Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 October 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can confirm what the full cost and impact of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships has been.
From 3 to 13 August 2023, Scotland proudly hosted the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships – the biggest cycling event ever. This historic and innovative event brought together 13 existing UCI World Championships to create a new ‘mega event’ that will be held every four years in the year preceding the Olympics.
More than 7,000 elite and amateur athletes from 131 countries competed, with 220 World Championship titles awarded. Around 1 million visitors attended the Championships, over a third of whom came from outside Scotland, with people travelling from five continents.
The event was a significant success for Scotland, economically and reputationally. It brought total GVA for Scotland of £205 million, with £129 million in total GVA for Glasgow. The total visitor spend in Scotland was £220 million. The Championships enjoyed significant international coverage, resulting in a global media equivalency value of £330 million for Scotland.
The Scottish Government was a Principal Funder for the Championships, alongside Glasgow City Council, UK Sport and British Cycling. The original budget for the event was £50 million, set in 2018. However, while significant efforts were made to bear down on costs throughout the project, the impact of Covid and inflationary pressures meant it was not possible to deliver the high-quality product required in the legal agreement with the UCI, the event rights holder, within the budget envelope. I can therefore confirm that the full cost of the Championships was £61.4 million. There is a small caveat to this figure which is still subject to final project closure and final company accounts being prepared and submitted, but there is no expectation that this will have a material impact on the overall figure.
The breakdown of costs is as follows:
Area | Cost |
Commercial | £2.5 million |
Governance and Business Services | £14.7 million |
Marketing and Communications | £1.9 million |
Operations | £7.3 million |
Policy | £0.1 million |
Sport | £27.1 million |
Workforce | £7.7 million |
The Scottish Government’s original forecast funding contribution for the event was £30 million, however the final figure, in part due to inflation, is £39.2 million. We are clear that the significant direct economic and long-term reputational benefits are such that hosting the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships provided a very positive return for this investment.
Our successful delivery in Glasgow and across Scotland in August 2023 leaves a fantastic blueprint for the next iteration of the Cycling World Championships in France in 2027, and for future major events in Scotland.