Visit Scotland | Alba
Article published 07/02/2024

Significant benefits for the country

The inaugural 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships delivered significant social, economic and environmental benefits for Glasgow, Scotland, and the UK, according to an independent study published today (7 February).

Delivered by Ernst & Young, the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships socio-economic impact evaluation report highlights the positive impact across three key outcome areas, including economic impact, social contribution, and sustainability.

The impact was measured through extensive data gathered through both primary and secondary research, together with benchmarks from Ernst & Young's extensive global experience of delivering cycling and sporting event economic impact studies, including in Europe and Australia.

Read the full report on uci.org

Cyclist with Scottish flag on their cheek (credit: SWPix)

Cyclist with Scottish flag on their cheek (credit: SWPix)

Gross value added

£344 million

of incremental spend resulting in gross value economic impact

£129 million

gross value added economic impact for Glasgow

£205 million

gross value added economic impact for Scotland

£214 million

gross value added economic impact for the UK

A catalyst for positive change

The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships had inclusion at its core. It actively made a positive difference to the lives of others by harnessing the power of the bike to build a more inclusive Scotland.

  • 93% of spectators with long-standing physical or mental impairments, illness, or disability felt the event was accessible. 

It saw the full integration of para-cycling road and track into the competition schedule. The women elite road race brought the curtain down on the event after 11 days of exhilarating action.

  • 93% of teams agreed that the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds was a world-class event that strengthened the successful delivery of an innovative event that provides a model for the future.

 

Volunteers played a vital role

An amazing team of 3,500 volunteers, representing 73 nationalities, delivered over 63,000 hours of support to the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. They were a critical element of the success of the event, elevating the spectator experience.

The report indicated that 27% of volunteers wanted to be involved with the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds to gain new skills. This was achieved with over 11,000 hours of training completed by volunteers.

Riders celebrate a win at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships (credit: SWPix)

 Riders celebrate a win at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships (credit: SWPix) 

Jobs and local investment

3,312

fulltime equivalent employment supported by the event in Glasgow

5,285

fulltime equivalent employment supported by the event in Scotland

5,878

fulltime equivalent employment supported by the event in the UK

£6 million

so far invested across all 32 local authorities in Scotland

Event statistics

In addition to gross value added and employment impacts, the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships successfully engaged a global audience, profiling Scotland as a tourism destination and a world-leading major event host.

  • Attendance statistics

    Total cumulative attendance of just over 1 million spectators over the 11 days of the event.

    On average, spectators attended 3.2 days of the event.

    The highest attendance took place on Sunday 6 August when 356,000 spectators attended across seven UCI World Championships events.

    £220 million total visitor spend in Scotland.

  • Broadcast statistics

    537 million TV audience.

    Broadcast in 130 countries, totalling around 14,000 hours of programming.

    Around 200 million hours were watched live on television globally over 11 days.

    78% more hours watched than the combined average for a typical year of separate UCI World Championships between 2017 and 2022.

  • Social media statistics

    Social media reaching 28.6 million people through their own social channel.

    4 million event website views.

    20.6 million video views.

    Over 600 million people reached through mentions on social media.

    1.9 billion unique impressions of the #glasgowscotland2023 and #powerofthebike tags on social media.

  • Spectator statistics

    97% of attendees found the event inclusive.

    95% of Scottish spectators felt proud that Scotland was hosting the event.

    82% of spectators used a form of active travel during the event.

    91% of spectators likely to recommend Scotland as a holiday destination.

  • Press coverage

    The event had 1,000 items of global press coverage

    Global press coverage reached over 1.5 billion people.

    81% positive sentiment in media coverage.

Sustainability at the core

The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships underlined its ambition to be a leader in environmental innovation and sustainable development in sport by becoming a signatory of the United Nations Sports for Climate Change Action Framework. 

The championships were focused on enhancing climate change awareness and sustainability upskilling.

They encouraged the use of sustainable transport (45% of fleet vehicles were hybrid or EV / 35% of workforce vehicles were bikes), waste being diverted from landfill, energy use from renewable sources, as well as sustainability standards being a core part of the procurement process.

Key report findings found that: 

  • 86% of stakeholders, including those from government, sporting bodies, and environmental bodies, felt the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds were delivered in an environmentally responsible way.

  • As a global event, carbon-intensive methods of travel were unavoidable. However, 35% of competing teams have used or intend to use a means of offsetting their carbon footprint in relation to their travel to the event.

Para-road cyclist competing at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships (credit: SWPix)

The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow and across Scotland were an unprecedented success at every level.

As the Ernst & Young 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.

David Lappartient, UCI President

The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships stand as a testament to the benefits that major events can bring to our communities across Scotland.

This report showcases the powerful legacy of the event, one that extends beyond simply winning medals – it boosted the economy and inspired healthier lifestyles.

The event successfully connected with a global audience.

With a million attendees, and over 1.5 billion people reached through media coverage, it not only showcased sporting excellence, but also reaffirmed Scotland's place as the perfect stage to host major events.

Angus Robertson, Culture Secretary

We set our ambitions high to create something truly spectacular for the athletes, the fans and for the wider community with the first-ever combined UCI Cycling World Championships.

The study underlines that this event was about much more than eleven days of incredible performance, it delivered a variety of social, economic and environmental benefits, setting a benchmark for future editions and paving the way for positive longer-term change. 

Scotland’s reputation as the perfect stage for events is recognised nationally and internationally, and its enviable global reputation as a major events powerhouse was further reinforced as a result of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. Events of this scale not only provide the opportunity to create memorable experiences, but they have the power to connect, inspire and transcend boundaries.

Paul Bush OBE, Chair of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships

From the first race to the last; riders, fans and officials told us that the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships would go down in history as not only the biggest, but one of the greatest ever held.

Now we can see in black and white just what that means for the city – not only economically, but in terms of civic pride, our global reputation as a leading events host and as a catalyst for change.

One of the big themes of the event was ‘The Power of the Bike’. For Glasgow, that will continue to be the chance to make an already great city more vibrant and healthier; accessible, active and connected.

Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council

We always knew that the true power of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships would be in the legacy it left behind.

Through the millions invested in community facilities in Scotland, the thousands finding opportunities to ride through clubs and events across Britain, and the millions left awestruck by the unique joy and thrills of our sport across the world, this event delivered in spades.

Jon Dutton OBE, British Cycling CEO

The inaugural 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships showcased an outstanding 11 days of sport across Scotland, and UK Sport are delighted to have worked with partners across the UK to deliver this incredible event – a global first for the sport of cycling.

Hosting major events like this continues to demonstrate the UK’s reputation as one of the world’s leading hosts, creating extraordinary sporting moments that reach, unite and inspire the nation. 

We are delighted The National Lottery investment into the event ensured the biggest cycling event in history delivered meaningful social, economic and environmental benefits for Scotland and the UK, making a positive difference to the lives of others and their local communities.

Esther Britten, Head of Major Events at UK Sport

Being part of a home World Championship was undoubtedly the highlight of my career, made even more special by the fact it was the first time a combined Cycling Worlds had taken place.

The crowds across Scotland were incredible, and I’ve no doubt it will have inspired people to get on their bikes, and opened their eyes to the many forms of cycling.

Reuben Oakley, British cyclist

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