A Loughborough University academic has been invited to play a key role in exploring whether a long lasting legacy from the London 2012 Games is being achieved.

Professor Ian Henry has been appointed as Specialist Adviser to the House of Lords Select Committee on the Legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Professor Henry is one of the most eminent authorities on the Olympic movement through his role as the Director of the Centre for Olympic Studies & Research, based in the University’s School of Sport and Exercise Sciences.

Speaking of his appointment Professor Henry said:

“I am delighted to have been appointed to advise the Select Committee and to be involved in such highly significant policy discussions on the area of Olympic legacy, which is a key interest not just in academic terms but also personally.

“The Committee is both very knowledgeable and contains highly motivated members. As such it is a privilege to be able to contribute to the thinking of the committee and provide support on areas that it wishes to pursue.”

The Select Committee will be responsible for looking across all areas of legacy, including regeneration, economic benefits and international trade and Investment. But Professor Henry will be specifically advising on the sporting legacy.

Professor Henry attended his first meeting last week which included evidence from Lord Coe, Former Chair of LOCOG and the Prime Minister’s Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Ambassador, and representatives from UK Sport, the British Olympic Association and the British Paralympic Association.

Explaining the significance of the sporting legacy Professor Henry stated:

“There are perhaps two headline aspects to the sports legacy work.  Firstly the organisation of the Games and the sporting performances by our athletes are major success stories. How we can explain why we were successful and how we can reproduce such a performance, represent very positive and important aspects relating to legacy.”

“The other headline issue is the participation debate – whether hosting the Games stimulated the population to actively engage with sport.  It is most important to find out what worked and what didn’t so we can ensure that learning can be obtained not only domestically but also for host nations of future Games.”

Further details about the House of Lords Select Committee on the Legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games can be found here.

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