Exploring the socio-economic impact of small and medium-sized sports events on participants, tourism and local communities: a systematic review of the literature

This systematic review explores the socio-economic impact of medium and small-scale sports events, addressing a research gap in understanding their effects on participants, cities, and local communities. We screened 11,081 articles and included 47 after thorough review following PRISMA guidelines. Our narrative synthesis highlights diverse impacts influenced by attendee categories, event location, participant characteristics, visitor spending, and community support. Despite methodological variations, thematic analysis identified key themes such as economic impact, determinants of spending, social impact, and destination image. While generalizability is challenging, our findings offer valuable insights for policy development, recognizing the significant impacts of small-medium sporting events on communities and cities.