Alec Lochore: We are already reaping the rewards of the Olympics

Published on 11/08/2012 00:00

A RECENT and not unpredictable survey suggests that interest in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games has experienced an Olympic “bounce” thanks to the huge success of the London 2012 Games.

More people plan to buy tickets and more people feel the 2014 Games will have a positive effect on Scotland.

But while an interest in Glasgow 2014 is to be welcomed, surely we had hoped for that “bounce’”to come sooner? After all, staging the Olympics is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

We have evidence that “bounce” has reached Scotland already, and hopefully is here to stay. I had the honour of planning and project-managing the Olympic eventing competition at Greenwich Park, and was delighted by the fantastic reception equestrian sports have received during London 2012, helped of course by dramatic British success.

Scotland’s most popular eventing championship, the Blair Castle International Horse Trials, is due to take place at the end of the month. It has now benefited from something of the Olympic Effect, having already seen unprecedented interest, with a 10 per cent increase in advance ticket sales and record applications for trade stands. Organisers expect the competition to benefit the Scottish economy to the tune of £4 million.

Whether this upsurge in interest is spurred by the hope that a British Olympic medallist may compete in Scotland, or more simply by the fever pitch interest in sport as a whole, this is tangible evidence of the Olympic “bounce” here in Scotland, which has positively affected tourism, trade and sport itself.

The elephant in the room is whether Scotland will benefit from the Olympic “legacy”.

Scotland has more than played its part in Team GB’s success and it is up to us to extract the benefits. I expect many Scottish organisations will be executing strategies designed to help them profit from the Olympics – there are many natural links, and many tangential ones, but either way it would be foolish to wait two years for us to reap the rewards.

• Alec Lochore is event director of the Blair Castle International Horse Trials & Eventing Manager of London 2012 Olympic Games.