Host residents’ role in sporting events: The city image perspective

The purpose of this study was to identify the antecedent and outcome variables of host city image perceptions, and to analyze how these perceptions impact behavioral intentions from the residents’ viewpoint. To this end, the authors constructed a structural model, distributed questionnaires to residents in Saitama City for the Tour de France Saitama Criterium held in Japan from 2014 to 2016, and collected 636 usable responses. The results verified that the fit between host city and sporting event is a useful antecedent variable of city image. Furthermore, place attachment to host city was identified as an outcome variable. Development of these two variables could benefit behavioral intentions, suggesting that residents play an important role in sporting event development. In addition, the authors found that hosting a sporting event leads to place attachment among residents through fit between host city and sporting event and city image perceptions. Thus, hosting a sporting event has two potential impacts—one each on the event organizer and the host city—from the residents’ viewpoint. It benefits the organizers by developing the residents’ behavioral intentions and has a social impact on the host city through an enhancement in their place attachment.     

Social impact of Formula One Chinese Grand Prix: A comparison of local residents’ perceptions based on the intrinsic dimension

Inspired by Faulkner and Tideswell's (1997) seminal work on the social impact of an event on a local community, this study investigated residents’ perceptions of the social impact of the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix and examined the relationships between the perceptions of social impact and four sets of variables modified from Faulkner and Tideswell's intrinsic dimension: involvement in sports industry, community attachment, identification with the event, and socio-economics characteristics. Data were gathered from 600 local residents located at five different areas of Shanghai. The results show that perceived social impact included three positive dimensions and three negative dimensions, with positive correlations among several of the dimensions. The results also indicate that positive social impacts were significantly associated with involvement in sports industry, community attachment, and identification with the event. Only one dimension of negative impact (environmental and cultural problems) was significantly associated with involvement in sports industry, community attachment, and identification with the event. Residential proximity was not significantly related to any perceived social impact. Furthermore, the results revealed that perceptions of the social impact of Formula One Chinese Grand Prix differed across socio-demographic profiles.     

Social and charitable impacts of a charity-affiliated sport event: A mixed methods study

In this mixed methods research, the authors examine a unique type of small-scale event – a charity-affiliated sport event – and define and measure its social and charitable impacts as perceived by residents. Findings from interviews (N = 37) and surveys (N = 459) with residents indicated that the event’s social impacts can be defined by its capacity to develop social capital, enhance collective identity and pride, and promote sport, health, and well-being. Three types of charitable impacts also emerged, including empathy for cause, informational support, and tangible support. Of them, empathy for cause, which addresses a central social issue in the host community, had the strongest association with residents’ perceptions of social impacts. These results provide evidence of a variety of positive impacts that a charity-affiliated sport event has on a community, which can be used to bolster appeals for corporate sponsorship and government support to assist in event delivery.     

Brand image legacies of the 2010 FIFA World CupTM: a long-term assessment

Abstract

There has been limited research on brand legacies of the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM; hence, this research examined brand image legacies of this tournament in the long run in South Africa in relation to determining the changes in international football tourists’ perceptions of South Africa as result of hosting this event. A quantitative methodology was employed to survey 391 international football tourists at fan parks and stadium precincts in five metropolitan cities in France during the 2016 UEFA European Championship, using a spatially based systematic sampling technique. The findings reveal statistically significant differences in most aspects between football tourists’ perceptions prior to, and six years after, the tournament. International football tourists’ perceptions changed positively six years after the event, including those features that were highlighted as major concerns prior to the tournament. The key findings of this study have a wider applicability to sport mega-events legacy research and body of knowledge.     

Leveraging sport events for tourism gain in host cities: a regime perspective

ABSTRACT

Proponents often claim that bidding for and hosting sport events have an overall capacity to generate a variety of benefits for cities and regions. Despite limited empirical evidence to support these assertions, cities continue to vie for hosting rights. In an effort to maximise the benefits of hosting, host cities have adopted a strategic approach to event planning and management referred to as event leveraging. A critical concern raised in the leveraging literature is how event-related strategies fit with the broader tourism development agenda of cities and regions, and how they are implemented. This paper uses Urban Regime Theory (URT) to understand how and why cities seek to host events, and how the process of leveraging is undertaken to maximise the benefits of hosting. Viewing events and strategies in the context of regimes, highlights why some cities and regions have been successful in leveraging sport events for tourism gain over time and, importantly, why some have not. This paper synthesises the existing body of work on tourism-based sport event leveraging, identifies three ways academic research has explored leveraging, and uses regime theory as a lens to further our understanding of the leverage process in host cities.     

