Elsevier

The Lancet

Volume 398, Issue 10298, 31 July–6 August 2021, Pages 456-464
The Lancet

Series
An evidence-based assessment of the impact of the Olympic Games on population levels of physical activity

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01165-XGet rights and content

Summary

Pre-Olympic Games predictions commonly include an increase in population-based physical activity in the host city, as often stated in the bid, but the post-Olympic Games effects on physical activity have not been summarised. In this Series paper, we aim to do the following: examine mentions of a physical activity legacy in pre-Olympic bid documentation; analyse existing physical activity surveillance data collected before, during, and after the Olympic Games in hosting areas around the world; and evaluate Google Trends data surrounding the London 2012 Olympic Games as a case study of community interest in the topic of exercise during the time of the Olympic Games. Before 2007, little mention of physical activity was made in pre-Olympic Games documentation, but, after that, most documents had targets for population physical activity or sports participation. The synthesis of available surveillance data indicates that there was no change in the prevalence of physical activity or sports participation, except for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano; although, the increase in participation in Nagano might not be attributable to the Olympic Games since there was no change in participation in winter sports. The Google Trends data showed an acute spike in searches with the term “Olympic” immediately associated with the London Olympic Games period and showed a sustained peri-Olympic increase in searches with the term “exercise”. By themselves, the Olympic Games have not improved population-wide physical activity but might be an important missed public health opportunity. Such a legacy will require strategic planning and partnerships across the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic, sport, and public health agencies and a thorough evaluation framework implemented throughout the pre-Olympic Games and post-Olympic Games period in the host country.

Introduction

Physical inactivity has been described as a global pandemic that causes a substantial burden due to non-communicable diseases, which, in 2013, led to 5·3 million deaths and cost international $ (INT$) 53·8 billion.1, 2 The WHO Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030 suggests that best-practice communication strategies linked with community-based programmes and mass-participation initiatives can be important contributors to increasing physical activity in populations.3 The Olympic Games are the pinnacle of human performance and an important global event to unite people from around the world through a shared passion for sport. The Olympic spirit of Pierre de Coubertin was originally described as the notion of taking part (rather than only focusing on elitism and obtaining medals), and this notion provides a public health leverage point for fostering community participation in sports and physical activity.4 The Olympic Games represent an important opportunity to promote population-level physical activity and, in this Series paper, we provide an overview of the available evidence.

Key messages

  • The Olympic Games provide an opportunity to promote physical activity and sport for the whole host population and to realise health, sport, and education benefits for cities and for mitigating climate change

  • Analysis of Olympic Games bid and planning documents from host cities shows frequent mention of the need for a sport or physical activity legacy

  • There is some evidence of community interest in sport and physical activity stimulated by the Olympic Games

  • A review of population physical activity and sports data shows little change in prevalence in participation immediately before or after Olympic Games since 1996

  • Given the WHO Global Action Plan on Physical Activity suggestion that mass events can contribute to increasing population physical activity, the Olympic Games represent an unrealised opportunity to improve global health

  • Careful pre-Olympic Games and peri-Olympic Games partnerships between the local organising committee, the International Olympic Committee, and national and regional public health agencies are needed to implement community physical activity and sports programmes to realise this legacy

Planning for the Olympic Games includes consideration of legacies “to the host community and country that will benefit their inhabitants for many years to come”.5 The term legacy was first used in the Melbourne bid for the 1956 Summer Games.6 Typically, legacies of the Olympic Games have led to improved health services, control of communicable diseases, improved air quality and environmental health, improved urban health and regeneration, and, sometimes, improved transportation systems.5, 7

There is untapped potential to use mass events to promote health behaviour changes that reduce non-communicable disease risk, and the Olympic Games offer an opportunity for increasing physical activity from a public health perspective.7 Aspirational public health goals from past Olympic Games have sought to promote health through non-smoking and healthy food and beverage services.5, 8, 9 The promise of a physical activity and sports participation legacy is not well evidenced.10, 11, 12 Although the Olympic Games contribute to sports facilities, promote sports education, and foster elite sports training programmes,13 these effects only reach high-level athletes and are different to legacies that promote health-enhancing physical activity and sport at the population level.

One mechanism through which Olympic elite sports are thought to increase population-level physical activity and sports participation is through the alleged trickle-down effect, in which elite sports participation is thought to lead to increased community interest and more people engaging in sport and physical activity. However, there is no evidence supporting this trickle-down effect.14 The potential for the Olympic Games to promote population health has not been realised.

In this Series paper, we aimed to provide a summary of the evidence of population physical activity participation after the Olympic Games by reviewing pre-Olympic bid documents and identifying thematic mentions of physical activity and community sports participation, examining participation in physical activity and sport around the Olympic Games period in host countries, and exploring the temporal trends of population-level interest in exercise using the London 2012 Olympic Games as a case study. The first part of this legacy inquiry involved an audit of Olympic bid and policy documents regarding physical activity and community sport. For the second part, we extracted existing and publicly available physical activity or sports participation population data from the host region or country to assess prevalence before and after the Olympic Games. For the third part, we examined community searching behaviour on the Google Trends platform before and after the London 2012 Olympic Games, with time-series modelling of the search terms “exercise” and “Olympics” to assess the temporal relationships between community interest in these topics and the Olympic Games.

Section snippets

Pre-Olympic bid documents

We found no mention of community sport or physical activity in Olympic bid documents or post-Olympic Games reports until 2007–08 (table).45 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had initiated an Olympic Games global impact project in 2001, which suggested that cities collect indicator data before and after the Olympic Games that specifically include legacy information on grassroots sports participation. The Beijing 2008 Summer and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games were the first to

Population-level participation in physical activity and sports

We searched for available or published data from regular population surveys in countries that hosted the Olympic Games since 1996 to examine temporal trends in physical activity and sports participation (population physical activity or sport data sources and measures are shown in the appendix pp 1–3). We selected population-representative estimates that used consistent physical activity or sports participation measures spanning the Olympic Games period in host cities, states, or countries for

Olympic Games and population participation in physical activity

We found few examples of bid documents that included physical activity and sports participation strategies in the pre-Olympic planning process. Although mass events and campaigns to promote physical activity and sport are mentioned in the WHO Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030,3 the global public health potential for raising community awareness about physical activity through the Olympics is still to be realised. Links to the sport-for-all concept and the promotion of community

Physical activity legacy: recommendations for future Olympic Games and mass sporting events

The Olympic Games Global Impact study46 provided a framework for including sports participation and physical activity as a long-term legacy of the Olympic Games, but sparse evidence is available to show that this vision has been implemented or that such strategies have been effective. To reach this vision, a comprehensive national physical activity and sport plan is needed that starts well before the Olympic Games and is continued beyond the end. To capitalise on a successful Olympic Games bid,

Search strategy and selection criteria

We searched Google Scholar, CiNii, and private curations and archives using the terms “bid file”, “Olympics”, “policy OR strategy OR plan OR report OR legacy”, and the country or city name for references published at any date. References published in any language were considered. We also examined pre-Olympic Games bid documents, Olympic Games reports, International Olympic Committee reports, government policy documents, and other relevant grey literature for mention of “legacy”, “legacy plan”,

Declaration of interests

DD is supported by a Future Leader Fellowship from Heart Foundation Australia (#101234). AEB, MK, RSR, KM, NM, RPT, and PCH declare no competing interests.

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