Major International Sporting Events Research Articles

The Impact of Mega Sports Events on the Strength of the National Soft Power: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract This article examines the strategic use of mega sports events as a means to enhance national soft power, exploring the complex interplay between international sports diplomacy and geopolitical influence. The study will examine how these events serve as means of economic and cultural diplomacy and also as platforms for global interaction through a comparative analysis of countries that include South Africa, Brazil, Russia, Germany, and Qatar. Employing a qualitative methodology, the research synthesizes the existing literature and case studies to provide information on the objectives, strategies, and outcomes associated with hosting such events. This study aims to contribute to the larger discussion on soft power and its effectiveness in the modern international arena by analyzing the complex effects of these mega events on national branding. It does this by providing a nuanced understanding of how major international sporting events can affect geopolitical dynamics and shape international perceptions.

No Overactivism: Robert Lewandowski’s Use of Gentle Protest to Avoid National Political Backlash

The last few years have seen the return of athlete activism into major international sports events held worldwide as a mindset based on social responsibility and political freedom of speech has spread into the selfperception of many current top athletes. However, while these athletes may have experienced a recent personal transformation, the national political backlash accompanying activism remains set in a long tradition condemning political interference in sports. This article provides a background on the tradition of castigating political athlete activists, a theory on why and how national political backlash occurs, and evidence on the successful use of gentle activism to avoid such scenarios. The research examines a case study of Polish international footballer Robert Lewandowski’s ‘pointing the finger’ during a World Cup qualifier in 2022 to illustrate how alternative moderate forms of activism can be adopted. This study aims to introduce the term ‘overactivism’ into the politics of sport as a concept where the athlete prioritises retaining long-term political relevancy over maximising the political impact of a single event.

МОНГОЛ УЛСЫН ГАДААД БОДЛОГЫН ХЭРЭГЖИЛТЭД СПОРТЫН ДИПЛОМАТ АЖИЛЛАГААНЫ ХУВЬ НЭМЭР

The goal of this article is to study the multifaceted role of sports diplomacy in shaping Mongolia's foreign policy including international relations, influencing political, social, and economic relations, especially by using major international sports events for strategic purposes. This article aims to evaluate the effectiveness of sports as a diplomatic tool through case studies and analyzing the impact of sports on diplomatic relations between countries. In order to develop Mongolia's diplomatic relations with foreign countries and support international cooperation, it is necessary to make a conclusion about how sports events, the "Olympic Games" of the IOC, and the continental sports games are strategically leveraged.

Medical support for major international sports events: a literature rewiew

Introduction. The article carries out a critical review of the literature and updates the emphasis in organizing the preparation and holding of major sporting events from the point of view of a healthcare organizer.Target: to identify areas of activity that require further improvement and development in the organization of medical support for major sporting events.Materials and methods. An analysis of the available literary sources of databases was carried out: RSCI, RusMed, Pubmed, Web of Science.Results. The most pressing groups of issues for further study and solution have been identified: the uniqueness, significance and complexity of sporting events; statistics and structure of diseases and injuries; features of the structure and course of medical conditions at sports facilities and events; organizing interaction between different services within the healthcare system and interdepartmental interaction; prevention and monitoring of infectious diseases; features of training of medical personnel.Conclusion. The holding of major sporting events, in turn, is a driver for the development of the healthcare system in the host city and country. Preparing for such an event requires the creation of a vision, operational plans, targeted training of personnel and infrastructure.

‘Best run club in the world': Manchester City fans and the legitimation of sportswashing?

The term sportswashing has been discussed and analysed within academic circles, as well as the mainstream media. However, the majority of existing research has focused on one-off event-based sportswashing strategies (such as autocratic states hosting major international sports events) rather than longer term investment-based strategies (such as state actors purchasing sports clubs and teams). Furthermore, little has been written about the impact of this latter strategy on the existing fanbase of the purchased team and on their relationship with sportswashing and the discourses surrounding it. This paper addresses this lacuna through analysis of a popular Manchester City online fan forum, which illustrates the manner in which this community of dedicated City fans have legitimated the actions of the club's ownership regime, the Abu Dhabi United Group – a private equity group operated by Abu Dhabi royalty and UAE politicians. The discursive strategies of the City fans are discussed, in addition to the wider significance of these strategies on the issue of sportswashing and its coverage by the media.