体育赛事助推张家港创建全国文明典范城市的实践路径

该文以文献资料法和访谈法为研究方法,以承办大型体育赛事对文明典范城市的影响为研究视角,发现承办大型体育赛事对助推张家港创建全国文明典范城市具有显著价值意蕴。首先,赛事文化融合城市文化,优化城市的文化品质;其次,赛事活动融入居民生活,提升城市居民生活质量;最后,赛事经济融合城市经济,推进城市经济结构调整、赛事服务融入城市建设,打造城市良好的文化形象。提出以下实践路径：制定体育与城市融合发展战略,给予争创全国文明典范城市精准定位;强化体育赛事组织与服务,打造争创全国文明典范城市的“金字招牌”;完善政府职能,强化市场引领,优化产业供给,塑造争创全国文明城市模范政府形象。     

Exploring the domestic relationship between mega-events and destination image: The image impact of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games for the city of London

Contemporarily, the hosting of mega-sport-events (MSEs) is one of several strategies used by cities and governments to bring about improvements in a place’s image and recognition. With that in mind, the overall aim of this study, underpinned by theoretical-methodological social representation theory, was to evaluate the domestic image impact of hosting the 2012 Summer Olympic Games for the city of London, and in doing so, whether any image-transfer (or co-branding) processes occurred between the place and event. In addition to adding to the emergent body of work aimed at using social representation theory to measure place image, the authors are among the first to employ a matched-sample research approach to measuring the impact of an MSE on the domestic perceptions of the host. Employing an abductive research strategy, a survey was carried out among the domestic English population (n = 156) to identify cognitive and affective image components, in the form of social representations, of London as a city (or its place brand), the Olympics as a MSE, and the 2012 Games as a one-off event. The content and the structure of the pre-and post-event social representations were established (using image elements cited by at least 15% of the respondents), analysed (using hierarchical cluster analysis) and then compared (within- and between items) to determine whether any changes or image transfer occurred. The findings of this research reveal that the pre-event concerns regarding the hosting of the London 2012 Olympics and the potential of the event to negatively impact the city’s pre-established image, were, to a degree, fulfilled. Conversely, from an event perspective, respondents perceived the Olympics as a somewhat successful enterprise.     

Using equity theory to understand non-host city residents’ perceptions of a mega-event

This study draws on equity theory to understand non-host city residents’ perceptions of a mega-event and the corresponding host city. In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 residents of the non-host city three years prior to the commencement of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Results revealed that while non-host community residents believed the host city would receive an increased level of funding for hosting the event, they did not perceive this funding as an inequity. Rather, residents of the non-host city compared the two cities on the basis of the tourism product, and stated their belief that the core advantage of their city’s tourism product was that it was less developed. The non-host city residents therefore viewed receiving further resources for development as both unnecessary and undesirable. The findings are consistent with the tenets of equity theory, which suggests that tensions were absent because inequity was not felt.     

Experiences of amateur athletes’ non-participating entourage at participatory sport events

ABSTRACT

The proliferation of participatory sport events is attracting scholarly attention, with extant research primarily focusing on profiling participants, and understanding participants’ experiences. The experiences and perspectives of those who travel to participatory sport events to support competing athletes, the ‘non-participating entourage’ (NPE), have largely been overlooked. This stakeholder group is arguably under-recognised by those staging participatory sport events. The purpose of this study was to explore NPE experiences at participatory sport events, adopting a phenomenological approach and employing stakeholder theory as an interpretive lens. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 NPE of amateur athletes in Australia. Findings highlighted that NPE provide emotional and logistical support to their athlete at events. However, while providing support, NPE also experienced positive and negative emotions arising from contextual factors including their relationship to the athlete, group composition, athlete performance, and event design and conditions. This research highlights a vexed, though crucial stakeholder relationship between NPE and event management organisations, requiring unique stakeholder management strategies.     

Localism at New Zealand surfing destinations: Durkheim and the social structure of communities

ABSTRACT

Surfing’s popularity has seen substantial growth over the last 50 years, resulting in an increased number of surfers worldwide. With a greater number of individuals in the water, many surf breaks have become overcrowded, thus leading to management issues. At these crowded locations, some local surfers are protective and maintain ownership over a site or break through the practice of localism. Localism may produce aggressive behaviour, including verbal abuse, damage to property and violent confrontations. Previous studies on localism have mainly focused on residents’ perceptions of tourists and newcomers. To further our understanding of the relationships and social interactions between local surfers and outsiders, the following research draws on the experience of 94 foreign participants who travelled to New Zealand with a surfing tour operator. Based on a participant observation and informal interviews conducted from 2011 to 2016, this paper reflects on experiences of outsiders at seven New Zealand surfing locations. The argument draws on the neo-tribal understanding of surfing and localism in reflecting on the concepts of masculinity and intersectionality, as well as in exploring Durkheim’s theory of social organization. This paper concludes that localism is an expression of a coercive social structure belonging to the global, yet heterogeneous, surf community.     

