The 2023 International Cycling Union (UCI) Cycling World Championships delivered UK£205 million (US$258 million) in economic impact for host country Scotland, according to a report from Ernst & Young (EY).
Confirmed:
- UK£344 million (US$433 million) of incremental spend resulted in UK£205 million gross value added (GVA) economic impact for Scotland
- UK£129 million (US$163 million) GVA for Glasgow and UK£214 million (US$270 million) GVA for the UK
- Total visitor spend in Scotland was UK£220 million (US$277 million)
- Total cumulative attendance of just over one million spectators over 11-day event
- 40 per cent of spectators were female
- Global television audience of 537 million, with championships broadcast in 130 countries totalling around 14,000 hours of programming
- Around 200 million hours were watched live on television globally
- 28.6 million people reached through 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships social channels
- More than 600 million people reached through mentions on social media
Context:
This was the inaugural edition of the UCI Cycling World Championships, which was held between 3rd and 13th August last year. Of the key findings, the approximate 200 million hours watched live on TV globally was 78 per cent more than the combined average for a typical year of separate UCI World Championships between 2017 and 2022.
More broadly, the event demonstrates the potential of major sporting events to generate multiple tangible benefits, including economic growth, social inclusion, environmental awareness, and community engagement.
Comment:
“The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow and across Scotland were an unprecedented success at every level,” said UCI president David Lappartient. “As the EY report shows, this success extends beyond sport, to the economy, tourism and sustainable development.
“An event like the one we experienced in August 2023 leads to long-term benefits for the host communities and their residents. We are all the more pleased because, well before it took place, this was the event’s main objective: to delight those who love sport, but also to ensure that the power of the bike would enable the organisers of the UCI Cycling World Championships to achieve broader objectives related to development, wellbeing, and health.”
Coming next:
The UAE Tour Women is next up on the UCI calendar, taking place from 8th to 11th February.
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