Day 2: Plenary Keynote - Research, Policy and Practice

Dr Adam Brown, Substance

“There is a lot of rhetoric about what events can do but very little evidence that they actually do deliver social and economic benefits.”

“What the 2012 rules about branding says to voluntary and community groups is ‘Back off, you’re not part of this’.”

“If you want to improve social inclusion, work with those people who are already doing it, don’t try to reinvent the wheel.”

“Longer term engagement is the key – it isn’t taking part that matters, it’s what that leads to.”

“If you want the Olympics to regenerate an area for the benefit of everybody then things have to be very different this time.”

“Research needs to be embedded, monitoring and evaluation needs to be integral to an event itself, and there needs to be more honest and open debate where criticism is possible.”

Professor Justin O’Connor, Leeds University

“There is a new cultural politics of sport, based on the idea that fans themselves co-create the values.”

“Football clubs take fan loyalty for granted and see it something they can exploit without any sense of responsibility.”

“There is a democratic cultural deficit around sport and sporting events.”

“The culturalisation of sporting events brings with it a new cultural politics.”

Steve Mannix, London 2012 Cultural Olympiad

“It will be the largest programme of this kind the world has ever seen.”

“The Olympic movement has never worked with the sophistication of our cultural sector.”

“Access and legacy are central to our plans and partnerships.”

“We hope to use the Games as a catalyst but we can’t wave a magic wand and solve all these issues.”