Olympic Cities: Lessons Learned from Mega-Event Politics

Abstract

As cities compete for jobs and capital in the context of limited federal aid and increasing global economic competition, a new and potentially high-risk strategy for stimulating local economic growth has emerged. This strategy, called the mega-event strategy, entails the quest for a high-profile event to serve as a stimulus to, and justification for, local development. We examine how the mega-event strategy has played out in the three US cities with contemporary Olympic experience: Los Angeles (1984), Atlanta (1996), and Salt Lake City (2002). We analyze the approaches taken by these three cities to bidding for and staging an Olympic mega-event. Our comparison focuses on the decade long period that cities use to prepare to host the games. We conclude with a discussion of lessons learned and the policy implications of the mega-event strategy on urban politics.

From 'Event-led' to 'Event-themed' Regeneration: The 2002 Commonwealth Games Legacy Programme

“…Similarly, in Utah, a referendum was held on the issue of diverting $59 million of sales tax revenues to construct facilities for the 1996 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City (Andranovich et al, 2001). …”

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“…For example, a volume of previous studies strived to identify media framing structures by supplying interpretative accounts of media coverage with social and cultural aspects (Benford & Snow, 2000;Downs, 2002;Entman, 1993;Matthes & Kohring, 2008;Reese, 2007;Scheufele & Tewksbury, 2007). The research topic of hosting mega sporting events has many important but contentious issue so has become a popular research topic such as positive and/or negative economic impacts (e.g., Daniels & Norman, 2003;Kim, Gursoy, & Lee, 2006;Preuss, 2007;Whitson, Horne, & Manzenreiter, 2006), intangible social and cultural impacts (e.g., Gursoy & Kendall, 2006;Horne, 2007;, political issues (e.g., Andranovich, Burbank, & Heying, 2001;Black, 2007;Giulianotti & Klauser, 2010;Jones;, and environmental impacts (e.g., Collins, Flynn, Munday, & Roberts, 2007;Collins, Jones, & Munday, 2009;Dolles & Söderman, 2010;Ritchie, Shipway, & Cleeve, 2009). Media framing regarding the topic of hosting the Asian Games can be analyzed through scrutinizing issues covered in newspaper articles.…”

“…Specifically, newspaper reports regarding the topics of hosting mega sporting events have often relied upon information from such sources as politicians (e.g., Andranovich, Burbank, & Heying, 2001;Hall, 2006;, administrators (e.g., Burbank, Andranovich, & Heying, 2002;Emery, 2002;Higham & Hinch, 2002), economists (e.g., Coates & Humphreys, 2008;Shoval, 2002;Siegfried & Zimbalist, 2006), celebrities (e.g., Ashton, Gerrard, & Hudson, 2003;Preuss & Alfs, 2011;Xing & Chalip, 2006), volunteers (e.g., Baum & Lockstone, 2007;Giannoulakis, Wang, & Gray, 2007;Solberg, 2003), and researchers with expertise in the areas of sporting events (e.g., Gursoy & Kendall, 2006;Lee & Taylor, 2005;Ritchie, Shipwat, & Cleeve, 2009). In addition to such "professional" sources, the actual voices of local residents and others closely related to sporting events also provide an important perspective.…”

The Instruments of Place Branding: How is it Done?

“…An aspect of the globalisation of communications and entertainment has been the emergence of the 'mega-event' (Andranovich, 2001) of which the Olympic summer, and to a lesser extent winter, games is perhaps the best known and, given the global media attention and public interest, potentially most effective. Clearly the impact is greatest in places with not only the greatest need for global recognition but also the, as yet untested, capacity to stage such events.…”