19 minute read
TA3: The implications of hosting a major sporting event for a city or country
What I need to know
• The differences between regular, one-off, and regular and recurring sporting events. • Some examples of each type of sporting event.
A huge number of major sporting events regularly take place around the world. Some events happen in the same place every year, but others only happen very rarely in a particular city or country.
Regular, one-off, and regular and recurring scheduling Regular events One-off events Regular and recurring events Regular events happen at set intervals, usually annually (at the same time every year), e.g.: • the golf Open Championship is at the same time each year but in a different UK venue • the European Rugby Champions Cup final is held in a different European city each year. One-off events might happen regularly but are held in each place very occasionally, e.g.: • the Olympic and Paralympic Games are held in a different city/country every four years • the Hockey World Cup is held every four years at a different venue.
Regular and recurring events
events take place regularly at the same place, e.g.: • the FA Cup final takes place at the same time every year at London’s Wembley Stadium • the Formula 1 British Grand Prix takes place at the same time every year at Silverstone. ‘Once-in-a-generation’ events The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games was a one-off event because it will not be held in London or the UK again for many years.
Nature of participants and spectators Most one-off events are ‘international’ because they include competitors from more than one country. An event like the Wimbledon Tennis Championships is international because it is attended by players and spectators from all over the world. A half-marathon that takes place in the same town every year is a regular and recurring event. Over 500 half marathons take place in the UK every year. DRAFT
Revise it!
Make a list of all the regular, one-off, and regular and recurring sporting events that you can find. Note which ones are annual, biennial and every four years, and present this information as a poster to use as a revision aid.
Remember it!
• Regular events take place at the same time, but in a different venue each time. • Biennial means occurring every two years. • Regular and recurring events take place at the same time and venue.
What I need to know
• Some examples of one-off, regular, or regular and recurring events. • Where and when these events are held.
Major sporting events are usually held on a regular schedule and are arranged years in advance. The Covid-19 pandemic meant that many events had to be rescheduled.
Examples of one-off events World Athletics Championships Biennial one-off Held in different cities every other year (e.g. the 2019 championships were held in Doha). Paralympic Games One-off every four years Held every four years, after the Olympic Games, and in the same host city (e.g. the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games). ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (cricket) Biennial one-off Held in one of the participants’ countries every other year (e.g. the 2018 tournament was in the West Indies). Example of a regular event The UEFA Champions League Final takes place every year in a different city. In 2019, Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid, bringing thousands of spectators to the host city. Regular and recurring events Event Description British Basketball Cup Finals Held every January in Birmingham. It has a group stage, a knockout stage and the final. Wimbledon Tennis Championships Held every June and July at the All-England Club in London. It is one of the four ‘Grand Slam’ events in world tennis. Women’s FA Cup Final
Held every November or December at Wembley Stadium, after the Women’s Super League (WSL) season ends. • A recurring event is held in the same place Remember it! 1 Give two examples of each of the Practise it!DRAFT following types of sporting events: or venue every time. • regular and recurring • One-off events usually take place every • one-off events every four years two or four years and in a different place each time. • one-off events every two years. (6 marks) • The Covid-19 pandemic meant that many events had to be moved from their 2 Explain two differences between a usual schedule. one-off sporting event and a regular and recurring sporting event. (2 marks)
What I need to know
• Positive and negative elements of bidding for a major sporting event. • Losing a bid can be positive for the bidding city or country.
Everything that a city or country does before the actual event takes place is classed as pre-event activity, because it happens before the event begins. This includes bidding to hold the event.
Bidding to host a major sporting event
Positive: Bidding can help a host country or city develop a strategy for the future (e.g. plans to build a centre of excellence for a particular sport), even if their bid is unsuccessful. Positive: Local schools, clubs and community groups could Positive: Bidding may focus benefit if they can input into attention on the city or country the design of facilities that they as an area for investment. can use after the event.
Negative: Bidding is expensive and might be unsuccessful.
This can make governments and governing bodies unwilling to bid because they need to find the money to do so.
