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Abstract
Social impacts of hosting major sport events have gained interest among event researchers. This study contributes to this line of inquiry by assessing the impact of the arrival of a stage of the 2007 Tour de France in Ghent. Residents' perceptions of impacts were measured by using a pre- and post design, generating 396 and 235 valid questionnaires respectively. Exploratory factor analysis revealed seven impact factors. Overall, residents' perceptions of impacts have changed over time. The most highly perceived benefits in the pre- and post- test were cultural and image benefits, whereas the most highly perceived costs were excessive spending and mobility problems. The impact factors “cultural interest and consolidation” and “excessive spending and mobility problems” were significant predictors of residents' willingness to host the event in the future. Results suggest that developing a strategy of maximizing positive and minimizing negative impacts might be beneficial for obtaining social leverage.
