Food & Health Alliance

Commissioned by the Department of Health, the research by SPEAR is expected to significantly impact on the implementation of the Government's 2012 Legacy Action Plan which sets out plans to achieve post-Olympic targets in a range of areas.

Key findings of the Report include:

The Potential for Increased Participation and Health:

The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has the potential to play a key role in increasing participation and improving health but only as part of wider initiatives and strategies.

Demonstration Effect:

For current or lapsed sports participants, the Government's Legacy Action Plans needs to capitalise on the 'demonstration effect' (athletes acting as role models to inspire increased sport participation) and boost the local range and availability of new sports activities, particularly the less traditional ones.

Festival Effect:

For the sedentary and least active, informal physical activity participation in the community can be encouraged by capitalising on 'festival effects' that encourage informal celebratory involvement at events that do not necessarily involve participation in Olympic and Paralympic sports.

National Platform of Celebration:

Use should be made of the national platform of celebration by promoting locally owned and culturally relevant 2012 'festival effects'. This will develop and maintain the public's positive feeling towards hosting the 2012 Games and tap into the 'once in a lifetime' feel.

Evaluation:

Legacy efforts must be robustly evaluated and set a benchmark for the evaluation of future Olympic and Paralympic events.

A Quick Reference Guide to the Report is also available.