08 January 2023 , 00:01
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The aim of the £8.8billion London Olympics championed by Boris Johnson to get more people playing sport has fallen flat, say MPs.
A devastating report by the Commons spending watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee, says in the three years after Mr Johnson as London mayor put on the 2012 Games participation in sport dropped.
It took a 2015 revamp of the community sport strategy to improve take up rates - but only by a measly 1.2%.
And Sport England only knows where £450million of the £1.5billion it showered in grants since has gone.
PAC says the organisation has no clue where the other two-thirds of the money went.
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PAC chair, Labour ’s Dame Meg Hillier said: “After the short-term financial boost there’s been precious little to show by way of legacy.
“Resets have not begun to bring the levelling-up benefits intended. More waste, more loss of desperately needed public money.”
It took a 2015 reboot to increase participation - but only by a tiny amount (PA)And committee member Nick Smith added: “Gyms and parks will be flooded this January with people resolving to get fitter and more active.
“We should be better equipped to capture this enthusiasm and support grassroots sports.”
The failure of the Games to increase local sport means that two in five people are not meeting official guidelines for recommended activity.
The committee has now told culture and sports ministers to pull their fingers out and target inactive groups and measure the progress they are making.
And it has ordered Sport England to find out exactly where its money is being spent.
DCMS must also work with the Levelling Up department to check the condition of leisure facilities and ensure they are financially viable.