Sports Mega-events Research Articles

From sport-for-development to sports mega-events: conflict, authoritarian modernisation and statecraft in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has considerable energy resources and exports oil across the world. Some of the resultant wealth has been reinvested, primarily centralised in Baku and concentrated on specific projects. This has shaped ambitious nation-building efforts including staging major events. Baku hosted the 2019 men’s UEFA Europa League final and four UEFA Euro 2020 matches. This article analyses these sporting events in relation to Azerbaijan’s political system, providing a lens through which Azerbaijani statecraft and authoritarian modernisation is examined. It also explores a 2004 sport-for-development project implemented 320 kilometres from Baku. This juxtaposition and frame of reference emphasises some key issues facing Azerbaijan and contextualises the subsequent modernisation and impact of hosting events. Data are examined from interviews conducted in 2004, 2019 and 2021 comprising international aid workers, civilians, translators and event spectators. This longitudinal study investigates Azerbaijan’s political context and conflicts, sport-for-development, energy wealth, modernisation projects, sports event hosting and statecraft.

Geoporn: spectacular reproduction in Olympic Rio de Janeiro

This article proposes geoporn as an analytic lens to examine the ways in which the processes and effects of representing urban landscapes have remained remarkably consistent over several centuries. The analysis begins with the exploration of the differences and similarities between geoporn and ecoporn, suggesting that the latter lens is too narrowly focused on ecology and “nature” to examine the violences, exclusions, and power imbalances embedded in representations of place. By examining the ways in which representations of Rio de Janeiro create cascading power dynamics that range in scale from the landscape to the human body, this article proposes geoporn as an entrenched practice, an analytic frame, and a heuristic. The analysis begins with landscape paintings in Brazil’s colonial period and works through the dynamics of capital accumulation that reshaped Rio de Janeiro during a decade of hosting sports mega-events.

Understanding South Korea’s Use of Sports Mega-Events for Domestic, Regional and International Soft Power

This paper seeks to contribute to the growing literature on ‘soft power’ by focusing on East Asia as a region gaining in political and economic significance; equally, we highlight the role sports mega-events play in the region’s most powerful states’ soft power strategies. For the purpose of this paper, we focus on South Korea’s soft power strategy and how the hosting of major sporting events has become a central part of this. We introduce both a novel tripartite approach to the study of the motives behind hosting sports mega-events, along with new, empirical data on the chosen case of South Korea. Our findings strengthen the notion that an explanation of why states seek to host major sports events can be better understood by considering the domestic, regional and international dimensions to capture the complexities behind such decisions.

Мотивация олимпийских волонтеров в России и Китае

The research objective was to study the motivation of Russian and Chinese volunteers at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2014 and 2022. Mega-sport events attract public attention worldwide and require a lot of volunteers. Based on the international scope of Olympic volunteer community, a cross-country analysis of volunteering experience is a relevant topic. The Russian program for training of Olympic volunteers was the first of its kind. It was funded by the state on the basis of educational institutions, non-profit and commercial organizations. China is currently developing its own Olympic volunteer program, which relies mainly on government organizations. The study relied on an online survey of Olympic volunteers. Chinese volunteers appeared to have been motivated by value and defensive reasons, while Russian volunteers were attracted by the informational and professional opportunities that Olympic volunteering has to offer. The research results can help to develop volunteer programs, as well as to improve their effectiveness and popularity.

Mega-Sporting events and the politics of nation-building: a comparison of the 2010 South African and the 2014 and 2016 Brazilian cases

It is widely acknowledged that mega-sporting events play a powerful role in nationbuilding in their host countries, and many scholars have empirically demonstrated this relationship. The 2010 South Africa FIFA World Cup provided a potent vehicle through which national unity and integration could be successfully promoted. However, more recent Brazilian experiences in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics proved that an identical outcome is not always the case. This study examines how the hosting of mega-sporting events in South Africa and Brazil yielded contrasting effects on nation-building. Events in these two countries are compared to explore how two analogous societies that hosted mega-sporting events at a similar time ultimately experienced completely different outcomes. It is argued that differences in the cost of these mega-events, different economic circumstances and, differences in the characteristics and impact of social movements in the two countries were major contributing factors to the divergence.