China’s image in international sports events on positive psychology and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

BackgroundMajor international sports events will provide great group psychological encouragement to citizens. This study attempts to explore the impact of major international sports events on national positive psychology and symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).Subjects and Methods The research subjects were 268 patients who underwent PTSD treatment at a domestic public hospital between June 2020 and June 2023. These patients were randomly and evenly divided into an experimental group and a control group. In the experiment, the control group was required to observe major foreign sports events for at least 30 minutes every day, but there were no Chinese teams present during the events. The experimental group needs to watch international major sports events of the same type as the control group, but there are Chinese team matches included in the viewing content. The intervention lasted for 14 days, and the PTSD Symptom Scale Interview (PSS-I) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) tests were conducted on both groups of patients before and after the experiment.ResultsBefore and after the experiment, there was a significant difference in the PSS-I and SDS scale scores between the two groups of patients. Moreover, the overall scale data of the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group.ConclusionsWatching major international sports events that are conducive to building China’s national image can enhance the positive psychological level of the people and treat PTSD symptoms.

Research on the Development of Sports Industry under the Background of New Crown Epidemic Based on Big Data Analysis

The sudden COVID-19 outbreak in 2019 has had a huge impact on all walks of life around the world. Schools, shopping malls, companies and sporting events have closed or gone bankrupt. This study will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on the future development of the sports event industry. In this regard, we divided the overall impact into three perspectives to analyze: 1. We first analyzed the data of many major international sports events affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. We compared the financial data of event organizers before and after the pandemic and analyzed their revenue changes. 2. At the same time, we also studied the impact on sponsors of sports events before and after the pandemic. We used data from the Olympic Games over the years and sports events like the NBA to do the analysis. 3. Finally, we analyzed typical sports industry companies to study their financial statements and revenue changes before and after the pandemic, such as NIKE. In addition, we also conducted research on the surrounding industries of sports events, such as supplies for sports events, players' jerseys, energy drinks and so on. Broadcasters are also the subject of our analysis. We analyze the target events they broadcast and the ratings of broadcast events. Our findings suggest that the impact of COVID-19 on sporting events has been mixed: the good thing is that it has boosted new events, such as esports. Esports is an all-in-one format, and even offline events are staged on an electronic screen. So esports has emerged as one of the new mainstream events when so many major events have been canceled; The bad news is mainly the impact on the large offline industry, many events are shelved, and sponsors' ads are nowhere to be shown and shown, and sponsors' money is lost. But the pandemic has not caused major sponsors to pull back, just a small number of companies and investors. The significance of this study is to analyze the impact of the pandemic on the future development of sports events, so as to help people identify the current situation and future exit of major sports events, help investors understand the emerging and potential sports events, and help people understand how to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on sports events.

Media representations of naturalized athletes: Sentiment variations and trends in Turkish media

Turkey has received consistent criticism from international media for having many naturalized athletes in its national squad, both in the Olympic Games and other major international sporting events. Similar criticisms have also been a feature of debates for a long time in domestic media, varying in views toward these athletes. This research focuses on media representations of naturalized athletes in Turkey between 2008 and 2020. We investigated the sentiments of news items from four major Turkish newspapers ( Milliyet, Cumhuriyet, Sabah and Fanatik) on their stances toward naturalized athletes over the timespan of 2008–2020. Beside analyzing the sentiment of the media content both cumulatively and fragmentedly, we also identified the yearly trends and most featured sports in this context, combining qualitative and quantitative techniques. Our findings showed that sentiments in Turkish media toward naturalized athletes are mostly neutral and negative as well as with differences varying on the basis of the newspapers and news item types. The most criticism underlined pursuing “shortcut” success with naturalized athletes representing Turkey in the international arena. Among the featured sports, basketball, football, and track and field have been the most discussed ones in the naturalization context.

Court of Arbitration for Sport: Rules and Issues

International sports arbitration is regarded as a special type of international arbitration, which is quite different from international commercial arbitration and inter-state arbitration. Due to the party autonomy, convenience, and professionalism of international sports arbitration, major international sports activities and events generally chose international sports arbitration as the means to resolve disputes. After more than 30 years of development, the international sports arbitration rules, with the promotion of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, have become more developed and mature. In the meantime, however, we need to realize that there are many defects under the existing international sports arbitration system, such as the exclusive jurisdiction of the arbitral tribunal, transparency in the selection of arbitrators, and the application of arbitration rules. China shall think about how it can learn from the existing international sports arbitration system and promote the development of China’s sports arbitration institutions and rules.

