Mega-Event Simulacrum: Critical Reflections on the Sustainability Legacies of the World Cup 2018 for the Russian Host Cities

ABSTRACT

The research critically reflects on the way that the 2018 FIFA World Cup Sustainability Strategy was implemented for Russian host cities through case studies of the cities of Kazan and Kaliningrad. The authors employ the term “mega-events simulacrum“ for actions that are a substitute for the social, economic and environmental changes required by mega-events, leaving the real needs of the local host communities unfulfilled. Comparative analysis shows that in contrast to Kaliningrad, the city of Kazan made a step forward in the employment of sustainability practices. However, most of them were imitative by nature to meet the rigid FIFA requirements but did not serve as a sustainability legacy for their own citizens.

Abbreviations

CEO Chief Executive Officer

FIFA Fédération Internationale de Football Association

FWC FIFA World Cup

IOC International Olympic Committee

LOC Local Organising Committee

NGO Non-profit governmental organisation

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The data collection was conducted with the support of the Russian Science Foundation, Grant No. 17-78-20106, “Russian megacities in the context of new social and environmental challenges: building complex interdisciplinary model of an assessment of ‘green’ cities and strategies for their development in Russia.” The analysis, conceptualization, and proofreading of the article was implemented with the support of a grant of the President of the Russian Federation no. МК-3338.2019.6 entitled “Designing a qualitative model assessing new forms of Russians’ urban digital participation in solving social-ecological problems and conflicts.”