Major sporting events are becoming a key part of Britain’s Olympic ambitions
Great Britain is increasingly clearly linking the organisation of major sporting events with long-term Olympic and Paralympic goals. At the centre of such an approach is not only a question of prestige, but also a broader strategy intended to strengthen the country’s position as one of the leading sporting powers, increase international influence, open new opportunities for athletes and secure an economic impact for the cities and regions that take on the role of host. In the documents of UK Sport and the British government, major events, including so-called mega-events, are presented as an instrument that simultaneously serves elite sport, local communities, tourism, public health, international image and the development of the sporting system.
A strategy that goes beyond medals alone
UK Sport, the body responsible for investment in elite sport and support for the organisation of major international competitions, published a strategic framework entitled Making Live Sport Matter, in which it announces the ambition of attracting 70 events in 32 sports over the next decade, including 18 world championships. That programme is not conceived as an isolated calendar of major competitions, but as part of a broader sporting model in which hosting major events helps athletes in their preparations, increases the visibility of sports and creates additional opportunities for audience engagement. Within that framework, particular emphasis is placed on women’s sport, the integration of Olympic and Paralympic disciplines and innovative formats that can attract younger audiences and wider social groups.
Such an approach shows that Britain’s Olympic ambitions are no longer measured only by the number of medals at the Games. Medals remain the central indicator of success, but alongside them the issues of impact, legacy and sustainability are being highlighted ever more strongly. For the Paris 2024 Games, UK Sport set a target of 50 to 70 Olympic medals and 100 to 140 Paralympic medals, with the ambition of placing among the top five nations on both medal tables. Team GB won 65 Olympic medals in Paris, which confirmed the breadth of the British sporting system, although the number of gold medals opened a debate about how to maintain competitiveness in the next cycle. The Paralympic result was even stronger in terms of position on the table, with Great Britain among the leading teams.
The organisation of major events in that context gains a practical role. When world, European or other major competitions are held on home ground, athletes get the opportunity to perform in front of a familiar audience, in a logistically more favourable environment and often in competitions that carry qualification points or direct qualification for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. UK Sport’s 2023 report on the value of events states that most of the events supported by that organisation that year had sporting importance for Olympic or Paralympic qualification. In this way, hosting is not viewed only as a spectacle for spectators, but also as an integral part of preparations for the biggest sporting stage.
Mega-events as part of state policy
The British government’s Gold Framework for major sporting events emphasises that the largest sporting events can contribute to a range of public priorities. The document stresses that such events can bring an economic boost, attract visitors, encourage investment, create jobs and give host areas international visibility. Even more importantly for sports policy, the government states that targeted legacy plans can improve sports facilities, expand opportunities for participation in sport and physical activity and create longer-term social effects.
The role of the state is clearly defined in this regard. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport leads support at the United Kingdom level, while UK Sport works with national sports federations, cities, regions and other public bodies on selecting goals, preparing bids and financing events. UK Sport identifies three key roles in the area of major events: strategic, financial and technical. This means that it is not only about approving funds, but also about assessing feasibility, preparing business plans, providing technical support to organisers and aligning events with long-term sporting priorities.
Mega-events are events of special weight in the British model. They usually involve high costs, complex organisation, a large number of spectators, strong security requirements, international media attention and the need for public guarantees. Nevertheless, precisely because of such reach, they are considered important for sports diplomacy and reputation. After London 2012, Great Britain built a strong image as a country capable of organising global sporting events, and now that capital is being turned into a long-term hosting programme that will follow Olympic cycles through to Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.
From Paris 2024 towards Los Angeles 2028
After the Paris Games, the focus of the British sporting system shifted to Los Angeles 2028. In December 2024, UK Sport announced an investment of 330 million pounds from government and lottery funds for more than 50 sports in the Olympic and Paralympic cycle towards Los Angeles. The organisation described it as its largest investment to date, with the intention of maintaining continuity of success, but also expanding the base of sports that can compete at the biggest competitions. Among the sports returning to or entering the Games programme in 2028, baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, para climbing and squash were particularly highlighted.
