The Long Game of Legacy
Moving Towards Long-Term Impact in Host Cities
by Leah Carey
The Olympics have recently concluded, and the Paralympics begin today. These massive events provide us with moments of celebration but also with questions and conversations about the legacy these Games will leave behind. For starters, this year’s Olympic Games was the first year there was an equal number of male and female athletes competing. This served as an apt tribute to the 1900 Paris Olympics being the first Olympics to allow female athletes to compete. Additionally, these games were called the “greenest” Olympics yet, however, challenges remain that may impact their positive legacy.
With a heightened emphasis on sustainability and inclusion, there is a significant opportunity to advance sport responsibility and broaden the impact of these achievements. A well-executed Olympic legacy not only maximizes the benefits of hosting the games but also ensures that these benefits extend well beyond the closing ceremony.
To dive deeper into how sport — and mass sporting events — can be a transformative tool for social change, we spoke with two leading changemakers who have dedicated their lives to positive impact and systemic change — Mel Young, founder of the Homeless World Cup, and Michael Sani, founder of PlayVerto,– in a conversation led by Ashoka Fellow and UK Director, Kelly Davies. They discussed the long-term impact of the Olympics, drawing on their experiences in developing and measuring lasting shifts in community action and enduring outcomes.
Olympics, Paralympics, and a responsible sporting world
The benefits of sports are undeniable; they unite people in an increasingly divided world. In particular, mass sporting events like the Olympics and Paralympics bring together attendees from across the globe to support their athletes and countries.
Yet, the challenge lies in balancing grassroots benefits with high-performance goals, therefore prompting the question, what is a responsible sporting world? Exploring this question through the Olympics, Mel and Michael advised that the responsibility must happen at a multifaceted level in sports. While our conversation did not cover every aspect, we focused on several key facets, including stakeholders and event organization, as outlined below.
In events like the Olympics, the bidding process is a critical opportunity, and one of the facets to consider, to center social impact and legacy goals. Mel, for example, drew attention to the need to evaluate how cities around the world facilitate and fulfill this process, suggesting that the legacy of the Olympics should be a key consideration from the outset, rather than an afterthought. By prioritizing bids from communities that demonstrate systemic impact, we can ensure that these events contribute to lasting positive change.
Community stakeholders in the Olympics and Paralympics include a wide range of individuals, from vendors and fans to volunteers and, importantly, athletes. While mass sporting events have yet to fully achieve the organic potential of sport, the ongoing focus on Olympic legacy aims to include both those who attended the event and those who did not.
Athletes, in particular, play a pivotal role as critical community members of the Games. They can advocate for a more responsible sporting world by setting standards for equity across all sports and genders, positioning themselves at the forefront of this movement. When asked “How can elite athletes use their platform to advocate for social change?” Mel suggests that the Olympics present an opportunity for athletes to talk about these issues and bring attention to important problems, claiming that for this to be successful, we must “dial down the rhetoric in the world at the moment and work together to find peaceful solutions that can be done through sport.”
The conversation acknowledged that high-profile athletes, despite the brevity of their careers, have a responsibility to advocate for social justice issues, just as we all do. While the public scrutiny faced by athletes can be daunting, particularly when engaging in grassroots advocacy, their platform offers a unique opportunity to drive positive change. The physical and mental benefits of sport are evident across society, providing a unifying platform to celebrate common goals. By embracing responsible practices, sports can become a catalyst for broader social change.
The trickle-down effect: from cities to people
Furthering the conversation’s focus on stakeholders and community, the conversation shifted towards exploring how host cities can uniquely leverage these events to address specific community issues. This approach emphasizes the importance of engaging community members in the planning and lead-up to the Games, ensuring that the events contribute to meaningful and lasting local impact.
One particular note that was made is how the games can tailor solutions to their local problems and use sports as a vehicle for change, building on the rhetoric that mass sporting events create a collective experience that can empower individuals across all community demographics to step in and recognize their capacity as changemakers.
In Paris, for example, homeless individuals were displaced to maintain the city’s appearance for the Olympics. Mel, building on his experience with the Homeless World Cup, articulated the missed opportunity for the Games to positively address homelessness. Michael also recalls how, in 2012, London used anti-homeless spikes to force the displaced out of sight during the Games. The approaches employed by the Games did not foster a positive narrative, as they were guided by short-termism. However, the opportunity exists to shift this narrative by recognizing these communities as powerful contributors to the Games.
This invites us to ask: How can we transform this narrative from one of displacement to one of empowerment? Mel, looking for solutions, invited us to consider the next Olympics as they head to Los Angeles and the opportunity to create a different legacy by addressing homelessness more effectively. This, in particular, is a great opportunity for job creation that supports those on the streets and allows them to participate in the Olympic Games. This can bring the community together instead of dividing them.
Supporting these approaches is the broader narrative, which can be strengthened through strategic data collection. Michael highlighted the potential in gathering data from host cities both before and after the event to enhance storytelling and demonstrate impact. He suggested, that with the ability to leverage data, we have an opportunity to create accountability and transparency which encourages people to see how they are affecting change.
The focus needs to shift from the short-term effects of gathering people together for a common purpose to investigating how the Games can develop into a long-term solution for systemic issues. For example, we may capture data on community mindset around the Games and how the Games activated them towards contributing to positive change in their community, including a statement Mike invited us to consider: “The skills I’m developing through sport equip me to be a changemaker in any other area of my life.”
The long-term opportunity of sporting legacy
Sport is continuing to grow and engage people across communities. It is a powerful tool for inclusion, but it must be protected from corruption and exclusionary practices. While progress is being made — through anti-racist marketing, disciplinary actions, and the development of the Paralympics — more work is needed to address these issues comprehensively.
With each of these mass sporting events, there can be a commitment to address social issues in the host city. Using data, this city can fund the local community efforts, measure change, and learn from social entrepreneurs. Michael maintains the view that mass sporting events are not where they could be. It is a matter of willingness to commit to a long-term legacy rather than an issue of lack of resources.
Mel underscored the potential of sport to spur social change and stated, “The grassroots and high performance are linked…. it’s hidden in the heart of sport you can’t do one without the other.”
The future is bright, but it requires us to be active, not passive, participants in change. All of us have a key role to play in advancing how sports can be used for social change. We need to make interventions ourselves even if they are small. The legacy that sports will leave can be impactful, however, we need coaches, athletes, fans, and anyone involved in sports to be committed to this goal. As we continue to enact change, we are calling for host cities to redefine their legacy around mass sporting events and join us as an inclusive champion.
This article is part of Ashoka’s Olympics coverage and Inclusive Champions program. To learn more about this work, the role of social entrepreneurs in defining legacy, and to stay up to date with Ashoka’s Sport for Changemaking initiative, visit our newsletter here.
