Sydney 2000 Volunteers. A decade of wasted legacy?

Closing Ceremony:
Sydney 2000

This week saw the 10 year anniversary of the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 200o Olympic Games. A commemorative ceremony was held at the Olympic Stadium. Volunteers were excited there was finally a (semi) valid reason to get their uniforms out of mothballs and don them once again. It’s no coincidence that Lord Coe and the London 2012 team are in Sydney, hoping to emulate the magic that the volunteers added to the games.

I was one of the 45,000-odd people who took some time off work and volunteered, carrying a placard in the opening and closing ceremonies and working with doping control during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. I knew it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And it was. Continue reading Sydney 2000 Volunteers. A decade of wasted legacy?

PhD on Event Legacy: results from a preliminary study

Build it and they will come? An analysis of the impact of the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships in Scarborough, Western Australia on sport development (a research summary*)

It is commonly believed that major sporting events should provide ongoing benefits, including increased participation in the sport and physical activity in general. This is becoming an increasingly important aspect of hosting a major sporting event and it is commonly recommended that event organisers consider how a major event can benefit the development of the sport. In terms of providing ongoing legacies, it is not a case of “build it [an event] and they [legacies] will come”; a conscious, sustained effort is required in order to create a legacy that will benefit sport. Continue reading PhD on Event Legacy: results from a preliminary study