Sustainable mega sport events: Oxymoron or reality?

Public referenda have become a frequent tool of popular sovereignty across Western democracies (Casella & Gelman, 2008). Unsurprisingly, this general trend also affects applicant cities willing to host the Olympic Games. For example, referenda have recently put an end to seven Olympic candidatures (Graubünden, Munich, and Krakow for the 2022 Olympics, Hamburg for the 2024 Olympics, Innsbruck and Graubünden again for the 2026 Olympics, and Vienna for 2028 Olympics). Additionally, Boston and Budapest canceled their candidatures for the 2024 Olympics facing both an apparent lack of public support and demands for referenda.

Potentially triggered by the recent rejections of Olympic host ambitions, researchers have begun to explore the determinants of individual citizen support for Olympic bids (e.g., Atkinson, Mourato, Szymanski, & Ozdemiroglu, 2008; Coates & Wicker, 2015; Preuss & Werkmann, 2011; Walton, Longo, & Dawson, 2008; Wicker & Coates, 2018; Wicker, Whitehead, Mason, & Johnson, 2016). Interestingly, an argument frequently raised by opponents is that such a hosting is unlikely to be (ecologically) sustainable or, even worse, harmful to the environment.

Therefore, in this course, we will assess the environmental footprint of mega sports events such as the Olympic Games. Based on this initial assessment, students will work in teams to develop a concept for sustainable mega sports events.

• Students will learn how to effectively define and measure/assess sustainability.

Learn about the economics of mega sport events:

• Students will gain a first understanding of key issues in the economics of mega sport events such as the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.

• Group assignment and presentation (80%)
• Reflection paper (20%)