Assessment of Sustainability in Mega Sporting Events

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TLH 107 IMPACTS OF FESTIVAL & EVENTS ASSESSMENT
QUESTION
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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Sustainability concept of mega events.......................................................................................3
Success factors/benefits of mega events....................................................................................3
Failures of mega events..............................................................................................................4
Suitable recommendations.........................................................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................6
References..................................................................................................................................7
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Introduction
Planning an event seems challenging at beginning because of the carbon emissions, which are
generated from audience affects the environment. However, careful planning can improve the
sustainability of any event respectively. This assignment will discuss the phenomenon of
mega events and their design. Drawing light on the historic evolution of mega events, this
assignment considers the sustainability concept of mega events such as Olympics along with
the success factors or benefits of the mega events. It also includes the failures of mega events.
Sustainability concept of mega events
Sustainability has become integral towards lexicon of sports and is increasing day-by-day.
Eventually, success has increased in mega event planning by maintaining the sustainable
environment. Though the success level is high, still mega events lack in sustainability. It can
be classified into three frames namely economic, steady state and balanced sustainability.
Each one of them implicates towards the paradigm under which, mega events are attracted
and developed. The steady state is sufficient for maintaining and enhancing the natural capital
of mega events. According to Ziakas (2015:690), sustainable development has increasingly
integrated into hosting mega events. For instance- the hosting of 2010 Football World Cup in
South Africa was held for the unique global movement that implicates football to achieve the
social sustainable development. Contradictorily Viehoff & Poynter (2016:256) argued that,
this event affected the contribution towards sustainable environment through the audience,
who infected it by their existence.
Success factors/benefits of mega events
Mega events are the largest and fastest growing markets that have achieved attention in every
perspective. Olympics involves in travelling of persons to observe all sporting activities.
Hosting a large event like Olympics has benefits towards the host country by attracting
people from different nations to visit their country. Economic growth, image promotions
and infrastructure legacies are the top most benefits of hosting mega events for a host
country.
Economic growth of a country helps in raising the profile of the host country. For example-
an increase in tourism and recognition is found amongst the cities or countries who are
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hosting Olympics. Ziakas (2015:690) argued that Barcelona, Beijing and Sydney hosted
OLympics and had a huge economic growth for the country. Whereas Pereira et al.
(2017:150) commented that, China faced controversial human rights and their hosting went
all in vain. They achieved no profit from the sporting event. Contradictorily Parkes et al.
(2016:240) applied the thought that when South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup it
gained huge achievements regarding the event.
Image promotions help in investing for a longer term in the business. According to Pereira et
al. (2017:150), a research regarding the mega events in the host country proved that image
promotions influence the perceptions of the people who are originating from the host country.
On this view, Parkes et al. (2016:240) responded that image promotions developed the
relationship between the people and the host country through images, brand attitudes and
different patterns of information regarding mega events.
Infrastructural legacies include cities and countries with better infrastructure and transport to
attract the people in visiting their country for economic growth. For example- investing in
public transport projects around London can help in growing infrastructure of the host
country. Kromidha (2019:80) clarifies the fact that 2012 London Olympics benefited in
public transport that led to the infrastructure of the country.
These factors lead to technological progress and enhance the productivity of economy of the
host country. For instance- the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona provided the decrease in
unemployment of the host country by 88.7%. Eventually, after the Games that year,
unemployment rate rose to 21,000 persons (Kirby, 2017:14). From a recent study by
Kromidha (2019:80), it was found that the London Summer Olympic Games held in 2012
was completed by 200 countries respectively. The opening ceremony tickets were sold as
USD $3.139 per ticket hence, raising the revenue structure. Hence, it can be clarified that
mega events occurring in the host country has effect on it through financial basis. Kromidha
(2019:80) supported the fact and further suggested that London Olympics of 2012 had
positive social impacts towards the Host Company, which can be discussed as the increase in
volunteerism, creating the spirit 2012 trust, inspiring in sustainable living and disability
causes were also taken into heed.
Failures of mega events
On the contrary, Karamichas (2015:30) argued, that the main criticism faced by Olympics
Games in the host country is financial and logistical burden on the economy by being
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awarded as developing nations. On the other hand, the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,
which was held on 2016, came up with the concerns regarding the social and political unrest,
the Zika virus outbreak, water pollution and a troublesome economy. Questions were raised
by Browne (2019:124), regarding the struggle faced by the host country, hosting a safe
Olympiad and figure out the impacts that can affect the nation after the Games. Loss of real
estate in most of expensive cities falls under the negative impacts. Planning of post-Games is
essential to reduce the failures faced by mega events. As commented by Browne (2019:216),
the Beijing Olympics Games in 2008 had lend China spend $42 billion for the construction of
its host country. The most effective negative impacts or failures faced by the host country
regarding hosting Olympics in their country are mainly cost of building stadiums, negative
publicity and storm term use.
