Impact of Mega Sports Events in Host Community - Research Paper Example

IMPACT OF MEGA SPORTS EVENTS IN HOST COMMUNITY of the of the Table of Contents Introduction 3 Literature Review4 Research Objectives 5 Research Question 6 Research Methodology 6 Data Collection Techniques 6 Research Approach and Philosophy 7 Question Technique and Sampling 8 Ethical Issues 10 Justification of the Approach 10 Findings and Analysis 11 Conclusion 13 References 14 Appendices 16 Introduction International events related to sports, capture a global attention primarily due to the excellence of the athletes and also due to the participation of a number of nations in the events. This brings a sense of unity among the nations and attracts lot of tourists to the venue where the international event takes place and it also generates a lot of income within the economy due to the international event that takes place (Matheson & Baade, 2004). It attracts tourists from various nations and thereby raises the revenue of the host country. Further, the media also plays an important role in attracting citizens of the other nations to participate in the events (Matheson & Baade, 2004). However, it is said that the mega sports events within the host country brings both opportunity as well as risk factors that are needed to be focused. The most important opportunity that is expected from conducting these sports events is that it encourages a friendly relationship among the nations and generates a lot of revenue (Chalip, 2004). The disadvantage of conducting these events is that it may invite corruption as well as other political issues that may pollute the environment of the host country. The aim of conducting this research is to examine the impacts of conducting the mega sports events in Qatar from the socio-economic as well as tourism perspective. The research allows the researcher to evaluate the impact of the 2012 Olympic Games as well as the Paralympics Games that had taken place in London. It also evaluates the environmental impacts of the mega sports events as well as the inter-organizational relationships within the economy. Literature Review The mega sports events conducted in various countries provides an opportunity to make investments in order to organize these events. It requires huge funds for conducting these events and these investments may lead to a long run economic growth (Ritchie, Shipway & Cleeve, 2009). The events conducted in the developing countries generate a lot of revenue within these countries and it brings in future developments of the less developed economies. Conducting these events usually imposes large costs on the host countries that are compensated by the revenue that is generated from these events. If the developing countries host these type of mega sports events they may have benefits of conducting trade with other developed economies. However, the researchers suggest that hosting these mega sports events would provide opportunity for the host community to make huge profits and also promote national exports. The mega sports events are expected to inject large sum of money in the host community and thus leads the community to the path of development. These mega events attracts citizens of other countries to participate as well as large number of tourists are expected to visit the host community and stay there for a longer period of time contributing to the revenue generated within the economy (Jones, 2001). These events not only have economic benefits but also lead to the social benefits that are it encourages unity among the countries that are willing to participate in these events. The 2012 Olympics held in London leads to the human rights related challenges in the economy. It emphasized on having a positive legacy in the UK. In order to organize an event, the citizens of the host country have to put in a lot of effort (Hall, 2006). They have to prepare the host community for the upcoming event that is to take place within the country that requires lot of funds. The country faced various opposition and issues related to the hosting of the Olympic Games but it could overcome all the challenges and prepare itself for the events. The Olympic Games attracted a large number of athletes from different countries to participate in the events and thus encourage international relationship among different countries (Gursoy & Kendall, 2006). Same was the case during the Para-Olympic games that was held in London for the physically disabled people in order to inculcate a sense of self confidence in them. The 2011 Rugby World Cup was held in New Zealand which involved the participation many nations. The event generated a lot of revenue for the countries (Matheson & Baade, 2004). However, there was huge cost associated with the organization of the events and also it involved the participation of media in promotion of the events. The transport system within the economy had to be improved in order to make the tourists comfortable. The event had resulted in the emergence of large number of tourists and generation of huge revenue within the economy (Matheson & Baade, 2004). The hotels, restaurants and the Casinos made huge profits within the emergence of such a huge population of tourists within the host communities (Matheson & Baade, 2004). The