London 2012 legacy generates more than £130 million for the capital from hosting major sporting events

Six years on to the day from the London 2012 opening ceremony, UK Sport has today revealed that more than £130 million has been generated in the capital by National Lottery and taxpayer-funded events following the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

National Lottery-funded events that have been staged at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park include the 2017 IAAF Athletics World Championships, which created an economic impact for London of £79 million alone.

Other London-based events that have been supported by investment agency UK Sport include the 2013 Triathlon World Grand Final in Hyde Park (generating an economic impact of £8 million), the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships at the Lee Valley VeloPark (£3 million) and the 2016 European Aquatics Championships at the London Aquatics Centre (£5 million).

Figures show that more than 1.3 million people attended 25 National Lottery-funded events in the capital. And these figures are just for those events directly supported by UK Sport in London and do not include the many uses of and events held at 2012 legacy venues, or those held in other parts of the country.

UK Sport announced the economic impact research with the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup currently taking place at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, where the capacity has been trebled to more than 10,000 to cope with demand for tickets.

The FIH Hockey World Cup, which began on Saturday and runs until 5 August, has sold more than 100,000 seats, with fans travelling from across the globe. All England games are sold out with a global TV audience of 1 billion set to watch the event.

Looking ahead, UK Sport is investing almost £30m in its current major events programme (2017-2025) to bring some of the world's top sporting tournaments to towns and cities across the country.

Events already secured include the 2018 Boccia World Championships, the 2019 Netball World Cup, the 2019 World Road Cycling Championships and the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Games Executive Director, Christophe Dubi:

"We congratulate London and UK Sport on continuing to deliver an impactful Games legacy that is adding value to the city and its citizens six years on from hosting the Games.

"This is a great example of how the Olympic Games can transform lives and provide diverse long-term benefits for a city for years and decades to come."

UK Sport Head of Major Events Esther Britten said:

"Six years on from London 2012, it is fantastic to demonstrate such a strong major events legacy from the Olympic and Paralympic Games and our work in this area has significantly enhanced our international reputation.

"The significant economic impact comes on top of the benefits athletes receive when competing on home soil, in addition to the phenomenal opportunities spectators and volunteers enjoy when experiencing live sport.

"Every London 2012 venue has hosted world class competition since the Games, while they have also been open to the general public, allowing people of all ages to use the same arenas as their inspirational Olympic and Paralympic heroes.

"London 2012 established the UK as a world-leading host of major sporting events and, as the government's specialist major events agency and with support from the National Lottery, we will continue bringing some of the world's top sporting events to London and the rest of the UK."

Lyn Garner, Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said:

"So much has changed at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the last six years. Since London 2012, homes have been built, thousands of jobs have been created and millions of people have visited the venues and events at the Park. And there's even more to come; from world class universities and museums to new schools and businesses."

Source: (London 2012, 2018)