"Human resource management model of mega sporting events —— the Beijing Winter Olympics as an example"

With the accelerated pace of globalization, the frequency and number of major international sports events are gradually increasing. The human resource management model has also been considered in this context, playing a more important role. In order to discuss this issue in depth, this paper will take the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games as a case study, and discuss the changes and upgrades of HRM model in detail from the perspective of recruitment and management in human resources, from the surface way to the deep content. First of all, in the recruitment, Beijing Winter Olympic Games has a unique way of recruitment, through many media and Internet resources to promote the unprecedented effect. The mass adoption of recruitment on the Internet has attracted talents from all over the world to participate. Secondly, in the management, for the volunteers, due to the epidemic, a longer period of closed management was adopted, and the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee also focused on the psychological state of the staff and volunteers. In order to ensure people's life and living in a positive and effective way, in order to achieve a more efficient human management. In the end, the author summarizes the changes in the model of human resources management in the Winter Olympics, summarizes the characteristics of large international sporting events, refines the universal model with high feasibility, and summarizes the experience with the actual.

Hidden figures: Revisiting doping prevalence estimates previously reported for two major international sport events in the context of further empirical evidence and the extant literature.

High levels of admitted doping use (43.6% and 57.1%) were reported for two international sport events in 2011. Because these are frequently referenced in evaluating aspects of anti-doping, having high level of confidence in these estimates is paramount. In this study, we present new prevalence estimates from a concurrently administered method, the Single Sample Count (SSC), and critically review the two sets of estimates in the context of other doping prevalence estimates. The survey featuring the SSC model was completed by 1,203 athletes at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics (WCA) (65.3% of all participating athletes) and 954 athletes at the 2011 Pan-Arab Games (PAG) (28.2% of all participating athletes). At WCA, athletes completed both UQM and SSC surveys in randomised order. At PAG, athletes were randomly allocated to one of the two surveys. Doping was defined as "having knowingly violated anti-doping regulations by using a prohibited substance or method." Estimates with the SSC model for 12-month doping prevalence were 21.2% (95% CI: 9.69-32.7) at WCA and 10.6% (95% CI: 1.76-19.4) at PAG. Estimated herbal, mineral, and/or vitamin supplements use was 8.57% (95% CI: 1.3-16.11) at PAG. Reliability of the estimates were confirmed with re-sampling method (n = 1,000, 80% of the sample). Survey non-compliance (31.90%, 95%CI: 26.28-37.52; p < 0.0001) was detected in the WCA data but occurred to a lesser degree at PAG (9.85%, 95% CI: 4.01-15.69, p = 0.0144 and 11.43%, 95% CI: 5.31-11.55, p = 0.0196, for doping and nutritional supplement use, respectively). A large discrepancy between those previously reported from the UQM and the prevalence rate estimated by the SSC model for the same population is evident. Caution in interpreting these estimates as bona fide prevalence rates is warranted. Critical appraisal of the obtained prevalence rates and triangulation with other sources are recommended over "the higher rate must be closer to the truth" heuristics. Non-compliance appears to be the Achilles heel of the indirect estimation models thus it should be routinely tested for and minimised. Further research into cognitive and behaviour aspects, including motivation for honesty, is needed to improve the ecological validity of the estimated prevalence rates.

A Study on Terror Activities in International Sports Events

Korea has successfully hosted international sports events such as the 1986 Asian Games, the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and the 2002 World Cup. On August 27, 2011, the World Championships in Athletics were held in Daegu, and by hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, it became the fifth country in the world to host all four major international sports events after France, Germany, Italy and Japan. However, it should be recognized that the threat of terror activities exists behind the hosting of international sporting events. The representative terror activities in relation to international sports events in the international community include the terror activities of hostage, kidnapping, and killing by the Black September Team under the Palestine Liberation Organization targeting Israeli athletes and officials at the Munich Olympics on September 5, 1972, a bombing attack that took place at Gimpo International Airport on September 14, 1986, a week before the Asian Games in Seoul, Korea, and the bombing of Korean Air Flight 858 over Andaman, Myanmar on November 29, 1987 to obstruct the 1988 Seoul Olympics, etc. This study aims to analyze cases of terror activities that occurred in relation to international sports events held in Korea, and at the same time forecast possible terror activities as a means to prevent or obstruct the holding of international sports events.

Social impact projections for Qatar youth residents from 2022: The case of the IAAF 2019.