Cost of building stadiums can cost for significant sums, which need to be paid by the
taxpayer. Olympics cost have a tendency to rise along with time and grow more than ever
expected. For instance- the Montreal Olympics had an estimated cost of $120 million, which
rose to $310 million in further years. Therefore, it took around 30 years to pay off this
Olympic debt.
Negative publicity is found more during these mega events because people of different
nations tends to influence that other people must not visit the host country for attending the
event. Nunkoo (2018:160) argued that negative publicity affects more to the host country. For
example- the Winter Olympics had faced adverse effects because of cost overruns and
corruption. Again, the football World Cup in Qatar backfire the players by complaining about
heat conditions of migrated workers. In fact, Delhi suffered negative publicity due to the
facilities provided at the Commonwealth Games.
Viehoff and Poynter (2016:254) complained that an athletic stadium costing huge is rarely
used and remains empty until any mega event is held there. For example- the London
Olympic Stadium was used by legacy athletic events like 2017 Worlds Champions and is
further used by West Ham football team recently. Ziakas (2015:690) opposed the fact raised
by above that other than Olympics the stadium have been used for different other purposes.
For supporting that fact, Parkes et al. (2016:240) implied that Olympic village was converted
into housing complex for the people residing in host country. However, most cities failed in
planning the legacy of Olympic that left them with unused giant stadiums. Security costs
affected them during the sports maintenance.
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Suitable recommendations
The factors to be considered for determining the overall success of an Olympiad are going
beyond the economic benefits and using proper infrastructure after post-Games. Based on
economic gains or losses it can be analysed whether consideration are to be taken for
sustaining events in the host country. Sustainable impacts were found through the
relationship development and networking of pre-event training. Hence, the above research
about these facts has been proved by considering Olympics as the sole mega event in this
assignment. This investigation had different viewpoints of various authors with respect to
sustainable environment pre and post-Games. According to the findings, it can be suggested
that relationship-based approach can help in expanding short-term impacts for host country
into longer-term opportunities in trade-relations and investment. The host country must not
be judged on monetary terms without considering the values, which it can reflect on the
society. Apart from that, it can also be recommended that successful mega-event strategies
varies according to unique circumstances that influences the developmental goals of the host
country.
Conclusion
As per the discussion, it can be concluded that, Olympics are such mega events, which have
no replacements. People all around the world get united and a sense of national pride gets
evoked from the spectators and athletes. Hundreds and thousands of people gather at one
place to encourage the players and participants taking part in the events. It also attracts
tourists to support their own country by staying in host country that is having Olympics
games. Sustainable impacts were found through the relationship development and networking
of pre-event training. In addition, Olympics help in maintaining communication and work
seamlessly and successfully across all nations with proper and appropriate infrastructure at its
place. The legacies and impacts associated with the occurrence of mega events is evaluated
through reflecting thoughts of leading academics by contrasting and comparing different
viewpoints from different researchers and authors mentioned in this assignment. Henceforth,
mega events have both positive and negative impacts on the host country through various
aspects.
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References
Browne, A.L., Jack, T. & Hitchings, R., (2019) ‘Already existing’sustainability experiments:
Lessons on water demand, cleanliness practices and climate adaptation from the UK camping
music festival. Geoforum.
Karamichas, J., (2015) Sport mega-event hosting and environmental concern: from Sydney to
Rio. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 1(1), 22-39.
Kirby, S., (2017) Social Justice and Social Sustainability of Mega-Event Host Communities.
Kromidha, E., Spence, L.J., Anastasiadis, S. & Dore, D., (2019) A longitudinal perspective
on sustainability and innovation governmentality: The case of the Olympic Games as a mega-
event. Journal of Management Inquiry, 28(1), 77-93.
Nunkoo, R., Ribeiro, M.A., Sunnassee, V. & Gursoy, D., (2018) Public trust in mega event
planning institutions: The role of knowledge, transparency and corruption. Tourism
Management, 66, 155-166.
Parkes, O., Lettieri, P. & Bogle, I.D.L., (2016) Defining a quantitative framework for
evaluation and optimisation of the environmental impacts of mega-event projects. Journal of
environmental management, 167, 236-245.
Pereira, R.P.T., Camara, M.V.O., Ribeiro, G.M. & Filimonau, V., (2017) Applying the
facility location problem model for selection of more climate benign mega sporting event
hosts: A case of the FIFA World Cups. Journal of cleaner production, 159, 147-157.
Viehoff, V. & Poynter, G., (2016) Mega-event cities: Urban legacies of global sports events.
Edn 1, Abingdon: Routledge.
Ziakas, V., (2015) For the benefit of all? Developing a critical perspective in mega-event
leverage. Leisure Studies, 34(6), 689-702.
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