A framework for identifying the legacies of a mega sport event

A mega sport event involves huge investments in city infrastructure. After the event, the structures that remain may be an asset to the stakeholders, or they may be a burden. Faced with high costs, the taxpayer demands that the event-related social, economic and ecological changes will in the end have improved living conditions for the host city. But it is not easy to identify sport event legacies in their entirety, because event-related changes may be confused with non-event-related development, and because a wide variety of areas and stakeholders are affected. This paper looks at how to identify legacies, who is affected by the legacies, how long they last, and how to judge whether a legacy creates or destroys value. It stresses that legacies affect stakeholders differently – positively for some and negatively for others. It considers how to maximise positive legacies and suggests that these can best be controlled by governmental organisations. It notes that legacies gain and lose power over time and that often a legacy will be activated only if environmental changes offer opportunities.