While sport is playing an increasingly important role in society in the Middle East, there has been limited research on the perceived social impact of the hosting of major international events in this region. This study evaluates the main factors affecting youth residents' perceptions of hosting major international sport events, by measuring the psychic income in particular, generated within subgroups shaping their support toward hosting these events. Psychic income refers to the emotional and psychological benefit residents perceive they receive from hosting an international sport event. The study is of significance within the context of residents' perceptions studies given that the large majority of residents in Qatar are non-Qataris. Furthermore, the youth were the target population for this study given that they have been identified as the custodians of the next generation and as an essential force in molding national development; and extends the few residents' perception studies in Qatar which comprised the general population. Using the 2019 IAAF Athletics World championships as an example, a framework by Kim and Walker was adopted. Data were collected from 316 university students' from different nationalities residing in Qatar; a month after the event took place. After conducting confirmatory factor analysis, this study was subject to structural equation modeling. Overall, the results show that the perceived impact on Qatari youth nationals was higher compared to Arab youth, and non-Arab youth, respectively. Likewise, the perceived impact was higher for females compared to males. By evaluating the psychic income received by youth from different nationalities residing in Qatar, this study provides decision-makers and organizers with a better understanding of the outcome generated from hosting major international sport events, and how they can leverage these going forward. Of importance is that even if youth residents do not attend the event in person, these events may still generate positive psychic income which is particular relevant to the 2022 FIFA World Cup given the limitations related to purchasing tickets. With Qatar establishing itself as a regional sport hub by attracting a diverse range of international sport events, a cumulative approach to understanding psychic income is recommended.

Impact of International Sport Events in Promoting International Attention of Cities

In order to raise the international attention and gain more competitive advantages, many Chinese cities are aiming at holding international sport events to promote urban development. However, previous studies indicated that international sport events have attracted international attention for hosting cities, but only stay at theoretical level of interpretation, empirical studies are scarce and needed. Therefore, the major purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of international sport events on urban development from the perspective of cities’ international attention, and to provide new dimensions and ideas for the relationship between sport events and urban development. This study used Google Trends corpus as the data source and used the Google Trends Index to measure five cities’ (Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Chengdu, Wuhan) international attention in order to analyze the impact of international sport events on hosting cities in China. Through data mining, this study collected weekly data of international attention (time range is from January 1st, 2014 to December 31th, 2018) of five cities and compared with major media events in the corresponding period when highest international attention appeared in each city. Using Pearson Correlation, correlation analysis of international attention (all categories) and international attention (sports categories) of five cities was tested. Valuable information was obtained through the relevant keyword search function of the search volume ranking to provide more comprehensive evidence for the empirical results. There was a significant correlation between the international attention (all categories) and international attention (sports categories) in these five cities, and Nanjing's data were the strongest (P=0.987). Through empirical analysis, the peak time of international attention in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Chengdu and Wuhan in recent five years was highly consistent with the major international sport events (Beijing IAAF World Championships, 2015; ATP1000 Shanghai Masters, 2018; Nanjing Summer Youth Olympics, 2014; ATP250 Chengdu Open ,2018; Wuhan Open ,2018), but the effect was negligible as the events ended. International sport events are an important dynamic attraction for hosting cities to gain more international attention, which can produce intense impulsive impact on each city's international attention. The effect of international sport events on hosting city's international attention is relatively short and concentrated, and there is no obvious long term effect. Finally, the international attention of cities has a relatively stable level from a long time perspective.

الرياضة والعلاقات الدولية: القوة الناعمة القطرية وصناعة السياسة الخارجية

Sport plays a significant role in politics and international relations. However, the relationship between soft power and hosting a sports mega-event such as the Olympic Games, or the FIFA world cup is unclear. Most literature that has examined the role of sport in Qatari soft power adheres to the Realist School of international relations theory. It has tended to emphasize the size of the country in understanding what motivates its engagement in sports diplomacy. This paper attempts to move beyond this realist analysis of soft power by drawing on the post-structuralist –interpretive approach and discourse theory. This perspective better accounts for how sports diplomacy is used in different cultural contexts. In arguing that Qatar represents particular cultural and historical traditions, and sports define the country’s distinct political identity, the paper looks at how Qatar has exercised soft power through sports diplomacy and hosting major international sports events. The paper will analyze formal state discourses surrounding Qatar’s decision to host FIFA World Cup 2022, and we discuss how this use of sports diplomacy is helping achieve several Qatari foreign policy goals.