Funding for top athletes and support for major events are connected in the British model. Money for preparations, coaches, expert teams and the development of sports programmes creates the basis for medals, while hosting international competitions can provide an additional competitive impulse and commercial visibility. For sports that are on the edge of greater public recognition, a home event can be a turning point: it attracts media, increases the interest of children and young people, opens space for sponsors and can help federations develop a more sustainable operating model.
The British result in Paris 2024 illustrates both the strength and the challenges of the system. The total number of Olympic medals confirmed that Team GB remained highly competitive across a wide range of sports, but the smaller number of gold medals raised the question of the effectiveness of investment in certain disciplines and the ability to convert finals and podium places into victories. The Paralympic system, with a long tradition of top results, continued to maintain a high international position. In both cases, hosting major competitions can be an additional tool, but not a substitute for systematic investment in coaches, infrastructure, sports science, medical support and talent development.
The list of ambitions shows the breadth of the plan
In its strategic framework, UK Sport stated that Great Britain had already had in preparation or secured a series of major events, including the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, the European Athletics Championships 2026 and UEFA EURO 2028. Government announcements then broadened the picture of the hosting calendar, also citing the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2026, the Invictus Games 2027 in Birmingham and major cricket competitions in 2026 and 2030. The intention of a joint British bid for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035 also stands out, which would be one of the largest sporting events the country has not yet hosted.
That list reveals a shift in priorities. Traditionally major events, such as football, athletics, rugby or golf competitions, still have great importance because of their reach, economic impact and global audience. However, the strategy increasingly includes urban sports, integrated formats of men’s and women’s competitions, para sport and concepts that can fit into existing urban infrastructure. Such a model corresponds to the international trend in which organisers of major sporting events are trying to move away from expensive, one-off infrastructure projects and towards more sustainable, more flexible and more socially justified solutions.
Women’s sport has a special role. In the British strategy, it is not presented as an addition to the traditional sporting calendar, but as one of the main directions of future growth. After the strong commercial and media development of women’s football, rugby and cricket, hosting major women’s competitions is becoming a way to increase audiences, attract new sponsors and strengthen the country’s international position in a rapidly growing segment. This is also connected with the Olympic system because an increasing number of women’s disciplines are developing in a highly competitive professional environment.
Economic impact and the question of public value
The argument for organising a mega-event often begins with economics, but it does not end there. UK Sport’s 2023 events report cited 373 million pounds of direct economic impact in the programme of supported events, total attendance of 1.1 million spectators and more than 4,000 supported jobs expressed in full-time equivalent. Such data are used as evidence that public investment can produce a broader return, especially when events attract visitors, fill hotels, stimulate hospitality, transport and local services and increase the international exposure of host areas.
Still, the economic effects of major events often depend on methodology, the size of public investment, existing infrastructure and the ability to continue using the benefits after the end of the competition. That is why British documents increasingly speak about legacy, not only about revenue. Legacy can mean renovated sports facilities, new volunteer networks, greater involvement of children in sport, a higher number of coaches, stronger local clubs or better access to sport for people with disabilities. Without such effects, major events can remain expensive short-term spectacles; with them, they can become part of long-term public policy.
This is precisely where the key connection with Olympic ambitions lies. Olympic success does not arise only in elite centres and sports science laboratories, but also in the broader ecosystem that creates interest, recruits talent and keeps sports visible between two editions of the Games. Major events can help create that ecosystem, but only if they are connected with local programmes, schools, clubs and accessible infrastructure. Otherwise, the effect on participation may be limited and short-lived.
The host’s reputation as a sporting advantage
Hosting major sporting events also has a reputational dimension. A country that regularly organises complex international events strengthens relations with international federations, sports leaders, sponsors and media companies. This can help with future bids, but also with positioning athletes and federations in international structures. In sport, where decisions on hosting rights, rules, calendars and development priorities often depend on a network of international relations, such visibility is not insignificant.