An examination of the relationship between destination image and marathon participants’ behaviours

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the destination image and behaviours of marathon participants with different levels of behavioural running involvement. This study focused on the Kyoto Marathon in Japan. The survey was conducted on marathon participants. The data of marathon participants was obtained through the Kyoto Marathon 2017 runner survey website. The participants were classified into two groups by cluster analysis – those with high running involvement and those with low running involvement using their experience of marathon events and running history variables. A comprehensive destination image scale was used to assess the practical implications of a sport event. MANOVA and ANOVA were used to test the influence of running involvement on a marathon participant’s destination image perceptions, place attachment, satisfaction and behavioural intentions. These results do not support the role of sport involvement in terms of the key-dependent variables of the study, namely place identity and dependence, intentions to participate in the event again and destination image perceptions. However, the influence of destination image factors and event satisfaction were still evident in their ability to predict sport event tourist intentions to revisit a sport event that is held in the same destination every year.     

Image dimensions of two Scandinavian endurance winter sport events

ABSTRACT

This study investigates event images of two Scandinavian endurance skiing events. It adds to the relatively limited literature on endurance sport event images and provides a better understanding of how participants perceive images of the cross country ski events Birkebeinerrennet and Vasaloppet, and to what extent the images are similar and different. A qualitative comparative case-study design was applied. The interview guide consisted of open-ended semi-structured questions, and 52 participants in Birkebeinerrennet and Vasaloppet were interviewed during March 2017. A ‘sport endurance event image’ can be composed of at least ten dimensions and associated aspects: ‘Organizational’, ‘Environmental’, ‘Emotional’, ‘Social’, ‘Historical’, ‘Physical’, ‘Competition’, ‘Cultural’, ‘Equipment’ and ‘Destination’. The findings confirm and expand earlier identified dimensions of sport event images by identifying two new dimensions (‘Equipment’ and ‘Destination’). The image of Birkebeinerrennet was more aligned with the destination than Vasaloppet, while the overall stronger and more versatile image of Vasaloppet makes it less vulnerable to loss of interest from narrow segments of participants. We offer insights about how participants perceive the race images, how two rather similar events also differ in their images, and how this can contribute to a better understanding of differences in popularity. The findings can help organisers work towards images that attract desirable visitors and participants. Future research should follow up these findings through quantitative investigations across different types of long-distance, endurance sport events taking place in different environments, seasons and regions.     

Prospective tourists’ risk perceptions and intentions to travel to a mega-sporting event host country with apparent risk

ABSTRACT

While the global appeal of the Olympic Games has attracted a massive amount of attention, this increased focus has resulted in heightened risk occurring around the event. Prospective tourists’ growing anxiety related to terrorism and political instability regarding a travel destination could have serious implications on tourism. This article aims to examine the relationship between tourists’ risk perceptions and their intention to travel to an Olympic host country with apparent risks of terrorism and political instability during and around the event period using the case of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games. Terrorism risk was found to have a negative impact on travel intention while political instability did not. The results suggest that potential terrorism risk is a vulnerable point for the host country, and host organisations’ collaborative risk management strategies for minimising potential threats and generating a safe destination image are necessary to attract a higher number of visitors around and during the Olympics. This study contributes to the sport and event tourism literatures by focusing on a specific case. As a result, the findings enable the authors to highlight the impact of terrorism and political instability on travel intentions of prospective tourists to a host country with apparent risks. More specifically, this research discusses the reason(s) for the impact of terrorism and political instability risks on the travel intentions, and calls upon the efforts of future Olympics and mega-sporting event host countries to mitigate the loss of international visitors and to boost global tourism during and after the event.     