Resiliency Assessment of Road Networks during Mega Sport Events: The Case of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Hosting Mega Sport Events (MSEs) is a formidable expedition that requires enormous investments and that has the potential to reform the nation’s future and create a lasting legacy. However, the increase in environmental concerns is pushing host cities to adopt a compact event approach. Compactness increases the concentration of the load on host cities’ infrastructures, which have to preserve an acceptable level of functionality under any possible disturbance; in other words, they should be resilient. Among these infrastructures, the road network plays the most prominent role in the fans’ experiences and the event’s success. To assess its resilience during MSE, we proposed a multilevel assessment approach that focuses on the network cohesion and critical trips performance under several disturbance scenarios, including natural hazards, intentional attacks, and accidents. The framework was applied to the Doha road network, since Doha will be a host city for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022, which exhibited a high level of resilience to intentional attacks and accidents scenarios. However, during the natural hazard scenario (flooding), the network experienced severe fragmentation, signaling weak resilience and highlighting the need to improve storm management plans. Future research could investigate the use of weighted graphs to increase the accuracy or incorporate different assessment approaches into the framework.

Editorial

Editorial

Examining Stakeholder Outlooks on Football Policing and Security: The Case of Euro 2020

In the case of the 2020 Union of European Football Associations European Championship in men's football (‘Euro 2020’), this article investigates stakeholder perceptions on the ‘policing’ of fans. On a European-wide scale, the policing of fans is a contested topic. Meanwhile, the policing and security efforts required for sport mega-events like Euro 2020, uniquely planned to be staged in 12 different countries, require years of planning and enormous resources. Adding to this, the Championship's timeline was prolonged following the coronavirus disease-2019-related event postponement. Drawing from original insights from documentary research and qualitative interviews conducted before the postponement, this article argues that stakeholders strongly advocated for a communication and dialogue-based approach to fans. More specifically for Euro 2020, consistency in the policing approaches across all 12 countries was highlighted by stakeholders as being of paramount importance for fans’ security perceptions. The study thus extends existing insights into football policing and the wider understanding of security and policing in the present-day world.

Urban impacts of Spain 1982 and Italy 1990 FIFA World Cup: a comparative analysis with more recent sports mega-events

ABSTRACT This work identifies the urban impacts of two FIFA World Cups organised before the consolidation of the urban entrepreneurialism model, Spain 1982 and Italy 1990, and compares them with those of more recent sports mega-events. Main differences mostly concern the impacts related to the material transformation of hosting cities, with more recent events mostly affected. At the same time, most of the outcomes related to the urban politics sphere seem not to be much dependent on the type of governance model, whether it is influenced by entrepreneurial urbanism or not.

BRIDGING TOGETHER AUTHORITARIAN RIGHT-WING POLITICS AND NEOLIBERAL URBAN POLITICS: ISTANBUL’S BID FOR 2020 SUMMER OLYMPICS

This study aims to analyse the political impact of sports mega-events through urban lenses. Sports mega-events often come along with drastic transformations in the built environment of the city where they are held. Contemporary urban impact of the sports mega-events, with the increased role rested by local and/or national governments on the private sector in the organization, is highly interconnected with the neoliberal measures of selling out the urban space, undertaken for hosting the event. In terms of the hosts, there is an increasing shift towards the countries where right-wing authoritarian parties are in power. I argue that the promises of these governments guaranteeing more swift urban transformations to meet the infrastructure requirements of hosting these events cause this shift and in turn, right-wing authoritarian governments use these events as platforms for disseminating their ideologies. This research aims to trace this trend, based on the example of İstanbul’s failed bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics and the neoliberal urban policies in Turkey under the Justice and Development Party (AKP). By using the city master plan presented during the bidding process and the statements made by AKP officials, I aim to demonstrate how hosting international sports events in Turkey is undertaken as part of a neoliberal urban policy and how this is incorporated into a wider conservative-Islamist political project by the AKP.

Decision-Making Behavior Analysis and Empirical Study under Information Intervention in a Cold Environment

Some mega-sport events such as the Winter Olympics are usually held in areas accompanied by cold environment, which has a great risk of frostbite and safety for pedestrians. Releasing guidance information have become a good way for managers to reduce freezing time, improve travel efficiency and prevent safety accidents. In this article, the 2022 Winter Olympics were taken as an example to discuss influence of information intervention on TDMB (travel decision-making behavior). The mechanism of the TDMB was explored, and a survey of pedestrian behavior was carried out in the area. In particular, the influence of the subjective perception and objective factors on the RDMB (route decision-making behavior) was analyzed based on the SEM-logit model. The results show that information, congestion and the cold have an impact on the decision-making behavior. The path coefficient values of the pedestrians’ perception of information, congestion and the cold were 0.557, 0.216 and 0.324, respectively, which indicates that guidance information has the most serious impact on the pedestrians’ comprehensive perception. The objective factors including outdoor walking time, information intervention frequency, distance to a heated space had a significant impact on the RDMB. Indeed, when information intervention frequency is 2, the compliance rate of pedestrians to the information can be effectively increased. If the manager wants to alleviate traffic congestion, setting up heated spaces within a radius of 1 km is a good way to divert pedestrians. This study can provide a scientific reference for the sustainable development of mega-sport events, long-term construction of service facilities and the passenger flow management in a cold environment.

“What’s Our Olympic Legacy?”: A Case Study of One Community’s Efforts to Optimize Youth Sport Programming Following a Mega-Sporting Event

Abstract The present research was designed to identify stakeholders’ perceptions of the ways Park City, Utah, has leveraged its role as a host community during the 2002 Winter Olympics to optimize youth sport programming over the subsequent two decades. Through focus groups with athletes, parents, coaches, and administrators, the present study highlights multiple factors that have impacted the experiences and outcomes associated with organized youth sport participation in Park City. Findings shed light on the role of mega-sporting events as a catalyst to shape youth sport participation.

Embedding Child Rights Principles and Practises in Mega Sport Event Planning.

Recently, there has been growing concern about the lack of intentionality of mega sport event (MSE) organisers in ensuring that child rights are adequately respected, protected and promoted before, during, and after the events take place. In the context of the summer Olympic Games, reported child rights infringements have been on the rise, both in relation to abuse in sport itself and the negative consequences associated with planning and delivering the Games. In response to reports of child rights infringements, a coalition of actors, including non-governmental and civil society organisations have sought to pressure event owners and organisers to strengthen protections in the planning and delivery of their events. To date, however, child rights commitments have not been fully embedded in policies and principles guiding the planning and delivery of the Olympic Games. In this article, we explore the field of child rights in the context of the Olympic Games, focusing on a case study of the Tokyo 2020 edition. Drawing on documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews with Tokyo 2020 stakeholders and affiliates, detailed appraisal of the planning process was undertaken. Findings show that while the Japanese authorities have signed up to international child rights conventions and embedded some child participation strategies in Games-related activity, there was little evidence that Tokyo 2020 organisers had developed or implemented robust policies, principles or practises to respect, protect and promote child rights in Games planning. This absence, we argue, is because there was no requirement to embed child rights commitments during the bidding or planning phases, as the IOC had yet to enshrine human rights in its host city contract when the Games were first awarded to Tokyo. In conclusion, we argue that it is imperative the IOC embeds child rights principles and protocols in the bidding and planning processes to ensure that the risks to children are foregrounded and acted upon by host cities and their partners, elevating human rights to a position equal to other Games requirements. This study is of international significance as the evidence will aid future host city bidders to ensure children's rights are embedded in MSE policies for each nation.

An Examination of Partitioned Pricing and the Influence of Culture and Familiarity on Sport Consumer Behavior

Prior research has examined consumer behavior toward partitioned pricing in various capacities, including types and number of surcharges and the use of dollars versus percentages. Given the fact partitioned pricing is not employed in every country, this investigation focused on consumer behavior toward this pricing strategy based on familiarity with partitioned pricing and cultural differences. An experimental design was implemented to examine South Korean and US sport consumers’ attitudes and behaviors related to ticket prices for a mega-sporting event. The findings showed all-inclusive pricing, in general, is preferred and culture does not significantly impact consumer behavior in this context. Additionally, familiarity moderated the relationship between cultural differences and consumer behavior. Consumers who were familiar with partitioned pricing were more attracted to partitioned pricing ticket offers and had higher purchase intentions compared to consumers who were less familiar with the practice. Implications of these findings are discussed along with directions for future research.

