Simon Shaw has his doubts

London Stadium, home of West Ham United — London Stadium, built for the 2012 Olympics

Twenty-one years ago the International Olympic Committee visited Stratford to examine London’s bid book for the 2012 Olympic Games.

The area was polished to perfection. You could hardly move for hanging flower baskets, community events and sporting activities showcasing the Borough and its young people.

Five legacy promises sat at the heart of London’s bid:

Make the UK a world-leading sporting nation.
Transform the heart of East London.
Inspire a generation of young people.
Make the Olympic Park a blue print for sustainable living.
Demonstrate that the UK is a creative, inclusive and welcoming place.

Let’s focus on the first promise: making the UK a world-lead ing sporting nation. As far as Newham was concerned, I was always a little sceptical.

In January 2012, Newham Council announced the closure of the Atherton Leisure Centre and admitted there was a risk of
reputational damage if funding could not be found to rebuild it. A local campaign ultimately embarrassed the Council into finding the money.

But what about the wider Olympic legacy in terms of sport, fitness and participation?

The evidence is far from clear. Research from Sheffield Hallam University, Did London 2012 Deliver a Sports Participation Legacy?, concluded that it is difficult to establish a direct link between the Games and long term increases in sporting participation.

So, while the Olympics may have inspired some people to become more active, proving a lasting participation legacy is much harder.

Earlier this year, Newham Council published its Physical Activity Health Needs Assessment.

The report identifies some genuine achievements: the expansion of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and School Streets, improved walking and cycling infrastructure, investment in parks and leisure facilities, and a growing range of community-based physical activity programmes.

But the report also delivers a sobering verdict. Physical inactivity in Newham remains consistently higher than both the London and England averages.

Significant inequalities persist, particularly among girls and young women, including those from South Asian backgrounds.

Twenty-one years after all those hanging flower baskets and carefully choreographed displays for the IOC, perhaps the reality is that while the Games transformed Stratford’s skyline, they have been less successful in transforming the activity levels of the people who live here.

The promised sporting legacy remains, at best, a work in progress.

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