66OLYMPIC REVIEWKNOWLEDGE TRANSFERPLANNING FOR LEGACIESCities and local communities benefit from theOlympic Games in many ways - there are the moreobvious ones, such as the venues or improvedinfrastructure, but there are many that are oftenoverlooked. A few examples from Vancouver 2010are an annual arts event, sports programmes forinner-city youth, as well as the skills gained by manypeople in the country. Knowledge Transfer helpsmaximise the positive impact of the Games bypooling wisdom and best practices. Once the Games have been hosted, the OCOGsleave the legacies in the hands of existing publicbodies, such as National Olympic Committees or citycouncils. But planning for these legacies starts at thevery earliest moment and forms a major part of anyOCOG's work. "The vision and legacy that Londonhas set out is in some ways quite forward-reachingin so far as the key emphasis is on inspiring young people," explains Pollard. "There wasn't a huge amount of knowledge transfer content in this area, so we're setting the marker for futureOCOGs to follow." Ultimately, this is what it is all about: to leavecommunities not just a lasting memory of an inspiring and well executed Games, but also amultitude of benefits that enhance people's lives foryears to come. BENEFICIAL PROCESSWith future host cities drawing on the wealth ofknowledge that is available from past Games, theIOC allows OCOGs to make their own preparationsmore efficient and effective, meaning they are ableto deliver the best Games possible. This process has proved invaluable since IOCPresident Jacques Rogge initiated it in 1998 during the preparations for the 2000 Games in Sydney."The process can have real and far-reachingbenefits," says Rogge. "At a time when the world isstruggling to come out of recession, staging one ofthe biggest sporting events in the world cansometimes feel daunting. This is natural. "To be supplied with first-hand knowledge fromthose who have been there before them, however,allows future host cities to make their own projectsas efficient and effective as possible and to gain a great deal of perspective." ?AboveTheVancouver GamesDebriefing, heldin Sochi in June2010, enabledmembers of theLondon, Sochiand Rio OCOGs to learn fromVANOC'sexperiences