The effects of hosting an international sports event on a host country: the 2008 summer Olympic Games

Abstract

This study investigated whether the 2008 summer Olympic Games improved the country image of China among foreign consumers. It examined the extent to which the changed country image contributed to its product image. A quasi-experimental research design was used, with surveys taken two months before and two months after the event. The results showed that hosting the Olympics significantly improved the country image of China but did not affect the image of its products in a positive way.

International Sport Events: Improving Marketing

“…Dėl šios priežasties vietiniam organizaciniam komitetui pravartu bendradarbiauti su nacionalinėmis turizmo organizacijomis/asociacijomis, siekiant įtraukti kuo daugiau įvairių sričių specialistų ir pasiekti kuo geresnių rezultatų. Viena iš problemų, su kuria dažnai susiduriama -rėmėjų paieška ir pritraukimas (Singh, Hu 2008;Zeng, Go, Kolmer 2011;Xing et al 2008;Chung, Woo 2011).…”

Can Country Image Change after Likable Incident? The Case of Chile Miners’ Rescue Operation and the Middle East Consumers

“…Unfortunately, due to the surprise nature of Chilean miners' rescue operation, the current study could not be able to measure the influence of the rescue operation of the trapped miners on Chile image before and after the incident. Chung and Woo (2011) Generally, international business researchers did not agree on how a country image can be measured (Auruskeviciene et al, 2010). Recently, Lala, Allred, and Chakraborty (2009) developed a scale to measure country image.…”

“…For example, a positive change of country image may occur as a result of hosting global major sport events such as hosting the FIFA World Cup or the Olympics (Auruskeviciene et al, 2010). In this context, Chung and Woo (2011) concluded that hosting major sport events can improve country image. The researchers indicated that China's hosting of the 2008 summer Olympics has significantly improved the country image, however, China's image improvement has not reflected on the image of it products.…”

“…Country image can be changed as result of media exposure (Chung & Woo, 2011). Thus, exploring the role of media in shaping country image is important (Stock, 2009).…”

“…However, consumers do differ in terms of their interaction with foreign cultures (Sharma, Shimp & Shin, 1995). Overall, extensive global media coverage of a particular event influences the image of the country in which the event is taking place (Chung & Woo, 2011).…”