World Taekwondo events generate a wide range of positive impacts for host cities; London, Abidijan and Sharm El Sheikh

The London 2017 World Taekwondo Grand-Prix & World Para-Taekwondo Championshipsgenerated $1.18m (£900,000) of direct economic impact for Greater Londonand created a significant social legacy for the city and taekwondo in the UK, reveals a new study published by Sportcal.

Sportcal conducted in-depth research on the holistic impact of threeWorld Taekwondo eventsheldin 2017,as part oftheGlobal Sports Impact (GSI) Event Studies Programme:

- London 2017 World Taekwondo Grand-Prix & World Para-Taekwondo Championships

- Sharm El Sheikh 2017 World Taekwondo Cadet Championships

- Abidjan 2017 World Taekwondo Grand-Prix Final and Team Championships

The analysis has measured the impact of each eventacross a range of indicators covering economic, tourism, media, social media, sponsorship, sporting and social pillars, as defined by the GSI Project.

The London 2017World Taekwondo Grand-Prix & World Para-Taekwondo Championshipswere supported by 144 volunteers and incorporated a number of social programmes such as the anti-doping education programme, which engaged 315 attendees on-site, and theCapitalKicks programme, whichinvolved1,124 children and adults within Greater London.

The Sharm El Sheikh 2017 World Taekwondo Cadet Championships attracted 419 competitors, aged 12 to 14, from 46 nations across five continents to the Egyptian resort town.It was estimated that the attendance was 9,279, while the event was shown in30 nations through television, radio, online streaming and YouTube coverage.

TheAbidjan 2017 World Taekwondo Grand-Prix Final and Team Championships, featuring192 athletes from six continents,were broadcasted in 81 nations across five continents.The running of the event was supported by 298 domestic volunteers.

Dr.ChungwonChoue, President of World Taekwondo, said:

"The study of the GSI Event Study on the Grand-Prix Series 3 in London combined with the World Para-Taekwondo Championships, conducted by Sportcal, shows we met many of our objectives: We built closer relationships with the host city, London, our national federations and UK Sport; We created better awareness of the 2018 and 2019 events and developed a strong, transfer of knowledge, programme; We integrated the para-taekwondo championships making it more accessible and inclusive and finally we increased our athletes understanding of anti-doping through the on-site anti-doping education programme. The study shows what a broad range of outcomes our events deliver for host cities and governments which is important to show for future host cities".

Esther Britten, Head of Major Events, UK Sport, said:

"UK Sport invests National Lotteryfundinginto major events in the UK not just to bring the best of the world’s sports stars to our shores and inspire the next generation of fans and athletes, but because these events contribute to the local economy and have powerful social impacts too. ThisEvent Study clearly shows the economic and social impact from the World Taekwondo Grand Prix in London last year and we look forward to continuing to support the delivery of world class Taekwondo events in the UK, culminating in next year’s World Championships in Manchester".

Mike Laflin, CEO and Founder of Sportcal and the GSI Project, stated:

"We would like to thank WT, UK Sport and GBT for their excellent cooperation and support in making this study happen. The GSI Event Study programme aims to identify the different objectives that stakeholders have around hosting an event and how they go about achieving these objectives. The Grand Prix Series 3 and the World Para-Taekwondo Championships is an excellent example of how sport is used to deliver a whole range of outcomes, whether it be delivering medals and ranking points for domestic athletes or engaging more kids in taekwondo through projects like "TheCapital Kicks", key objectives for all three stakeholders. Sport delivers so many impacts that largely go unnoticed and this study once again demonstrates the true benefits of hosts and owners working closely together to deliver great outcomes from the hosting of major sporting events".

For further information about theGSI project and how to join theGSI Event Studies Programme, contactgsi@sportcal.com or visitwww.sportcal.com/GSI

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