Examining the impact of integrated and non-integrated parasport events on volunteer attitudes towards disability

Attitudes, and attitudinal change towards persons with disabilities, is an important area of research as it can potentially enable greater understanding of the constraints that may preclude full participation in society. In the realm of sport and recreation mega sporting events have been suggested as a potential catalyst for positive societal change and shifting negative attitudes. Much of the event research to date, however, has focused on able-bodied sport events, with parasport events being largely overlooked. As a result, the impact of major parasport events on attitudinal change towards persons with a disability is assumed by sport practitioners, policy-makers and politicians but not justified by empirical evidence. The current study thus presents a starting point by examining the benefits of hosting mega sport events and in particular focuses on an important event stakeholder group; volunteers. More specifically, the current study addresses volunteer’s perceptions of attitudes towards disability at two major parasport events: the 2014 Commonwealth Games (where parasport was integrated with the able-bodied sport) and the 2015 Pan Am/ParaPan American Games (where parasport was separated from the able-bodied sport). Data were collected at two time points for each event: pre-Games, and post-Games. Results revealed that both events had an impact on volunteer awareness levels of disability and accessibility-related issues, as well as positively impacting attitudes towards persons with disability. Interestingly, the integrated events at the Commonwealth Games appeared to impact attitudes to a greater degree than the non-integrated events at the ParaPan Am Games. Implications are discussed pertaining to the impact of an integrated vs. non-integrated major parasport event on disability/accessibility awareness, and attitudes towards disability.     

Event-specific impact test protocol for ice hockey goaltender masks

ABSTRACT

Goaltenders in the sport of ice hockey are at high risk for concussions from falls to the ice, player collisions and puck impacts. However, current methods used to certify helmets only consider head accelerations for drop tests which may not describe all common injury mechanisms relating to concussion. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of 3 events associated with concussions for ice hockey goaltenders. A helmeted medium National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) headform was impacted under conditions representing 3 injury events. Three impact locations’ velocities were selected for each event based on video analysis of real-world concussive events. Peak resultant linear acceleration, rotational acceleration and rotational velocity of the headform were measured. The University College Dublin Brain Trauma Model (UCDBTM) was used to calculate maximum principal strain (MPS) and von Mises stress in the cerebrum. Each impact event produced a unique dynamic response and brain stress and strain values. This demonstrates that a single impact event (i.e. falls) cannot adequately describe all impact events. As a result, impact protocols which assess multiple impact events such as the protocol described in this study should be used to evaluate ice hockey goaltender masks.     

Ethnic identity over national identity: an alternative approach to measure the effect of the World Cup on social cohesion

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a mega sport event has the potential to bring the nation together by increasing the importance of national identity and decreasing the importance of ethnic identity on the outcome of social cohesion. Instead of replicating prior work that has performed mean score comparisons of national identity, ethnic identity, and social cohesion before and after a particular event, the authors compared the variance explained (pre vs. post event) to show the aggregate influence of the two identities on social cohesion. By focusing on this reporting method, the subsequent discussion rests entirely on the practical influence of the perceptual changes that resulted from event hosting. Data for this trend analysis were collected from South African residents, pre (N?=?1749), and post (N?=?2020) the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Results indicated that while the importance of national identity on social cohesion did not increase, the importance of ethnic identity did decrease strongly, indicating that these mega sports events might cause individuals to forget about their ethnic differences as a result of these events.     

赛事认同对标志性体育赛事发展影响的实证研究——基于多中介的调节模型

赛事认同关乎标志性体育赛事的长期稳定发展。基于认同理论,运用Bootstrap、线性回归方法展开赛事认同对标志性体育赛事发展影响机理的实证研究。结果显示:赛事认同对标志性体育赛事中赛事质量、赛事环境、赛事营销和赛事管理服务均具有显著的影响;赛事品牌形象在赛事认同与赛事环境和赛事管理服务的影响关系间具有部分中介作用;举办地意向在赛事认同与赛事质量、赛事环境和赛事营销的影响关系间具有部分中介作用;参与意愿在赛事认同与赛事质量、赛事环境、赛事营销和赛事管理服务的影响关系间具有部分中介作用;感知价值在赛事认同与赛事管理服务的影响关系间具有部分中介作用;感知综合实力分别对赛事认同与赛事质量、赛事环境、赛事营销、赛事管理服务的影响关系起调节作用。研究证明了赛事认同与标志性体育赛事发展的关系路径,为促进我国标志性体育赛事高质量发展提供理论参考与实践支撑。     

Brand creation in international recurring sports events

Although recurring sports events are held more frequently and by a larger number of cities than one-off events, little research has examined the branding process within recurring events. This paper addresses this gap by examining the brand creation process for international recurring sports events. Based on Parent and Séguin's (2008) model for one-off sports events, a comparative case study of the Alberta World Cup (Canada) and World Cup Drammen (Norway) cross-country ski events was conducted. Findings included similarities (leaders’ skills/value-based actions, induced event experiences, and institutional experiences) and differences (branding/marketing efforts, recognition of the sport, and nature of the event (success, media coverage, geographic location, and history/impact)). An expanded model of event brand creation is proposed, which can be applied to both one-off and recurring sports events in small and large North American and European cities.     