Negative: The reputation of the bidding country or city may be damaged if the bid goes badly. Negative: England bid unsuccessfully to host the 2018 Football World Cup. The bid cost a reported £21 million, which could have been used to develop grassroots football instead. Some positives and negatives of bidding for an event DRAFT
Revise it! Remember it!
Search the internet for ‘unsuccessful bids for sporting events’ and choose one example. Find two positive things and two negative things from the bidding process for that event. Make notes for yourself about these things or show your information as a slide presentation. • Bidding for a major sporting event takes years and costs millions of pounds. • The bidding process can cause arguments in the city or country because not everyone will want the bid to go ahead. • Even unsuccessful bids can leave a positive sporting legacy.
What I need to know
• Bidding for events is very expensive process and lots of factors need to be considered. • Involving commercial partners can increase the chances of winning a bid.
Many pre-event factors need to be considered before bidding to ensure that the host city or country will be able to hold a successful event.
Financial investment in the event • Negatives: Only a few wealthy countries can afford to host the biggest major sporting events because they are so expensive. It is estimated that the Tokyo 2020 Olympic
Games cost the Japanese government more than £13 billion. • Positives: Companies invest in global events, often by becoming sponsors, which is good publicity for the company and gives events and their hosts the money that they need.
Local and national objections Governments and organisations try to sell the idea of hosting an event to residents by saying that the event will: • improve the status or reputation of the host city and increase national pride. • improve the local area and community. This can create conflict in communities because: • the social impacts may not meet the expectations created by the bid • the costs are usually higher than planned • the failure of the bid might mean that the promised benefits never happen. Infrastructure, transport and employment If a bid is unsuccessful these benefits don’t happen. For example, Chicago was expected to win their bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games, but it lost. This had consequences.
Practise it! Remember it!
• The Olympic village site was bought with taxpayers’ money for £75 million and was never developed. Chicago is expected to pay back the debt from the bid by 2024. • The new jobs created by the event would have helped tackle Chicago’s high unemployment rates and left a positive legacy, but they didn’t happen. DRAFT 1 Describe two potential positives of bidding to hold a major sporting event. (2 marks) 2 Identify two potential negatives of bidding to hold a major sporting event. (2 marks) 3 Explain one reason why major sporting events need sponsors. (2 marks) • Television footage of many spectators enjoying major sporting events doesn’t always reflect the feelings of local residents. • Bidding to host a major sporting event requires an enormous financial commitment. • Bidding can create jobs and improve social infrastructure.
What I need to know
• The benefits of hosting sporting events can be financial (economic), social or sporting. • Some benefits of hosting won’t be immediately obvious or glamorous.
Hosting a major sporting event can bring huge benefits. Some of these can be easy to measure, like money made from tourism, but others are more difficult to measure, such as increased national interest in sport.
(Economic) Increased direct tourism Spectators stay in the host city or country to see the event. They may be domestic (from the same country) and international tourists. They support the local economy by spending money on accommodation, event tickets, souvenirs and eating out.
(Economic) Increased indirect tourism Tourists continue to visit after the event because the global media made people aware of the host country or city as a destination. (Sporting) Increased national interest in sport Some sports get a boost in local participation and spectator numbers because local people saw them live during the event. New role models are created and people are inspired to join local sports clubs.
(Economic) Increased short-term employment Shops and other businesses hire more staff to serve spectators and other visitors. The event may create other jobs in construction, cleaning, security and so on. Some benefits of hosting a major sporting event DRAFT
Revise it!
Using the internet to help you, make a list of all the economic benefits of hosting a major sporting event that you can think of. Present all the benefits on a large piece of paper. Add some colour to make them stand out so they will be easier for you to remember.
Remember it!
• Tourism is a huge benefit of hosting a major sporting event. The tourists who visit the host country or city will help its economy. • Increased interest in sport during an event can lead to local people getting involved in sport. This can have social and health benefits for the host city or country.
