A skilled and experienced host (original) (raw)

These include the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Grand Depart of the 2014 Tour de France, the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships, the 2018 Hockey Women’s World Cup, the 2019 Cricket World Cup, the Netball World Cup 2019, and the 2019 UCI Road World Championships.

In the near future, the UK will also stage 11 matches of UEFA EURO 2020 (at Hampden Park in Glasgow and Wembley in London, where both semi-finals and the final will be played), as well as the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

As well as showcasing British expertise in the staging of major sporting competitions, these events have brought significant economic benefits through jobs, investment and tourism. By way of example, the Grand Depart of the 2014 Tour de France in Yorkshire, northern England, attracted 4.8 million spectators and generated GBP 128 million for the local economy.

The government agency UK Sport is responsible for directing efforts to bring high-profile international sporting events to the country. It works closely with partners such as the national governing bodies of sport in bidding for and staging them. As well as playing a strategic and technical role in support of these aims, UK Sport invests National Lottery funding. It channelled GBP 40 million into a GBP 150 million programme designed to attract major sporting events to the UK across the 2013-2023 period. In providing financial support, it helps develop sound business plans and budgets to ensure investment levels are appropriate to each event.