researchers have indicated that most of the developing countries are always willing to host these events despite lack of funds because it generates a lot of revenue to the economy and the countries gradually moves to the path of development (Matheson & Baade, 2004). Research Objectives To analyze the overall impact of the Mega Sports events in the host country. To examine the impact of the Sport events on the Socio-Economic and political environment of the host community. To determine the impacts of the London 2012 Olympic as well as Para-Olympic games within the economy. To scrutinize the impacts of the mega events on the inter-organizational relationship within the host community. Research Question What are the social, economic and tourism impacts of mega sport events on the host community? Research Methodology Data Collection Techniques The data regarding the impact of mega sports events within the economy can be collected by conducting quantitative survey on the citizens as well as the tourists who visit the host country during the Mega events. The survey can be conducted on the citizens in order to know about the socio-economic conditions that arise during the mega events (Hiller, 2000). The survey conducted on the tourists can provide information regarding the frequency with which they visit the countries hosting the mega sports events. The survey is to be conducted on the citizens and tourists by preparing questionnaire and the concerned persons are needed to answer the questions by following a specific pattern (Baade & Matheson, 2004). The questionnaires are to be set in a way that it covers the research objectives and the responses of the participants are helpful in carrying out the analysis. The data is collected in a quantitative approach by making the participants to answer the questionnaires. Further, the analysis can also be done based on the secondary data available in the online websites and journal. The data must be collected from authentic sources and the analysis can be carried out using various techniques. The online data can be collected on the total numbers of tourists visiting the host community during the events and the total cost that is incurred by the host community. Further, data regarding the total revenue generated are also available from authentic websites. The available data must be interpreted carefully and then the analysis is to be conducted. Research Approach and Philosophy The research methodology used by the researcher depends on the type of research to be conducted. Despite the tendency of the researcher to conduct the survey using the available data and any suitable approach, the choice of the approach is often influenced by the research methodology chosen (Ritchie, Shipway & Cleeve, 2009). The methodology is influenced by the theoretical perspectives adopted by the researcher and it depends on the pattern of analysis that the researcher wishes to carry out. In case the researcher chooses a methodology that involves a questionnaire to be distributed to the participants an Objectivist approach has to be adopted (Atkinson, 2008). The Objectivist epistemology deals with the fact that the reality exists independent of the consciousness of the individuals. A more appropriate approach that the researcher uses in conducting the research is that of Positivism which deals with the fact that the reality exists outside the knowledge of the researcher and the researcher is supposed to explore the reality by conducting the research (Bernard & Busse, 2004). Positivism is one of the most important approaches that the researcher often uses for conducting research on a large population. It deals with exploring the reality which had remained unknown so far. The researcher through this research would like to determine the impacts of the mega sports events on the host community which is an unknown phenomenon that the researcher wishes to analyze by conducting the research. According to the positivists, the world is operated under the strict principles which had to be scientifically determined by conducting research. Question Technique and Sampling The researcher decides to carry out a research on the impacts of the mega sports events on the host country. It mainly covers the Olympic Games that were held in London that had attracted a large number of the tourist population in the host country. Further, the researcher wishes to analyze the expected impact of the Summer Olympics that is to be held in Qatar in 2016 (Gratton & Preuss, 2008). Hence, the expected future impact can be determined only by the present situation of the host countries during the Mega sports events. The research is to be conducted on the citizens of the host community as well as the tourists who are fond of watching these mega sports events live. Separate questionnaires are to be prepared for the different categories of individuals and are to be distributed among them so that they are capable of answering the questionnaires. The questions must be framed in such a way that it covers the motive of conducting the research and the researcher must make sure that the participant find it convenient to answer (Gratton & Preuss, 2008). Around 100 questionnaires are to be prepared for each category of the individuals and they are needed to be distributed to the participants and the researcher must make sure that the concerned persons get involved in the procedure. The questionnaires are to be prepared on a five point scale and the participant is expected to mark any number from 1 to 5 according to their knowledge and experience. The ratings from 1 to 5 are to be added in the questionnaires in the following format. 