Creating sport participation from sport events: making it happen

Abstract

Sport participation is a claimed benefit of elite sport events, but the facts do not support that claim, and means to capitalize upon events in order to build participation have yet to be developed.Through a combination of dialectical inquiry, brainstorming and nominal group, 12 expert panellists were invited to consider the challenges, opportunities, and prospects of leveraging sport events to enhance sport participation at local levels. The model consists of three elements: (1) the hierarchical nature of the context (culture; opinions and attitudes; systems and structures), (2) three types of organizations with a stake in the leveraging process (event, sport, and non-sport entities), and (3) resources needed (human, physical, and knowledge). The centre reflects the core, which is sport participation. A series of strategic questions are presented to guide formulation and implementation of strategies and tactics for leveraging sport events to build sport participation.The findings are consistent with sport development outcomes from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. It is concluded that sport events can be leveraged to enhance sport participation if the necessary alliances among sport organizations, event organizers and non-sport stakeholders are forged to integrate each event into the marketing mix of sport organizations. It is also noted that potential barriers to enhanced participation need to be addressed, particularly lack of available capacity to absorb new participants, crowding out of local participation by the event, and the disincentives resulting from elite performances that seem outside the reach of aspiring participants.

Event Leveraging in a Nonhost Region: Challenges and Opportunities

“…As a result, there has been an increasing interest in the concept of event leverage (e.g. Chalip, 2004;Chalip, Green, Taks, & Misener, 2017;Misener, McGillivray, McPherson, & Legg, 2015;O'Brien, 2006;Smith, 2009). The core argument underlying this concept is that through strategic planning in advance of an event, desired outcomes could be achieved for local communities.…”

“…The focus of this research was not placed on identifying the exact kinds of impacts leveraged successfully (or unsuccessfully); rather, we focused on considering the strategic planning and leveraging process in Leicestershire to offer insights for future regions that might seek to capitalize on the opportunity of an event being hosted in a nearby major centre. In addition, we sought to consider how the theoretical model of event leveraging set forth by Chalip et al (2017) for leveraging sport participation could be adapted and constructed for a non-host region.…”

“…The second key point for event leverage relates to the formulation of collective community and the building of alliances in event leverage. As emphasised by Chalip et al (2017), event leverage should start with tightening of the linkages between different agencies that are responsible for various elements of event development (e.g. sport, tourism, and economy).…”

“…They highlight the importance of clearly understanding the contextual factors within the community studied in order for local stakeholders to capitalise on opportunities provided by the events. Future studies are advised to explore further in-depth factors that are pertinent to effectively leverage these opportunities through the event (Chalip, et al, 2017;Kellett, et al, 2008;O'Brien & Gardiner, 2006;Sparvero & Chalip, 2007). Thus, by closely examining a non-host area of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, this study aims to make a contribution to mega sporting event strategic leveraging literature by examining the processes of a non-host region that endeavoured to maximise the benefits of London hosting the 2012 Games.…”

“…For leveraging sporting events, we draw upon the conceptual model proposed by Chalip et al (2017) to unpack the leveraging process in a non-host region. This model (Chalip et al,2017) was developed from previous work on leveraging events economically (Chalip, 2004) and socially (Chalip, 2006).…”