International Sporting Events (Hansard, 17 March 1997)

§ Mr. Sproat

The Government are strongly committed to providing promotional and diplomatic support for the bidding for and staging of major international sporting events in this country. The United Kingdom Sports Council, which was established on 1 January 1997, has, as one of its priority tasks, to help attract to this country major international sporting events. To ensure that there is a clear and co-ordinated UK strategy for all major events, we have asked the United Kingdom Sports Council to take the lead. Additionally the Government have demonstrated their commitment in a number of practical ways.

My Department chairs a wide-ranging working group to assist Manchester in organising a successful 2002 Commonwealth games, and to ensure that the event has the greatest possible impact, both nationally and internationally, in terms of sporting, tourism, economic and other benefits. The Welsh Office chairs a working group to ensure the success of the 1999 rugby world cup. I am also encouraging the British Tourist Authority to work closely with the organiser of events to ensure synergy, for example between the rugby world cup 1999 and the cricket world cup 1999, with a view to maximising the tourism benefits. Building on the success of Euro 96, the Government are strongly backing the Football Association's bid to host the 2006 world cup. We have already hosted two receptions on behalf of the FA, and I am chairing a co-ordinating group of FA and Government officials to ensure that we are assisting the FA as far as we are able.

To assist further, the sports councils have recently launched their national revenue grants programmes, one of which is designed to attract and stage those events which are of genuine major significance to the UK. The UK Sports Council advises the four home nation sports councils on the distribution of national lottery funds in support of bids for, and the staging of, major events in this country as well as on the facilities required to stage them.

All of these initiatives underline the importance which the Government attach to attracting and staging major events in this country.