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Disagree 3. Neutral 4. Agree 5. Strongly Agree The participants are expected to rate the questions carefully because further analysis is to be carried out based on their response. The questions are to be framed related to the impact of mega sports events on the host country. The questionnaire for the citizens of the host community may comprise of the following questions. 1. You fully support the mega sports events that take place in the country. 2. The mega sports events bring in a peaceful atmosphere within the country. 3. The mega sports events held within the country gives rise to corruption disrupting the political situation of the host community. 4. The government should allow more mega sports events to take place within the country. The questionnaires for the tourists would involve the following questions. 1. You are fond of watching the mega sports events live. 2. You prefer to spend longer vacation in those countries hosting the mega sports events. 3. You support the mega sport events as they bring in a lot of revenue within the economy. 4. You are not interested in purchasing the tickets for the sports events due to its high cost. Ethical Issues While conducting the quantitative research, the researcher has to be careful that the questions are framed in simple languages that are easily understandable by the participants. The questions should not hurt the sentiments of the participants and they must not be forced to respond to the questions (Girginov & Hills, 2008). The researcher must have a convincing attitude towards the participants in order to make them participate in the research process. The participants must be given time to mark their responses and the researcher must not trouble them a long questionnaires. Before collecting the secondary data, the researcher must register to the online journal sites and then they can collect authentic data required for conducting the research analysis (Kasimati, 2003). The researcher must make sure that the data obtained are valid (Kasimati, 2003). While conducting the analysis, the researcher must be careful in case of any errors that may arise in the data analysis. Justification of the Approach The approach that the researcher has planned in order to conduct the research is highly justified. The researcher plans to conduct an objectivism methodology which comprises of the events outside the knowledge of the researcher (Brown, 2000). The researcher plans to explore the impacts of the mega sports events on the host community through conducting surveys and finding out whether the mega sports event have a positive or a negative impact on the host community (Brown, 2000). The survey is conducted on the citizens of the host community, as well as the tourists visiting the countries hosting the events. It also makes a future expectation about the impact of the Olympic event that is to be held in Qatar. Findings and Analysis The questionnaires along with the responses are collected by the researcher and the analysis is carried out based on the ratings given by the participants on various questions asked to them. The participants are expected to respond based on their views related to the questions mentioned in the questionnaire (Gursoy & Kendall, 2006). The participants are the citizens of the countries hosting the sports events as well as the tourists who visit the places where the events take place. There are separate questionnaires for the citizens of the host community and the tourists and the researcher needs to verify whether the participant is a citizen of the host community or a tourist who is fond of watching sports events live (Gursoy & Kendall, 2006). The questions asked in the questionnaire meant for the citizens of the nations cover the fact that whether the mega sports events has a positive impact on the host community or its ruins the socio-economic as well as the political environment of the country. Major percentage of the citizens say that organizing the events within a country has positive impacts on the economy as a whole (Brown, 2000). The research suggests that the government of the host country must encourage the organizers to organize such events that would bring unity among the nations and the citizens (Brown, 2000). The ratings given by the participant states that the citizens are happy with the sports events that are conducted within the nations and would encourage more such events to take place in the country. Another questionnaire was prepared for the tourists arriving in the countries hosting the sports events. Majority of the tourists who arrive in the countries have responded that they have come mainly for attending the Olympic or any other international sports events. The ratings suggest that they are fond of watching the events live in the countries. The ratings given by the participants are then tabulated in an excel worksheet and then a