Leveraging a Mega Sport Event: Lessons for the 2019 FIBA World Cup

Fei Gao

Over the past decades, hosting mega-events, such as the Olympic Games has become a controversial topic debated by many practitioners and scholars, due to the high costs and the complicated matter of how to evaluate the legacy the event leaves behind. Debates center on perceived impacts that might have been caused by or attributed to the event. These outcomes involve economic impact, which has been proven to be meager at best (Zimbalist, 2016); social impact, which has been progressively receiving attention from host cities (Chalip, 2006); and environmental impact, which encompasses the 21st-century event management philosophy as it relates to environmental concerns and their affect on society (O’Brien & Chalip, 2007). To host mega-events, event organizers usually invest tremendous resources in planning, implementation, and management of the events. These investments often raise concerns from the event organizers, who commonly worry about the return on investment (ROI) when costs occur.