5-8 (based on the National Statistics Socio-economic classification system).

3.4 Sports programmes supported by the Mayor’s Sports Legacy Programme engage significant numbers of women, disabled people, BAME people and people from lower socio-economic groups, both via sports participation programmes and training opportunities. We are seeking to increase participation opportunities for these groups through the Major Sports Events Engagement Fund that this event has also bid to.

4.1 Key Risks and Issues

4.2 Links to Mayoral Strategies & Priorities

GLA support for the event will:

• support delivery of the Mayor’s major sports events strategy, ‘London: Home of World Class Sport’;
• support the aims of ‘Inclusive and Active 2’ strategy for increasing participation in sport and physical activity amongst disabled people in London;
• support delivery of the Mayor’s grassroots sport policy, ‘A Sporting Future for London’;
• assist in meeting the objectives of the Mayor’s Health Inequalities Strategy;
• promote social development in London;
• assist the Mayor in delivering his commitment to a lasting sports legacy following the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• support the Mayor’s priorities around volunteering and his Team London programme.

4.3 Impact Assessments and Consultations

4.3.1 An equalities impact assessment has previously been undertaken on the overall Mayor’s Sports Legacy Programme. Further information is available at Section 3 of this document.

4.3.2 In writing ‘A Sporting Future for London’, the GLA Sports Unit consulted extensively with over 400 individuals from over 100 different groups and organisations including national governing bodies of sport, the Pro-Active Partnerships, senior representatives from local authorities and a wide variety of sports clubs and community organisations.

4.3.3 The conclusions reached received broad support from all key stakeholders and reaction to the plan itself has been very positive.

4.3.4 In writing ‘London: Home of World Class Sport’, the GLA Sports Unit consulted extensively with various national governing bodies of sport in the UK, Sport England, UK Sport, London Sport, relevant Local Authorities, LLDC, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, London & Partners, sports venue owners in London and Transport for London. The strategy has been greatly welcomed by all key London stakeholders and partners, as well as the key national agencies identified above.

5.1 Approval is being sought for expenditure of up to £85,000 from the Major Sports Events Fund.

5.2 The GLA proposes to allocate grant funding of up to £10,000 towards staging the 2016 British Taekwondo Championships, and £75,000 to Taekwondo GB to contribute towards the cost of staging the 2017 WTF Taekwondo World Grand Prix.

5.3 Funding of £25,000 is also to be committed to Taekwondo GB as part of the Major Sports Events Engagement Fund (part of the Mayor’s Sports Legacy Programme - DD1335).

6.1 Sections 1-4 of this report indicate that:

6.1.1 the decisions requested of the Director (in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code) fall within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further or which are facilitative of, conducive or incidental to the promotion of social development in Greater London; and

6.1.2 in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the Authority’s related statutory duties to:

• pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people (further details on equalities are set out in section 3 above) and to the duty under section 149 of the 2010 Act to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation as well as to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not ;

• consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom; and

• consult with appropriate bodies.

6.2 In addition, under section 378 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 the GLA has a duty to promote tourism to Greater London and the British Taekwondo Championships and WTF Taekwondo World Grand Prix can fairly be described as an event that will promote tourism to London.

6.3 Officers have indicated in the report above that the contribution to Taekwondo GB amounts to the provision of grant funding and not payment for services. Officers must ensure that the funding is distributed fairly, transparently, in accordance with the GLA’s equalities and in manner which affords value for money in accordance with the Contracts and Funding Code.

Officers must ensure that an appropriate funding agreement is put in place between and executed by the GLA and recipient before any commitment to fund is made.

7.1 The GLA Sports Team is working closely with Taekwondo GB and other stakeholders to ensure effective planning for the event.

7.2 The GLA will be represented on the event stakeholder board which oversees:

• The event budget;
• The event marketing and communications strategy;
• The event ticketing strategy
• Planning and operational delivery of the event;

7.3 The exact dates for the two events are yet to be confirmed.

7.4 Next steps are as follows: