Athletes as tourists: Consumer Behaviour of Participants at the 2007 and 2009 World Universiade Games

Abstract

IntroductionThe summer Olympic Games and the FIFA Men's World Cup are the two largest sport megaevents on the planet in terms of media audience, production costs, impact, etc.; all other events pale in comparison. Though both colossal in size they are distinct in several respects. The Olympic Games (and their impact) are more concentrated temporally and spatially than the FIFA World Cup, as the Olympics occur over 19 days and are hosted by a city (with a few satellite cites hosting a sport event). The FIFA World Cup spans 30 days and is hosted by a country with as many as nine official host cities. The Olympic Games involve world championship competitions in over 25 sports and 40 disciplines whereas the FIFA World Cup is solely football (soccer).The competition to host the Olympic Games or a FIFA World Cup is fierce, as fierce as the athletic competition on the track, in the pool or on the pitch. Likewise, the competition is intense Considerable research has been devoted to sport mega-events including the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, and the Commonwealth Games. Yet few studies have focused on the lesser known or "second tier" international sport events in order to understand the patterns and the impact of participant consumption. Further, few sport event studies are extended beyond a single assessment. This study examines a recurring sport event, the World Universiade Summer Games, that took place in two different countries, Belgrade, Serbia and Bangkok, Thailand. A profile of participants at the 2007 and 2009 Universiades was generated to reveal and compare their consumer behaviour in the host cities and over time. Subjects were queried on-site during selected days of competition (N=441, 2007; N=221, 2009

Socio-Professional Implications of Sports Events: A Perspective from Dual-Career Students

“…At the community level, the impact of small-scale events is smaller compared to that of large-scale events. However, these events (such as university championships) generate economic and tourism effects that cannot be neglected, as the organization and development of the event involve specific costs and resource consumption [5]. Equally, from the opposite point of view, the event itself offers benefits to the participants.…”

“…These structures resulting from the organization of sports events have a sustainable character due to their significant impact on the community, on tourism, on the economy and industry, and on how future events will be organized. However, there are few studies that focus on smaller sports events, such as university championships [5][6][7]. The profiles of both spectators and athletes participating in these sports events are rather different from those who participate in large-scale events.…”

“…Therefore, small-scale events contribute to the strategic development of the region [7]. Anyhow, studies show that small sports events organized in cities at the local level tend to have an important impact on the community, economy and local tourism [5,9]. This category also includes university championships.…”