London 2012 legacy under the microscope and the USA muscles in on England Rugby League World Cup bid

With Rio 2016 in full swing following the opening ceremony and the first batch of events, it’s easy to get caught up in it all. Some sentimental old souls may even be reminiscing about the hazy summer of 2012 when London hosted the Games.

While the initial feelgood factor was undeniable, questions remain about whether any kind of legacy was created – questions those in Rio may be pondering themselves in a few years time.

At the start of the week we were bombarded with statistics about how hosting the Olympics has contributed to London hosting a number of other world-class sporting events, and therefore adding money to the public coffers – £1.6bn (US$2.1bn, €1.9bn) to be exact.

Later in the week the government tried to drive home the point with the publication of its legacy report, which asserts that by 2020 the Games will have generated up to £41bn (US$53.8bn, €48.5bn) for the national economy.

While Sadiq Khan was waxing lyrical about the effects of the Games, his former rival to be Labour’s candidate for Mayor of London – and former Olympic minister – Tessa Jowell argued that the coalition government had “destroyed” any chance to create a participation legacy after scrapping ring-fenced school sport money.

US rivals England for rugby league

Two events that Britain has a reasonable chance of hosting in the coming years are the 2021 Rugby League World Cup and the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

However, despite solid government backing for the former, the US has thrown its hat into the ring as a potential host country – a prospect that might be appealing for the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) looking to grow its presence globally.

Of the latter, Liverpool has made its biggest push yet to be the host city, taking advantage of the fact that Wales has declined to put a potential host city forward due to the expense of staging the Games. Mayor Joe Anderson, however, has stressed the need to do a full assessment of the city’s facilities and potential economic impact.

Call of duty

Elsewhere this week, Sports Management revealed that the government is due to receive recommendations from the Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson-led Duty of Care Working Group – which will have a bearing on the future wellbeing of individuals in elite and grassroots sport – by October.

Olympic special

Don’t forget to download Sports Management’s Rio 2016 Olympic special, which includes an in-depth look at all the facilities and tech being used. Plus interviews with the man behind the masterplan, Bill Hanway of AECOM, and UK Sport’s director of performance Simon Timson.