Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2012—Mission Accomplished? A Retrospective Analysis of Intangible Legacies and the Fulfillment of the YOG’s Goals

Even though intangible legacies play an important role in the context of major sports events, research lacks both in depth and breadth. This paper, therefore, investigates intangible legacies of the Innsbruck 2012 Youth Olympic Games by surveying young residents (n = 1,338) 3 years after the event was staged. Special attention was paid to the youth’s level of involvement in the event. Additionally, the fulfillment of the YOG’s goals was analyzed. The results revealed that the YOG’s goals were mostly perceived as fulfilled. Although the local youth had overwhelmingly positive associations with and a positive opinion about the YOG, the event affected their lives only to a minor extent. Overall, our findings confirmed the extant literature and extended it by providing fundamental insights into the event’s image, which can be useful for future YOGs.