After London 2012, Great Britain often used the argument of organisational experience. The successful delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, together with a series of later world and European championships, created a platform for new bids. But competition is becoming ever stronger. UK Sport warns in its documents that the future pipeline of major events is narrowing and that international rivals are investing ever more strongly in attracting the same competitions. This means that past reputation is no longer enough; clear bids, sustainable financial models and convincing legacy plans are needed.
In that sense, mega-events also become a test of governance. The public is monitoring costs, security requirements, environmental impact, traffic burdens and real benefits for communities ever more carefully. Bids that rely only on the promise of prestige are finding it increasingly difficult to pass political and social scrutiny. The British strategy therefore seeks to combine elite sporting results with arguments about economic benefit, social inclusion and sustainability. Such a framework may be decisive if bids for the world’s largest competitions are developed in the coming years.
Risks: costs, inflation and pressure on the sporting system
Despite the ambitious programme, organising major events carries serious risks. UK Sport’s analysis of the state of the sector warned of the consequences of a turbulent period marked by the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, the pandemic, inflation, rising energy prices, the cost-of-living crisis and broader geopolitical instability. Such factors increase organisational costs, make planning more difficult and can reduce the willingness of the public and private sectors to take on financial obligations. Major events often require guarantees, security measures, temporary infrastructure and complex operating systems, so any price increase can quickly change the initial calculation.
There is also the question of priorities. Investment in events must be aligned with funding for athletes, coaches, grassroots sport, school programmes and local facilities. If mega-events are presented as the only route towards Olympic success, there is a risk that the everyday infrastructure from which athletes come will be neglected. But for now, the British model is trying to position events as an additional layer of the system, not as a substitute for long-term investment. The record package for the Los Angeles 2028 cycle shows that elite sport continues to be funded directly, while events are used to create a broader environment for success.
Sustainability will become increasingly important. International federations, governments and local communities are increasingly demanding emissions reductions, the use of existing facilities, realistic budgets and transparent measurement of impact. In its event reports, UK Sport has already highlighted the use of tools for measuring carbon and waste footprints at certain competitions. Such mechanisms may become standard in future bids, especially for events that want to prove that they bring not only short-term media attention, but also responsible public value.
What major events mean for the Olympic future
The British strategy shows that Olympic ambitions are increasingly being built through a combination of medal funding, international hosting, social impact and reputational policy. Mega-events and major championships in this model are a tool that can strengthen athletes, federations, cities and the country’s international position. But the success of such an approach will not be measured only by the number of bids won. It will be measured by whether events truly help athletes in their preparations, whether they attract new audiences, whether they leave useful infrastructure and whether public investments are justified by measurable benefits.
By Los Angeles 2028, the British sporting system will have the opportunity to show whether it can draw lessons from the Paris cycle and turn the breadth of medals into even stronger competitiveness for gold. At the same time, the series of major events being planned or already coming to British cities will serve as a test of the thesis that hosting world competitions can be more than a sporting spectacle. If the strategy is implemented consistently, major events could become one of the key levers of British Olympic and Paralympic policy in a decade in which competition for medals, audiences and hosting rights is becoming increasingly intense.
Sources:
- UK Sport – strategic framework Making Live Sport Matter and list of targeted major events (link)
- UK Sport – overview of investment in major sporting events and the organisation’s role in bids, financing and technical support (link)
- Government of the United Kingdom – Gold Framework for supporting major sporting events and public benefits of mega-events (link)
- UK Sport – announcement on the investment of 330 million pounds for the Olympic and Paralympic cycle towards Los Angeles 2028 (link)
- UK Sport – targets for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024, including the expected medal range and ambition of placing among the top five (link)
- Team GB – official overview of the Olympic performance in Paris 2024 and the total number of medals (link)
- International Paralympic Committee – official results and medal standings for the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024 (link)
- Government of the United Kingdom – announcement on investments and the calendar of major sporting events, including EURO 2028 and other secured events (link)
- UK Sport – report on the value of sporting events in 2023 and their economic, social and sporting impacts (link)