What I need to know
• The social benefits of hosting are different to the economic benefits. • Social benefits can be just as important as economic benefits.
Hosting a major sporting event can have social benefits as well as economic and sporting benefits. Social benefits are those that improve the local community, the surrounding region and the country.
Social benefits of hosting a major sporting event During the London 2012 Olympic Games: • there was a strong feeling of national pride and social cohesion in the UK • strangers came together at public events and street parties to celebrate Team GB and the
UK’s successful hosting of the Games. A wider benefit of increased morale and national pride could be that communities feel united and become more tolerant and understanding of one another, particularly in cities or countries with a diverse mix of cultures.
Increased national status If a country hosts an event successfully, the world’s media celebrates their success. This can improve other people’s opinion of the host country, which is known as the shop-window effect. For example, choosing South Africa to host the 2010 Football World Cup was seen as a ‘risky’ choice due to the country’s lack of infrastructure and experience of hosting events. However, their hosting of the event was a success. Improved social infrastructure Hosting an event can improve the following types of social infrastructure, which usually benefits the local community. • Better transport systems • Improved walking and cycling paths and travel solutions (e.g. bicycle and e-scooter hire schemes) • New shops and shopping centres providing leisure facilities and employment for local people Remember it!Practise it! DRAFT 1 State two sporting benefits of hosting a major sporting competition. (2 marks) 2 Identify two economic benefits of hosting a major sporting competition. (2 marks) 3 Explain two social benefits of hosting a major sporting competition. (4 marks) • The whole world watches major sporting events so a successful event can improve the host nation’s global reputation. • Local people often benefit from the new facilities that are built in the host city. • A well-run event can lead to a feeling of national pride and a sense of unity across different communities.
What I need to know
• The potential negative aspects (drawbacks) of hosting a major sporting event. • Some drawbacks cannot be controlled because they happen during the competition.
Negative media coverage
For example, the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games suffered from media reports about the host city’s struggle to complete everything on time. Issues included: • unfinished buildings and leaking toilets in the athletes’ village • raw sewage found in the bay used for the rowing and sailing
• an unfinished metro railway line to the Olympic venues. By the time the Paralympic athletes arrived, these problems had been solved. However, the media coverage had already had a negative impact on Brazil’s reputation and its ability to host a major event. Impact of poor performances by the host nation A poor sporting performance by the host nation is another risk that they take when hosting an event. Some of the potential drawbacks include: • less press coverage of and interest in the competition, because local people are only really interested in the home nation’s performance • reduced income, especially if the host nation is knocked out, because local people won’t want to spend as much money on tickets, tourism and merchandise • a negative impact on national pride and morale of the country, because of the disappointment.
For example, England hosted the 2015 Rugby World Cup. England was one of the teams expected to win, but they were knocked out in the group stages. • A poor sporting performance by the Remember it! Find more examples of negative Revise it!DRAFT media coverage of the hosts of major host nation can have a big negative sporting events. Create a table with impact, both financially and on the headings: national pride. • Example • If the media broadcasts negative stories • What was the impact? around the country or even around the world, this can damage the reputation of Complete the table. Memorise one or two of the host nation. your examples in case you need to use them in an answer during the exam.
What I need to know
• Hosting a sporting event can cause division if only the host city or region benefits financially. • All events have problems – the most important thing is how problems are managed.
Potential for terrorism and crime Lack of investment in regional areas
Major sporting events often suffer from an increase in crime. Here are some examples. • At the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, 11 Israeli athletes were taken hostage by a Palestinian terrorist group. A failed rescue attempt led to the deaths of all the hostages. • At the 2021 European Football
Championships Final at Wembley between
England and Italy, parts of the crowd behaved very badly. Their violence reflected very badly on England as a nation.