The city and the country: Cardiff, England and the 2015 Rugby World Cup

ABSTRACT Major international sporting events have long been recognised for the role they play in city and/or nation branding. The 2015 Rugby World Cup, England 2015, was promoted as the world’s biggest sporting event of the year. In addition to the 12 stadiums in England staging matches, games also took place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Cardiff is not located in England but is the capital city of neighbouring Wales, a place where rugby union is the national sport and England its biggest rival. This paper looks at the incorporation of a Welsh city in an event hosted by England where the VisitEngland promotional campaign was based upon images of ‘England’s green and pleasant land’. Drawing upon the work of the cultural theorist Raymond Williams, it considers some of the issues shaping tourism promotion and assesses the imagery and discourse relating to a city that sits outside the borders of the host nation of an event.

Stress in Athletes’ Lives

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article On Mental Health, People, and PlacesFull AccessStress in Athletes’ LivesEzra E. H. Griffith, M.D.Ezra E. H. GriffithSearch for more papers by this author, M.D.Published Online:28 Sep 2021https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2021.10.34In recent months, there has been intense discussion about the connection between competitive sport and mental health. The commentary, focused in large part on the stress endured by elite athletes, has coincided with major international sports events. We have had, almost in back-to-back fashion, the French Open tennis tournament, the Tour de France cycling event, the European 2020 soccer championship, and the Olympics in Japan. Naomi Osaka, a world-famous tennis champion, made the news because of her unwillingness to face the pressure of yet another news conference at the French Open. Some bystanders thought she should respect her obligation to face the public because she had committed to doing so. Others agreed the journalists were offensive. At the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles, the American star gymnast, evoked similar conflicting responses when she withdrew from events, citing health matters.At the European soccer championship, France was eliminated by Switzerland. The match went into overtime and then to a penalty shootout. Kylian Mbappe, a superstar for France, missed his penalty. That outcome sent France’s players to the showers and home in disgrace. Mbappe apparently apologized to his fans for what sports writers called a failure. More sympathetic supporters urged him to keep his head up, as the day after the match would mark the debut of a new season. The three athletes I have mentioned illustrate well the stress of competitive athletics.We follow elite athletes and how they fare on the different terrains of performance. Their annual income and lifestyle, especially in major sports, always attract our attention. Their bodies and minds serve as models of biomedical wonderment for physicians like us. Their capacity for concentration, the sacrifices they make, and their commitment teach us much about what they endure daily.There are other features of sports that put excitement in our lives. Some years ago, my hospital organized a tournament of bed racing. We closed a street. Different divisions in the facility took a bed, decorated it, named it, and oiled its wheels. An employee, not weighing too much, volunteered to ride in the bed. A team of amateur athletic runners pushed each bed. We all spread the word about the event. The bed-race tournament was on. Every bed had its supporters. I was amazed at how much organized effort was put into this event. We had so much fun that I forgot to ask where the idea had originated. Athletics, competition, and team spirit came together and reawakened the slumbering youth in all of us, even in the bystanders.With these wonderfully positive notions about competitive sports so present in our culture, how did the idea take root that elite athletes are the very incarnation of perfection and are obliged to meet public expectations? We must know that they make mistakes from time to time in what they do, and anxiety haunts the best of them. While performances may be breathtaking, consistently flawless performance is hard to sustain. So, why this mourning and weeping over the mistakes of our athletes and their inability to cope well with stress at every event? Why not just console and encourage them when they are facing loss, injury, and disappointing performances?I still recall the early years in elementary school running after a soccer ball on the playground without quite knowing what to do with it. Eventually, the running was accompanied by thoughtful preparation and strategy. I remember the contentment of belonging to a group, the sense of accomplishment, learning about leadership when I captained the team, feeling the admiration of bystanders when I scored a goal. I also learned about losing in the context of competition and about the pain of a torn muscle during excessive effort.We should urge sports enthusiasts to stop pretending that the elite athlete owes them continual brilliant performances. We should remonstrate with coaches who never prepare a substitute for the day that the star center forward on the soccer team will be unable to play. We know that sports can be pleasurable enough to evoke a kind of loyalty from fans that borders on spiritual commitment. We recognize sports’ service as antidote to the drudgery of daily life. Still, creating an idealistic vision of athletics misleads us all. There is risk in the act of living, and that includes sports. ■Ezra E. H. Griffith, M.D., is professor emeritus of psychiatry and African American Studies at Yale University. ISSUES NewArchived

