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ABSTRACT
The spiralling costs of hosting sports mega-events (SMEs) are usually justified by the ‘legacies’ that they produce. Therefore, this article begins by problematising the notion of SME ‘legacies’ and the benefits they are intended to bring to hosts. The article serves as a general introduction to the papers that follow in this Special Issue. Common to all papers is a concern with the multifaceted nature of ‘legacy’, its meaning to a variety of stakeholders involved in such events and how this impacts policy. The belief in the causal relationship between hosting major events and the realisation of specific legacies – increased sport participation in London’s case, highlighted in this paper – underpinned the United Kingdom’s bidding for, and subsequent hosting of, the Olympics. Thus, this paper serves as a discussion of some of the key concepts in, and assumptions about, the use of SMEs to produce a legacy for the hosting state.
Acknowledgement
The authors wish to acknowledge the support of the Leverhulme Trust, Grant no: IN_2014_036, in funding the project upon which this Special Issue is based.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. The ‘coalition of beneficiaries’ are stakeholders who accentuate the positives of hosting SMEs. The group comprises international sports governing bodies, such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), national governing bodies of sport, non-sporting national governments and their subsidiary organisations, politicians, sports administrators, business leaders and sections of the media.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Jonathan Grix
Jonathan Grix is a Reader in Sport Policy and Politics in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham. He has published widely in the area of sport politics and policy. His latest research monographs include Sport under Communism. Behind the East German “Miracle” (co-authored with Mike Dennis) (Palgrave, 2012) and Sport Politics: An Introduction (Palgrave, 2016). Jonathan is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics.
Paul Michael Brannagan
Paul Michael Brannagan is a Doctoral Researcher of Sociology within Loughborough University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, and a Teaching Fellow in Sport Policy and Politics at the University of Birmingham’s School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences. He is one of the few scholars concentrating on the contemporary influence of modern sport in the Middle East, with a particular focus on the state of Qatar and its acquisition of the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals. Through this, Paul has uncovered the crucial role sport is playing in Qatar’s wider socio-political objectives.
Hannah Wood
Hannah Wood is a Research Associate in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham. She has a diverse research background which includes working on an international project evaluating the legacy of sports mega events. She now researches in the area of physical education, health and well-being, youth and digital technology.
Ceri Wynne
Ceri Wynne is a Teaching and Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham. His research work focuses on doping issues. Currently studying for a PhD looking at the role and development of Welsh Olympians. Ceri has worked in the sports industry for 30 years including spells with Sport Wales, The ASA and Local Government.