Disrupting the state: mega-events, bureaucratic displacement and institutional change in Chilean sport

Sport mega-events are frequently justified by political authorities on the basis of their expected benefits and legacies, yet delivering them depends on complex administrative arrangements in which bureaucrats from diverse institutions must translate competing political and administrative ambitions into concrete outcomes. Notably, despite extensive research on sport mega-events, little is known about how hosting – understood as a potential critical juncture capable of triggering institutional change – affects the structures, routines and institutional arrangements of government bureaucrats. Drawing on a historical institutionalist lens, this study addresses this issue through interviews with sport bureaucrats from Chile’s two main sport institutions: the Ministry of Sport and the National Institute of Sport. The main research question is: How did the hosting of the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago impact the structures, institutional arrangements and routines of Chilean sport bureaucrats? While associated with several positive legacies, the findings reveal that the Games introduced significant uncertainty and instability into bureaucratic arrangements, generating intense operational pressures and prompting new rules and organisational structures. These findings demonstrate that sport mega-events can reorganise administrative attention and produce lasting institutional change, offering insight into why event-led development strategies persist in Chile and other Global South contexts.