Hosting Major International Sports Events in a Country: A Socioeconomic Impact

This research focuses on the impact of sponsoring major sports events concerned with the socioeconomic aspects of Qatar. Context is the hosting of FIFA 2022 in Qatar. A questionnaire has been developed based on the underpinning theory, which included seven dimensions of measuring socioeconomic impact that covered Micro, Meso, Macroeconomic, Employment, Quality of Life, Social Cohesion and Environmental aspects. Questionnaire survey was conducted for a sample size of 126, which included the managers from tourism industry and sponsoring of sports events. The research methodology involved descriptive statistics calculations using MS Excel and SPSS. The response score was collected on a 5-point Likert scale for quantitative measures and the Mean, Standard Deviation, Kurtosis, Skewness and Frequency Distributions were computed for seven dimensions. The responses were later categorized into degrees of agreement with a priori scale to understand the relative impact of sponsoring sports events concerned with socioeconomic aspects. The results have indicated that, the highest impact would be on the creation of Environmental Consciousness among the citizens of Qatar followed by the impact on the Micro, Meso and Macroeconomic aspects of the country. These revelations have led providing suggestions to policy makers, which would be useful particularly in the present situation where Qatar is planning for FIFA 2022.

From the desert to the city: how is Dubai branding itself through sustainable sport events?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of how the city of Dubai branded itself as a major event holder for sustainable sporting events in the Gulf Region. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses both academic and trade literature as well as key informant interviews to demonstrate how Dubai can sustain its position as a choice for sustainable sporting events. The study evaluates the use of a portfolio of major sport events for place event marketing of Dubai. Both primary and secondary data were used. The secondary data was collected from a range of event reports, media and journal articles. The primary data featured a qualitative design of key informant interviews with sport, tourism and event stakeholders in Dubai. Findings Dubai hosts a wide array of major international sport events, with many of them recurring annually. The key success factors that have positioned Dubai as a globally competitive sport destination are tourism attractiveness, good event management and the diversity of events hosted in the region. However, the sustainability aspects are considered to be a contemporary topic to promote these events and are sometimes neglected from the perspective of event organisation. Some of the challenges experienced in supporting such a wide portfolio of major sport events are examined. Research limitations/implications Insufficient key informant interviews were a major limitation for the data collection process. The key informant interviews were sent out to more than 30 key stakeholders however it was not possible to get their responses in time for our paper. A second limitation was the lack of first-hand observation on the sporting events’ sustainability practices. This study could be extended in future by incorporating a bigger set of primary data, event observations and a cross comparison between other Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Practical implications It is recommended that empirical insights on social and commercial aspects of sustainability are sought in future studies. It is also recommended that investigations be conducted with the residents of Dubai concerning their perceptions of sustainability practices of sport events. Social implications The paper also highlighted the importance of key success factors that have helped to position Dubai as a globally competitive sustainable sport destination as well as some of the challenges experienced in supporting such a wide portfolio of major sport events. Originality/value This study takes a closer look at the challenges of communication as well as the sustainability of sport events in branding of Dubai.

I want to ride my bicycle! Or not? Health and transportation legacies of the 2017 World Road Cycling Championship

ABSTRACT Research question This study evaluates the impact of the 2017 World Road Cycling Championship on local residents’ physical activity and transportation mode choices. Based on the common assumption that major international sport events are catalysts for sport participation and physical activity (the ‘trickle-down effect’), the study addresses two research questions: (i) Did the event increase residents’ motivation for cycling as a means of exercising and daily transport? and (ii) Did the frequency of cycling participation in various forms (e.g. cycling for work, for exercise) increase from before to after the event? Research methods The methodological approach is based on triangulation and comprises data from a three-wave panel survey among residents in Bergen (the hosting city), as well as bicycle traffic coun Results and findings Study results show that the 2017 World Road Cycling Championship had limited impact on residents’ motivation for exercising. Neither did cycling modal shares in Bergen increase after the event. Although some 10% of the sample reported higher cycling frequencies in the year following the Championship, this change cannot be traced back to the event. Overall, the results are discouraging to organisers who expect that an international sport event will automatically increase physical activity. Implications Organisers of major international sport events should make careful judgements about the potential for realizing trickle-down effects and thoroughly consider the alternative allocations of grants received for hosting the event.