Facilities – Olympic legacy, (surfaces, multi- use).

The idea

Facilities technology covers the design, surfaces and use of sports venues. An Olympic legacy is what remains after a Games: venues, transport, participation programmes and elite training environments that continue to serve sport. Legacy can be positive, such as a stadium converted for community and elite use, or negative, such as a venue that becomes too expensive to maintain. Surfaces are engineered for the demands of a sport: synthetic turf with rubber infill for hockey or football, mondo track for athletics, sprung wooden floors for gymnastics and sprung courts for basketball. Multi-use facilities share one space between several activities, often through movable seating, retractable dividers or interchangeable surfaces, which raises usage and spreads cost.

What earns the marks

• Olympic legacy is the lasting effect of hosting a Games, including venues, participation, transport, elite training and economic or social outcomes.
• Legacy can be positive, such as continued community and elite use of a venue, or negative, such as high maintenance costs or underused facilities.
• Surfaces are engineered for a sport's demands: synthetic turf with infill, mondo athletics track, sprung wooden floor for gymnastics and sprung courts for basketball.
• Multi-use facilities share space between activities using movable seating, retractable dividers or interchangeable surfaces, increasing usage and spreading cost.
• A correct answer links a facility feature to its effect on participation, performance or cost.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Treating Olympic legacy as automatically positive.

  Put it right: Legacy can be negative if venues are costly to maintain or fall into disuse.

• Confusing a surface with a venue.

  Put it right: The surface is the playing layer, such as synthetic turf or mondo track, while the venue is the whole facility.

• Assuming multi-use means the same surface suits every sport.

  Put it right: Multi-use often requires interchangeable or protective surfaces and movable equipment.

• Ignoring cost and maintenance when judging legacy.

  Put it right: Long-term funding and upkeep are central to whether a legacy succeeds.

Exam tips

• Link each facility feature to a clear effect on participation, performance or cost rather than describing it alone.
• Use a named surface and state the property it provides, such as grip, shock absorption or consistent bounce.
• When judging legacy, give both a positive and a possible negative outcome to show balanced understanding.