Sustainability of Mega-Events: A Critical Analysis

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The sustainability of mega-events is a
myth

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction................................................................................................................................1
Discussion..................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................6

Introduction
Mega-events, as the name suggests, are the great source of the opportunities for the
destinations to achieve sustainability. Also, the concept of the sustainability for the mega-
event is also crucial to consider as it can avail them high efficiency to sustain and retain the
operations in the nearby future also. However, the mega-events also impact the destinations
during their planning, execution and post-execution conditions. Economy, social factors and
environment are three major pillars of the sustainability of the mega-events to achieve
effective profitability and continuance in future. However, the mega-events are also
considered as a myth for their sustainability. The presented essay has focused on the benefits
and limitations of the mega-event to achieve sustainability. The approaches, their benefits
and impacts are determined in the essay to understand the potential values a destination can
gain over time.
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Discussion
Tourism and event industry has a critical role in the sustainability to achieve the continuance
for the long term. However, the concept also has impacted the businesses, hosting
communities and environment. Especially in the case of the event planning, the hosting
community is at the target of the post-results of the event. The mega-events such as Olympics
and World Cup draw the positive as well as negative impacts on the hosting destination (Hall,
2012).
The mega-events have several benefits for the hosting destination. For example, mega-events
can help the destination to empower the economic growth with marketing and attraction for
the customer base for the local businesses. The mega-events can help to establish the
environment with the emergence of the new businesses to serve the demands. It is identified
that the business started during the mega-events to serve the temporary rise in the demand are
established later as a permanent business to serve the local community (Vanwynsberghe,
2015). The mega-events also have benefits to develop the market and empower the economic
strengths. For example, the latest Olympic in London has empowered the flexibility with
China and other countries for the Visa process so that the mega-event has helped the
destination to achieve globalisation and sustainable growth. It has helped to empower both
countries to achieve economic growth (Holmes et al., 2015).
The support and collaboration with local business have opportunities for the destination to
achieve the employability and social development. The people can get employment whereas
their social and economic growth can be fostered. The community can avail more effective
lifestyle, education and businesses whereas the destination might be recognised for tourism
and other purposes also (Malhado and Rothfuss, 2013). It can help to achieve faster economic
growth. The social development for the cultural values and awareness of the global cultural
practices can impact the society to move toward the new economy.
Besides to the economic growth, the destination has the main concern of the environmental
growth. For example, the environmental uniqueness including greenery and wildlife can be
foster to preserve the values and enhance sustainability. The mega-events those are
dependent on the adventure and tourism practices have more concern on the environmental
development to retain the continuance. For business mega-events, the environmental values
of the destination can be improved through the plantation, new policies and practices to keep
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the continuance of the tourism or other events (Cavagnaro et al., 2012). For example, The
Olympic Movement’s Agenda 21 is being planned to give priorities on the sustainability to
achieve the integration with the hosting community for the growth (MacAloon, 2016).
Therefore, the three dimensions of the sustainability of the mega-events have focused on the
growth of the community. For example, the economic dimension shows that the destination
can get the economic growth in the term of employment, and destination development toward
the more robust economic growth and contribution. Second, the balance can be achieved
between economic and social benefits. The mega-events have to consider the three corners of
the triangle, economy, social and environmental component to achieve the effective support
to the sustainability (Jones, 2017). Third, steady state has the main focus on protection and
availability of the natural capital the destination has for the tourism operations. The mega-
events are also centralised to the natural resources so that the environment plays a vital role
in their sustainability.
However, there are several benefits for the host community with mega-events, but it is not
free from the limitations. The mega-events and pre-developments are easy to recognise, but
the post-changes on the hosting destination might be vital. Therefore, the sustainability
cannot be examined with the analysis of the pre-arrangements for the success of the event
(Coakley and Souza, 2013). For example, there were explicit connections of football world
cup 2010 in Africa with the sustainability. The event has helped the destination to achieve
sustainable social development through the ‘Football for hope programme’. Once the world
cup was complete, there was twenty ‘Football for Hope Centres’ found post to the year. The
centres were continued for the social development and sustainability of the destinations
(Cashman, 2016). Therefore, Africa has received huge social changes through the love with
