PwC’s Sporting Leaders Study on Legacy, which surveys the opinions of SportAccord Convention delegates and sporting industry leaders representing a broad range of organisations within the sports and major events industry, has been presented here.

According to the study, the key factor for achieving a successful legacy is integration of legacy considerations in the early stages of the planning process, with 96 per cent of respondents listing this as important.

Other main success factors, according to the respondents, are integration of legacy planning with long-term development plans for the host city, as well as effective communications and stakeholder management, and robust budgeting and financial planning.

“Delivering on the legacy promise requires careful planning and alignment with a city’s or a region’s long-term vision as well as collaboration among all stakeholders for successful execution,” said Hazem Galal, PwC global cities and local Government leader, who presented the interim results at SportAccord Convention’s plenary panel session: ‘What’s in a word? The truth about legacy’.

“Despite an increased awareness of the multiple facets of a mega event legacy, including intangible benefits, the survey results show it’s still mostly about the bricks-and-mortar and how to use the physical assets post the events.”

When asked which organisations are primarily responsible for the achievement of a positive sporting event legacy, most respondents named regional public bodies and local authorities, with Organising Committees and National Governments next.

National Governments were thought to best positioned to assess the success of legacies, followed by independent experts, local population and then Organising Committees, while the optimum timeframe for assessing the success of sporting event legacies was perceived to be two to five years after they had taken place. 

The most important metrics in assessing a legacy’s success were considered to be utilisation of tangible assets, volume of tourism and the quality of the built environment with more than 80 per cent of respondents noting their importance.

Overall, infrastructure dominated the list of components that sporting leaders believe to be most commonly achieved by hosting a sporting event, with intangible components not far behind.

When asked which legacy components are most commonly achieved in their experience, respondents chose new and reconstructed sport venues, and physical transformation and infrastructure development as the top two, followed by increased host city brand and recognition, and national pride.

PwC’s study continues throughout the SportAccord Convention, which is due to come to a close tomorrow.

The interim results can be found by clicking here, while the final results of the study will be released after the event. 


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