Social Policy for Sport Events: Leveraging (Relationships with) Teams from other Nations for Community Benefit

Abstract

Recent work on sport events has argued that host governments should do
\nmore to leverage events in order to obtain and spread the benefits. This study uses
\nethnographic methods to compare two cities’ implementation of a programme designed
\nto leverage the presence of visiting teams training for the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
\nWhereas one city formulated and implemented a detailed strategic plan to obtain
\nbenefits from its relationship with its adopted visiting team (Papua New Guinea), the
\nother made no effort to benefit from adopting a visiting team (Wales). The city that
\nleveraged its visiting team obtained new relationships, cultural insights, and improved
\norganisational networks, whereas the city that did not leverage obtained no comparable
\nbenefits. The difference was due to the disparity in strategic vision by the two city
\ngovernments and the vague mandate of the state programme which had caused each
\ncity to adopt its chosen team. Future work should explore factors that foster and that
\ninhibit effective leverage before and during sport events.