Legacy perceptions among host and non-host Olympic Games residents: a longitudinal study of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games

Abstract

This study examined host and non-host residents' legacy perceptions of the Olympic Games utilizing social exchange theory. The importance and legacy outcome evaluation relative to residents' quality of life six months prior, during, and six months after the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games were evaluated. Data were collected using a telephone survey from a sample of residents living in Vancouver and Ottawa, Canada. Results revealed environmental legacies as the most important across cities and over time followed by economic and socio-cultural legacies. During the event and six months after the event, residents in both cities and over time evaluated tourism, socio-cultural, and psychological legacies as satisfactory, while expected economic legacies were not satisfactory. Psychological legacies were valued mostly during and post-event. The study's theoretical implications involve the differential weight of legacy outcomes for host and non-host residents and the dynamic processes involved in the evaluation of some legacy categories versus others.