Inspiring a generation: the impression management of the London 2012 sport participation legacy

This study critically examines the London 2012 summer Olympic games sport participation legacy through Goffman’s dramaturgical framework. The UK government, in its bid to host the Games, set out to inspire a generation, promising an enduring legacy of increased school and community sport participation. Using official government surveys, this study analyzes quantitative school and community sport participation data from 2008 to 2023. These quantitative data are contrasted with a thematic analysis of the government’s qualitative evaluations of the London 2012 legacy to assess the extent to which the messaging in the qualitative evaluations mirror the quantitative data. The quantitative data reveal that the sport participation legacy targets were not met, with no sustained increase in participation across schools or community sport. However, the government’s qualitative legacy evaluation presents a different reality. In many respects, the government’s qualitative reporting can be seen as a theatrical performance, conducted through fixed media, and craftily scripted in the backstage area with strong themes of idealisation, deviation, distraction and misrepresentation, to enable a front stage delivery that would leave the audience (including the historical record) convinced that the legacy aspirations had been realised and the games a roaring success. The analysis underscores the magical qualities of legacy, warns of future risks to the credibility of the construct, and calls for enhanced oversight of legacy governance.