Key information
Decision type: Assistant Director
Reference code: ADD2122
Date signed:
Decision by: Amanda Coyle, Interim Assistant Director, Health and Communities
Executive summary
This ADD seeks approval to commit up to £35,000 from the Major Sports Events Budget to contribute towards the appointment of a research consultant to undertake a comprehensive event impact study of the London 2017 World Para Athletics Championships and IAAF World Championships (total project cost of c£100,000).
Decision
That the Assistant Director of Health & Communities approves:
1. Expenditure of up to £35,000 to contribute towards a total project cost of c£100,000 to produce an event impact study of the 2017 IPC World Para Athletics Championships and IAAF World Championships.
Part 1: Non-confidential facts and advice
1.1 London was awarded the 2017 IAAF World Championships and the 2017 IPC World Athletics Championships in November 2011 and December 2012 respectively. The two events are being staged together in the same city for the first time, and the scale of the event will be far greater than previous iterations.
1.2 With support from London & Partners, the event funding partners (GLA, UK Athletics and UK Sport) are seeking to appoint a research consultant to undertake a comprehensive event impact study to evaluate the success of the events against nine strategic objectives, outlined later in this paper.
1.3 On behalf of the event stakeholders, London & Partners is coordinating a competitive procurement process to appoint a research consultant with the requisite skills and experience to undertake the work.
1.4 The successful tenderer will be required to undertake primary research and work with the event partners to collate additional data that is already due to be captured.
1.5 The total cost of the evaluation is estimated to be £100,000. In addition to the GLA’s contribution, UK Sport will contribute £35,000, London 2017 Ltd will contribute £25,000 and London & Partners will contribute £5,000. In addition, the IAAF and IPC are contributing to the project through existing research contracts that act as a value in kind contribution to the project.
2.1 The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the extent to which the events deliver against the following strategic objectives:
a. Economic Impact – the direct and indirect/induced economic impact of the events on the Greater London economy.
b. Reputational Impact – the impact of the events on London’s reputation as a host of major sporting events, a tourist destination, and a place to live and work.
c. Media Exposure – the domestic and global media exposure of the events.
d. Home advantage – the performance of the British teams.
e. Community Engagement / Athletics Impact – the extent to which local communities were engaged with the events, including schools, volunteers, and people participating in activities run as part of the 2017 Inspiration Programme.
f. Environmental Sustainability – the extent to which the events were delivered to an environmentally sustainable model.
g. Concurrent Hosting – the impact of hosting the IPC World Para Athletics Championships and the IAAF World Championships together in the same city for the first time.
h. Lessons Learnt – by the event partners and the Local Organising Committee (LOC), from bidding through to event delivery.
2.2 Measurement will be based, where possible, on the event IMPACTS methodology (an industry recognised methodology created by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Discover Northern Ireland, EventScotland, London & Partners, UK Sport and Welsh Government).
2.3 Research will be undertaken during and post-event to capture the longitudinal impacts of the events. In addition to primary research, event partners will collect data and share this with the researchers for inclusion in the final report.
2.4 The outputs of this project will be:
• An interim report with initial findings (September 2017)
• A Final Evaluation Report (January 2018)
• A PowerPoint summary presentation to the event partners (January 2018)
3.1 The International Paralympic Committee is the international federation for the sport of Para Athletics. The sport of Para Athletics is open to male and female athletes in all eligible impairment groups and offers a wide range of competition opportunities.
3.2 Athletes compete according to their sport specific classification in each event. Some compete in wheelchairs and some with prostheses, while visually impaired athletes are supported by a sighted guide.
3.3 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.
3.4 Alongside the staging of the London 2017, the Mayor of London allocated £400,000 to grassroots sports and invited organisations to apply for a share to deliver athletics activity and inspire Londoners to try athletics and celebrate the Championships with their local community. One of the three tiers of funding available was for organisations to run disability-focused athletics based activity in London. In addition to this all projects are required to be inclusive and open to all Londoners.
4.1 Key risks and issues
4.2 Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities
4.2.1 GLA support for and contribution to the funding of this evaluation will:
• support delivery of the GLA’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 GLA’s grassroots sport policy, ‘A Sporting Future for London’;
• assist the GLA in delivering their commitment to a lasting sports legacy following the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
4.3 Impact assessments and consultations.
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 £35,000 to contribute towards an event impact study of the 2017 IPC World Para Athletics Championships and IAAF World Championships.
5.2 The cost will be funded from the Sports Team’s budget for 2017-18.
Signed decision document
ADD2122 London Event Study 2017 (signed) PDF