the football events. Also, it has attracted the global market under the tourism, and other
sectors that bring more effective values for the African social developments.
Also, the GRI event project of the Australian and Swiss government has enforcement on the
inclusion of the sustainability concepts in the planning and execution of the mega-events. The
European Soccer Championships, 2008 had planned with the sustainability values, and it has
helped the London and other connected destinations for the tourism and other benefits. Also,
the event has created employment to improve the social and economic values (Maennig and
Zimbalist, 2012).
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However, the sustainability of the mega-event is high, but it also has resulted in the form of
complexities and issues at the destination. For example, the sustainability policy is an issue.
The mega-events are oriented mainly to deliver economic growth and have fewer concerns
on the social and other principles of sustainability. The sustainability is defined in the form of
the act which can avail the resources and capabilities in the nearby future also to continue the
operations. In the context of the mega-events, it is essential to preserve the environment and
social values also (Cavagnaro et al., 2012). The holistic planning and strategic decision
making are required to implement for the sustainability. The most of the tourism and events
such as Paralympics Winter Games have less focus on the social and environmental
protection whereas World Travel & Tourism Council also reported that the global economy
has contribution of the 9.2 per cent in the growth and mega-events have provided the
employment to the 258 million peoples across the world in the tourism area (Coakley and
Souza, 2013).
However, tourism and other events also increased the consumption of energy, land and
natural resources to meet the stated goals and objectives. During the event, there is a need for
a large volume of the electricity, tourism vehicles and other services to meet the demands and
so that the economic practices of the destination get impacted. However, there is also the
threat of the failure and terrorism on the destination due to the huge crowd. The risk of
human life, as well as the consumption of the resources, is critical impacts on the destination.
The post-situations of the mega-events also draw the negative impacts on the destination. For
example, it attracts the global market for the business and housing at the destination so that
the local market might suffer from the increasing cost on the products and services due to the
competition or higher traffic. The problem of the traffic and carbon emission during the
execution of the mega-event is also considerable from the point of sustainability (Cashman,
2016). The local community might ethical issues and complexities due to the introduction of
the new economic, social and cultural values. The increasing tourism and event planning at
the destination has a higher cost of living and the impact of environmental degradation.
The mega-events have main impacts on the environmental sustainability. The water and
energy sources along with protection of the wildlife might become the concern. The
destination might face the issues to protect the environmental strengths with increasing
housing, mega-event location developments and the establishment of the business for the
success of the event.
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Conclusion
The mega-events can impact the destination positively as well as negatively. However, the
impact is positive when the destination is in developing state and occupies effective sources
to continue the economic growth. For example, Africa and Greek can earn high sustainability
with the mega-events as it can support them for the employment and other situations to adopt
the new economy. It also can empower their capabilities to achieve stability in the domestic
growth. Newmarket and opportunities might be established. However, for destinations those
are lacking resources and fail to cover the post-impacts, might face the issue of the higher
unemployment, lifestyle cost and other impacts. It can be concluded that the sustainability of
the mega-event is not a myth, but it has to consider the five core principles of sustainable
development to achieve the desired impacts.
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References
Books and Journals
 Cashman, R., 2016. Legacy and sustainability aims and outcomes at the Olympic
Games and the Football World Cup. In Managing Sport Mega-Events (pp. 179-191).
Routledge.
 Cavagnaro, E., Postma, A. and Neese, T., 2012. Sustainability and the events
industry. Events management: An international approach, pp.199-213.
 Coakley, J. and Souza, D.L., 2013. Sport mega-events: can legacies and development
be equitable and sustainable?. Motriz: Revista de educação física, 19(3), pp.580-589.
 Hall, C.M., 2012. Sustainable mega-events: Beyond the myth of balanced approaches
to mega-event sustainability. Event Management, 16(2), pp.119-131.
 Holmes, K., Hughes, M., Mair, J. and Carlsen, J., 2015. Events and sustainability.
Routledge.
 Jones, M.L., 2017. Sustainable event management: A practical guide. Routledge.
 MacAloon, J.J., 2016. Agenda 2020 and the Olympic movement. Sport in Society,
19(6), pp.767-785.
 Maennig, W. and Zimbalist, A.S. eds., 2012. International handbook on the
economics of mega sporting events. Edward Elgar Publishing.
 Malhado, A.C.M. and Rothfuss, R., 2013. Transporting 2014 FIFA World Cup to
sustainability: exploring residents’ and tourists’ attitudes and behaviours. Journal of
Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, 5(3), pp.252-269.
 Vanwynsberghe, R., 2015. The Olympic Games Impact (OGI) study for the 2010
Winter Olympic Games: Strategies for evaluating sport mega-events’ contribution to
sustainability. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 7(1), pp.1-18.
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