Previous guest of The Drive Phase and Deputy Chair of Birmingham 2022 has called for greater inclusivity and diversity in the Legacy of the Games. Geoff Thompson was one of the representatives at a town hall meeting three months from the close of the Games in Birmingham.
As the founder and chair of Youth Charter, Thompson called for a redefinition of the legacy of major sporting events. He argued that more needed to be done to create a long-term positive impact on surrounding communities.
He spoke at Europe’s largest independent Black-owned business and arts centres, The Legacy Centre of Excellence in Perry Barr. In the town hall session entitled ‘Beyond the Games: How can sport for development contribute to an impactful legacy for major events?’, he spoke alongside representatives from local community sports providers. The event provided an assessment of the social impact created by the Commonwealth Games.
He emphasises the need for major sporting events to be characterised by diversity in actuality. Not just in aesthetics but in their thinking, creativity and knowledge. He added that whilst sustainability was an increasingly popular concept, the sector risked becoming “a sector and now an industry – and that is fundamentally wrong.”
To find out more insights from Geoff Thompson at Sport For Development’s town hall session, see here, and for more on his involvement in the Games, you can listen to his show on The Drive Phase podcast!
