Although the 2014 Commonwealth Games brought €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) in national gross value to its Scottish hosts, that amount is about equal to what the cost of the games could have achieved through other projects, a Scottish government legacy report says.
Inside the Games covers the Scottish report here, a report that came out on the one-year anniversary of the Games’ Opening Ceremonies.
The Commonwealth Games brought in €1.1 billion, or $1.2 billion in American dollars, in national gross value, according to the report. Over the 7 years between Scotland winning the bid for the Commonwealth Games and the hosting of the Games themselves, the event brought about €554 million – or $609 million – to the city of Glasgow alone.
The report throws out some huge numbers. The Games supported 2,100 jobs each year in that window, between 2007 and 2014. The event itself brought in about 690,000 spectators, or a total of €104 million ($114 million) in new money into the local economy.
Still, the Games cost Scotland €603 million (or $663 million) in public money, according to the Inside the Games, and the report claims that the same sum of money could produce about the same economic impact if spent on other things.
The report does say that the legacy of the Games could continue to improve as the sporting arenas built for the Games host other events. It also notes that hosting the Games could help boost overall physical activity and fitness levels within Scotland, though it’s too soon to tell whether there are any noticeable impacts yet.