Does the Olympic legacy perceived in the host city influence the resident support after the games?

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study aims to explore and describe the structural relationships among (a) perceptions of city transport legacy, (b) trust in the government, and (c) resident support towards the Olympic Games. A field study was conducted in Rio de Janeiro 4-years post-Games, and data were collected from residents who lived in the Olympic city through a self-administered questionnaire (n = 452). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) analysed the psychometric properties of the constructs, and a subsequent structural equation model (SEM) examined the relationships between the constructs. The direct-effects model and the partially mediated model were tested based on the mediating role of transport structural legacy. Results indicated that Rio’s resident support for the mega-event is essentially influenced by their trust in the local government, while their perceptions of Olympics legacy alone may be a negative predictor of support behaviour. The findings confirmed the predictive power of residents’ trust in government on achieving high event support, suggesting its inclusion in future models. Implications focus on effective synergies of political and social engaging to enhance the public support level in the host city.