This paper examines how major sport events can be integrated into regional development agendas by analysing the legacy initiative created around the 2019 Alpine and Biathlon World Championships in Jmtland, Sweden.Although presented as a legacy program, research indicates that long-term value is more effectively generated through strategic leverage.This case study draws on a framework analysis of a regional development strategy and a focus group with key stakeholders to assess, first, how effective the program was as a legacy initiative, and second, what reframing it in terms of strategic leverage would have entailed.Findings show that the program fostered business networking and collaboration between national sport federations, but lacked measurable outcomes, strategic anchoring, and public-sector leadership.The study contributes to debates on legacy vs. leverage by highlighting the importance of early policy alignment and governance structures that embed events within long-term regional objectives.
Wallstam et al. (Thu,) studied this question.