Critical Success Factors in Organizing International Sports Events: A Resource-Based View and Strategic Framework
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55737/trt/v-vii.371Keywords:
Mega-events, International Sports, Resource-Based View, Event Legacy, Global South, Sports Event ManagementAbstract
Major sporting events such as the Olympics, FIFA World Cup and Commonwealth Games are growing in importance as sites of national pride, economic growth and infrastructure renewal. However, they are notoriously difficult to plan and deliver, producing a mix of unreliable legacy outcomes, wasteful spending and financial risk. This work synthesizes the scholarly literature on the key success factors (CSFs) connected with the organization of international sporting events using the Resource-Based View (RBV) as the primary theoretical lens. The work is heavily based on the systematic review by Chutiphongdech and Kampitak (2022) who reviewed 42 peer-reviewed studies and screened 1,050 records from Scopus and Web of Science to identify organizational, human, financial, physical, and reputational resources needed for the success of an event. This review contributes to the evidence base by offering illustrative cases, a critical appraisal of the limits of the RBV framework and a proposed strategic framework. The host nations and its event stakeholders, especially those in the Global South, form the target audience and are seeking strategies to organize and conduct high impact, sustainable events. The paper concludes that event results are shaped by a mix of intangible resources (reputation, stakeholder trust, organizational capability), tangible resources (venues, volunteers, financing) and external policy contexts. It also points to the need for more research on qualitative approaches, small and medium scale events and underrepresented places, such as sub-Saharan Africa.
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