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The research was carried out by Sport England and involved a telephone survey of telephone with 868 adults in England, as well as interviews with eleven national governing bodies of sport, including British Cycling.
According to the survey, 11 percent of the public questioned since Athens claim to have been inspired by British success and are now involved in more sport.
Fifteen percent said they are interested in doing more sport as a result of Team GBÂ’s success
Roger Draper, CEO of Sport England, said; “This research confirms what we already believed, that major international sporting events have a significant impact on boosting the public’s positive perceptions about sport. From the success achieved by our athletes at both the 2002 Commonwealth Games and again in Athens, we can clearly see the positive impact through people now taking up sport and others planning to do so in the near future."
The impact on levels of participation in sport would be even greater were London to win the bid to host the 2012 Games, claimed Sport England.
According to the feedback received by Sport England from eleven of the governing bodies that represent leading Olympic sports, including British Cycling.
Medal-winning sports like cycling, badminton and canoeing – which between them captured over 25 percent of BritainÂ’s 30 medals in Athens – see a London Olympics doubling or even trebling the number of active participants across the country.
According to Sport England, the majority of sports administrators say that interest in their sport has grown since the Athens Olympics. British Cycling reported significant increases in communication levels with potential newcomers to the sport.
