The Trickle Down Effect
There has been a lot of talk about the legacy from the London 2012 Olympics. Much has been said about the drop-off rates at various sports clubs and organisations, but if you are looking to understand the effect TeamGB's Olympic cycling team, for instance, has had on the wider world all you need to do is look out of my window around 7.00am
Five years ago the number of people cycling past on their way to work could be counted on the fingers of one hand, yesterday I counted over 100 cyclists in less than an hour. The reasons are many, including the ever-increasing cost of public transport, better cycling infrastructure, the increase in desk-bound jobs etc. etc.
But the real legacy that London 2012 left behind was, it's now cool to be into sport, and to be sporty. For years people felt they needed to apologise for being a runner, a cyclist, a just about anything that wasn't football. Not anymore. The success of TeamGB in London 2012 and now in Rio has given people permission to be into sport, any sport, all sports.
The area of London I live in is affluent and many indulge in buying themselves trophy cars, Aston Martins, Porche, etc. but that mindset is dying out as the heart attacks kick in. Replaced by a need and desire to get out and do something physical, something difficult and challenging and altogether more personally rewarding than sitting in a metal box stuck in traffic on the M25
The quiet, very personal change in the way people from all walks of life, think about themselves, will in time revolutionise our cities, our transport systems and our health. To my way of thinking, that is a legacy worth its weight in gold.