An Examination of Partitioned Pricing and the Influence of Culture and Familiarity on Sport Consumer Behavior

Abstract: Prior research has examined consumer behavior toward partitioned pricing in various capacities, including types and number of surcharges and the use of dollars versus percentages. Given the fact partitioned pricing is not employed in every country, this investigation focused on consumer behavior toward this pricing strategy based on familiarity with partitioned pricing and cultural differences. An experimental design was implemented to examine South Korean and US sport consumers’ attitudes and behaviors related to ticket prices for a mega-sporting event. The findings showed all-inclusive pricing, in general, is preferred and culture does not significantly impact consumer behavior in this context. Additionally, familiarity moderated the relationship between cultural differences and consumer behavior. Consumers who were familiar with partitioned pricing were more attracted to partitioned pricing ticket offers and had higher purchase intentions compared to consumers who were less familiar with the practice. Implications of these findings are discussed along with directions for future research.

Marketing of unhealthy brands during the 2018 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup UK broadcasts – a frequency analysis

ABSTRACT Sport mega-events including the FIFA World Cup are a central component of consumer culture. Major brands are long associated with the World Cup, with many known for unhealthy products. This study quantified visual marketing references to unhealthy brands in the UK broadcasting of the 2018 Men’s World Cup. Eight matches were recorded, and all segments of the recordings were coded for marketing references to unhealthy brands using predefined criteria. A total of 1794 such marketing references were recorded, an average of 224 per broadcast and 1.2 per minute, 95.4% of which were official sponsors. The total time of exposure to unhealthy brand marketing was six hours, 30 minutes and 45 seconds, with 22.7% of the footage including at least one unhealthy brand marketing reference. The results show the World Cup is a platform for the marketing of unhealthy brands with implications for those responsible for public health and television broadcasters.

Better in Pictures

Better in Pictures

Mega-Para-Sporting Event Social Impacts Perceived by Tokyo Residents: Comparison of Residents’ Vitality

There is a global shift in hosting international sporting events, and this is insisted to have social impacts on the host residents and increase their vitality and empowerment. From the academic perspective, numerous studies have revealed the social impacts of hosting mega-sporting events in several contexts. However, research remains scarce in the area of mega-para-sporting events. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between residents’ perceived social impact and supporting intention. Additionally, comparing the levels of vitality were also revealed. Conducting a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling using group comparison, this study revealed educational benefits as a new insight for hosting a para-sporting event, and their perception differed by the residents’ vitality level. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Hosting annual international sporting events and tourism: Formula 1, golf or tennis?

Hosting sports events to attract international tourists is a common policy practised by many host governments. Hosting mega-sports events like the Olympics is said to leave a legacy that could impact the attractiveness of a country/city in the long term. However, the opportunity to host these mega-events is limited and expensive. This study considers the economic impact of hosting annual international sporting events, specifically the extent to which Formula 1, ATP Tennis and PGA Golf can attract international tourists. Using monthly data from 1998 to 2018, we show that the effect differs from one sport to another within a country and the same sport across countries. Hosting the Formula 1 is most effective for Canada but has no significant impact in Australia and the United Kingdom. ATP Tennis and PGA Golf have a significant impact on at least two countries. Policy-makers must consider carefully the sport that gives the best bang-for-the-buck.

"All is Normal": Sports Mega Events, Favela Territory, and the Afterlives of Public Security Interventions in Rio de Janeiro.

This article discusses the changes in Visionário, a favela located near the affluent neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro, to assess the effects of the Sports Mega Events (SMEs) on the political and economic conditions in the favela. Following Harvey’s (2005) description of “accumulation by dispossession,” several authors have highlighted that the UPP policing program, implemented before the SMEs, was part of neoliberal efforts to colonize favela territory with the prospect of future gain. Visionário has witnessed two consecutive policing programs (GPAE and UPP) in the past twenty years. Both were aimed at disarming the drugs‐gang members who attempt to rule the favela by force. The ethnography in this article shows that both policing programs started ambitiously, yet gradually police officers withdrew and gang members reoccupied strategic positions in the favela. As a result, residents learnt to deal with ongoing territorial shifts in a highly dense urban space and with the liminal presence of police officers. In my analysis, I argue that in terms of neoliberal strategies to accumulate favela territory by dispossession, this case suggests a failure, and I analyze the struggle over favela territory as the outcome of contradictory forces connected to global neoliberalization.