pie-chart is created on the various questions that are mentioned in the questionnaires and the percentage of populations in each category is clearly recorded in the pie-chart (Brown, 2000). Each segment in the pie-chart shows the responses of the citizen and the tourists in the host community. The survey has been conducted during the London Olympics held in 2012 when the country and the citizens had well prepared themselves for the big sports event that was organized and there was a huge participation from all the other countries (Girginov & Hills, 2008). The research suggests that there was a lot of promotion of the events in the social media and it had improved the socio-economic situations of the host country. There was a peaceful environment maintained within the country hosting the events and the event built up a social relationship among the participating nations. The research suggests that the Government of the host country should support these events in order to build up a trade relationship among the nations (Girginov & Hills, 2008). Mega sports events also create employment opportunities for the unemployed youth who can participate as organizers of the events (Preuss & Arne Solberg, 2006). Organizing an event involves the participation of lot of individuals who can contribute as organizers. The events are also sponsored by the various organizations and there occurs an inter-organizational relationship (Girginov & Hills, 2008). The social media groups join as partners in order to sponsor the events and also promote the event in order to attract the athletes to participate in the event. There was another event that is the 2011 rugby world cup that was held in New Zealand that had invited the participation of other nations as well (Girginov & Hills, 2008). However, from the survey it can be stated that the summer Olympics that is to be held in Qatar in 2016 would lead to an overall development of the nation. There would be huge participation from various other nations and it would invite trade relations as well (Girginov & Hills, 2008). It would improve the political situation within the economy and lead to the tourism development in the host nation. Conclusion After carrying out a detailed analysis on the impacts of conducting the mega sports events on the host community, it can be concluded that the sports events had led to a positive impact on the countries in which the events are organized. A quantitative analysis has been carried out on the citizens of the host country as well as the tourists arriving in those countries especially to attend these events. The analysis is carried out in excel worksheets and the pie-charts show that majority of the population are fond of the mega sports events that take place within the host community. Since it attracts the athletes as well as the tourists to host nations, many developing countries are often interested to host the sports events in order to improve their socio-economic as well as the political situation within the economy. However, Qatar has bagged the right to host the Summer Olympics in 2016 that would improve the political situation within the nation. By organizing the event, it would invite a lot of tourists and thus it is expected to generate a lot of revenue and follow a part of development. The mega sports events also contribute to the employment generation within the economy by appointing organizers who are supposed to organize the events within the host country and carry out promotion of the events. References Atkinson, G., Mourato, S., Szymanski, S. & Ozdemiroglu, E. (2008). Are We Willing to Pay Enough toBack the Bid?: Valuing the Intangible Impacts of Londons Bid to Host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Urban Studies, 45(2), 419-444. Baade, R. A. & Matheson, V. A. (2004). The quest for the cup: Assessing the economic impact of the World Cup. Regional studies, 38(4), 343-354. Bernard, A. B. & Busse, M. R. (2004). Who wins the Olympic Games: Economic resources and medal totals. Review of Economics and Statistics, 86(1), 413-417. Brown, G. (2000). 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Mega‐events, Urban Boosterism and Growth Strategies: An Analysis of the Objectives and Legitimations of the Cape Town 2004 Olympic Bid. International journal of urban and regional research, 24(2), 449-458. Jones, C. (2001). Mega‐events and host‐region impacts: determining the true worth of the 1999 Rugby World Cup. International Journal of Tourism Research, 3(3), 241-251. Kasimati, E. (2003). Economic aspects and the Summer Olympics: a review of related research. International journal of tourism research, 5(6), 433-444. Matheson, V. A. & Baade, R. A. (2004). Mega‐sporting events in developing nations: playing the way to prosperity? South African Journal of Economics, 72(5), 1085-1096. Preuss, H. & Arne Solberg, H. (2006). Attracting major sporting events: The role of local residents. European Sport Management Quarterly, 6(4), 391-411. Ritchie, B. W., Shipway, R., & Cleeve, B. (2009). Resident perceptions of mega-sporting events: A non-host city perspective of the 2012 London Olympic Games. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 14(2-3), 143-167. Appendices Appendix 1 (Source: Author’s creation) Appendix 2 (Source: Author’s creation) Read More