When public taxes pay for an event, people expect to benefit from the event, wherever they live. For example, some people in other areas of the UK resented the London 2012 Olympic Games because they felt that only London benefitted financially and socially. They thought this because most of the events were held in London. Increased traffic, litter and noise More people visiting the host city means more: • traffic – transport to get athletes, workers and spectators to venues quickly and safely may disrupt local people’s travels • noise – near venues and on the streets, with events finishing later at night than other events • litter – organisers usually increase the number of waste and recycling bins and have volunteers to clean up, but large numbers of spectators create a lot of litter. For example, during the 2020 European Football Championship Final between England and Italy, almost 30 tonnes of litter was left in Leicester Square, London.DRAFT
Practise it!
1 State three drawbacks associated with hosting a major sporting event. (3 marks) 2 Explain how a host nation’s poor performance might negatively affect the nation and the event. (2 marks)
Remember it!
• The risk of a terrorist attack or criminal activity increases with the large number of people at a major sporting event • People accept that noise, litter and traffic will increase, but they will expect that this will be planned and managed effectively as part of the pre- and post-event processes.
What I need to know
• The long-term benefits of hosting a major sporting event. • The positive aspects are not just financial.
There are many ways in which the host nation or city will continue to benefit after the event if everything runs smoothly. Ideally, this legacy will earn back a lot of the costs of the event.
Increased participation in sports involved More people get involved with or play sport. Sports clubs can take the opportunity presented by increased interest to offer taster sessions for children and adults. Improved transport and infrastructure Local people benefit from improvements to the travel network after the event has finished. New train or tram systems and cycle lanes will last long after the event is over. Raised profile of host nation A successful event enhances the reputation of the city or country. Because of this, companies may choose to invest in the city or country and other countries may want to work with them. Increased financial investment The host nation receives future financial backing if the event was successful because large companies and sponsors want to be associated with success.
Better or new facilities Most of the facilities built for the event are available for the public to use afterwards as the event's legacy for sport and leisure. The Olympic arenas in Seoul, Sydney and Beijing are now major music venues. Examples of a positive legacy Remember it!Practise it!DRAFT 1 Identify three long-term benefits to a country or city of hosting a major sporting event. (3 marks) 2 Explain what is meant by the ‘legacy’ of a major sporting event. (2 marks) 3 Explain why a city or country might receive more financial investment after hosting a major sporting event. (2 marks) • The benefits of hosting a major competition differ between the pre-event stage, during the event, and after the event has finished. • Because hosting is so expensive, the event’s legacy can determine whether the organisers make enough money to cover their costs.
What I need to know
• Some purpose-built facilities are abandoned because there are no plans for them after the event. • It is often cheaper to abandon facilities rather than repurpose or remove them.
Often, the host nation never earns back the money that they spent on hosting the event.
Facilities may be underused or not used at all after the event. Some activities are so specialist and expensive to operate for the public that the facilities built for them are abandoned. For example, after the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, several facilities were never used again. This is a photograph of the empty pool and stadium where the diving events took place. Event cost more than it earned • When South Africa hosted the 2010 men’s
Football World Cup, the organisers spent almost £3 billion on new stadiums and infrastructure. They hoped these would host a new domestic league after the event, but this never happened. • Few Olympic Games earn more than they cost (make a profit). The Los Angeles 1984
Games made a profit because it used existing stadiums and infrastructure. The Rio 2016
Games made a $2 billion loss after the number of spectators was less than expected.
Loss of national reputation/status The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games was the most expensive. One reason for this was that Sochi’s mild climate meant a lot of construction and snow machines were needed to make it suitable for winter sports. Other problems included: • the organising committee being accused of employing illegal workers to build the facilities with no regard for their safety or welfare • Russia being stripped of its top spot in the medals table after an investigation into statesponsored doping. • The host city or country is responsible for Remember it! 1 Explain two possible long-term Practise it!DRAFT drawbacks of hosting a major making sure that facilities continue to be sporting event. (2 marks) used and are not abandoned or wasted. 2 Are the following statements • The reputation of a host nation or city true or false? (2 marks) suffers if there are scandals, such as a It is good if an event costs more accusations of corruption or human money to host than it earns. rights abuses. b Hosting an event always leads to an increase in participation in the sport/s hosted.
