Planning of Mega Events: Experiences and Lessons

As the Olympic Games have turned gradually into a mega event, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have tried to professionalise the planning process related to the Games. As a part of this endeavour the IOC has launched the OGGI project (Olympic Games Global Impact Study), which aims to safeguard three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, social and economic values. Host cities are asked to monitor developments along these dimensions by means of social indicator analyses. In this article the author welcomes the monitoring efforts but raises critical questions regarding the strong focus on social indicator analysis. Using examples from past mega events, he argues theoretically and empirically for the use of qualitative data in impact studies.

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