FiT Publishing

Given the increasing dependence of sport organizations and events on corporate sponsorship, this study set out to examine the motivations of the Grand National sponsors of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and the objectives they sought to fulfill through their sponsorship. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven of the ten Grand National Olympic sponsors. Findings indicated that these companies?decision to join the National Sponsoring Program was not entirely business-driven; rather, the desire to support the national effort and a sense of obligation led most companies to enter...Read more

Description: Bidding for the right to host the Summer or Winter Olympic Games has frequently led host-city organizing committees to suggest the Games bring about marketing enhancements, such as global media ttention, community infrastructure investments, attractive sponsor spending, and the promise of long-term imagery enhancements for tourism purposes and community pride. These proposed benefits, in the absence of quantifiable metrics, help many proponents embrace the Olympic Movement and push for hosting the Olympics. Past Olympiads have shown, however, that an organizing committee for...Read more