Coaches’ perceptions of decision making in rugby union

ABSTRACT

Background: In team games situations, the ability to make fast and accurate decisions is crucial to performance. As such, effective decision making, characterised by the consistent and efficient ability to choose the right course of action at the right moment, is a key component of match performance in team sports such as rugby union. Previous research has identified pedagogical approaches to enhance decision making. However, there is dearth in research to investigate how coaches evaluate tactical decision making and subsequently develop context specific ‘on’ and ‘off-field’ coaching practices to improve it. Further, the value coaches place on decision making is under explored.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore coaches’ perceptions of decision making in rugby union. The specific objectives to meet this aim were to: (i) Explore coaches’ perceptions of the value and importance of decision making in rugby union; (ii) Identify coaches’ opinions of the key decision making moments in games and how to evaluate them; and (iii) Investigate coaches’ on and off field methods for improving players’ tactical and strategic decision making.

Participants: Purposive sampling was used to select five male coaches, whose ages ranged from 25 to 41 years, from a regional rugby union club in Wales to participate in the study. Coaching experience ranged from two years to 16 years.

Methods: The interpretative paradigm was used within the study with data collected through semi-structured interviews with academy rugby union coaches. This type of interview gathered rich, detailed and complex accounts of coaches’ opinions of players’ in-game decision making in rugby union in order to inform practice and theory. Inductive and deductive qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyse and interpret the data.

Findings: All five coaches agreed that decision making was a crucial part of the modern game of rugby union. There was some disagreement between them about the players’ autonomy to make their own decisions on the pitch and a general lack of clarity between ‘game plan’, ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics’ amongst the coaches. All the coaches agreed that the process of evaluation of players’ decision making should involve a joint discussion with the players. They also agreed that developing decision making was one of the hardest things to coach. Finally, they used a variety of ‘on’ and ‘off-field’ coaching methods to achieve this including video analysis, questioning and the use of games based scenarios.

Conclusion: This study acquired the coaches’ voice on players’ decision making in rugby union by exploring its perceived importance to them and how they evaluated and attempted to improve it. A clear attempt was made among the coaches to develop a ‘non-judgemental’ atmosphere in the evaluation and improvement of players’ decision making. Future research should consider the use of explicitation interviewing, where the interviewer (coach) aims to get the player into a state of evocation, to relive the key decision making moments in an attempt to improve it.     

The ‘East Asian’ Olympic Games: what of sustainable legacies?

Sport has proven to be an unstoppable globalising force. The Olympic Movement has come to epitomise modernisation and the extent to which Western sport has become globalised. The philosophy of Olympism, once resting upon just two pillars of Excellence in Sport and Culture has since 1994 been underpinned by a third, the Environment. All of the Olympic Games host cities now have to support a responsible concern for environmental issues and with that the very sustainability of ‘our’ culture, and sport itself. They must do so by bequeathing a holistic positive legacy from their Games. This paper will analyse the three ‘Asian’ Olympic Summer Olympic Games – Tokyo 1964, Seoul 1988 and Beijing 2008 – by looking at the cultural, sporting and environmental legacies each has left.

The discussion of the concept of sustainability as an element of culture will embrace Littig and Griessler’s idea that social sustainability is about the quality of societies expressed through the nature-society relationships and is not merely an economically based notion.1 ?1.?Littig & Griessler, ‘Social Sustainability’, 72. In this paper we consider the three Asian Summer Olympic Games. Each has been related to a specific nodal point in the host country's national history, as a means of illustrating, indeed emphasising, the always unique impacts of context on event and process. Yet we propose that, locked as they are in distinct epochs and differing cultural, political and economic contexts, they are nonetheless marked in common by an Asian discourse heavily reliant upon economic and nationalistic motivations.

The progressive analysis of each Games demonstrates that although each was unique, particularly in regards to the expectations stakeholders had of ‘their Olympics’, all three host nations represented themselves as ‘modern hybrids’ by simultaneously demonstrating their modernised characters and emphasising their ancient cultures. The analysis demonstrates the holistic impact of these events by reference to the wide range of economic, social, cultural and sporting changes that have emerged for each host from each festival. The evaluation of the nature and significance of these legacies reemphasises the impact of the Olympic Games as a vehicle for social change and illustrates the transformative power of sport at national and global levels.