Delivering Success: Engagement, Legacy and Vision Olympic Winter Games 2026 Case Study Chicago 2016 Chicago’s candidature for the Olympic Games 2016 helped advance social cohesion in a city that has faced real challenges in this area. A primary objective of the candidature was Chicago has traditionally been a “city to put in place social programmes that would of neighbourhoods”. One of the outcomes of help support the local community through the candidature was to bring the community sport. A youth sports organisation, World together through shared pride in the city’s Sport Chicago, was established in 2007 with efforts. The experience proved that people from the aim of creating sporting opportunities for different neighbourhoods and backgrounds children each year. Ten years later, it is still in could work together for common bene昀椀t and operation and last year introduced around helped set the scene for future development, 3,500 youngsters from the city into sport. particularly in relation to collaboration between public and private sectors. One of World Sport Chicago’s most impactful programmes is “Becoming a Man” (BAM), which promotes prevention of violence and educational enrichment. A detailed study We may not have won the honour by Sara Heller, Harold A. Pollack, Roseanna 30,000 Ander and Jens Ludwig notes that this of hosting the Games in 2016, but programme has successfully increased we have positively impacted the youngsters introduced to sport Read the full study here school engagement and reduced arrests lives of thousands of kids, and we for violent crime by 44 per cent among look forward to expanding our participants compared to non-participants. programmes in the months and years 44% As they identify, the effect of this is signi昀椀cant: “Depending on how one monetises the to come to reach even more youth. reduction in violent crime social costs of crime, the bene昀椀t-cost ratio amongst participants may be as high as 30:1 from reductions in Patrick G. Ryan criminal activity alone.” Chairman of World Sport Chicago Social Unity 21