Leveraging Legacies from Sports Mega-Events

This project can be offered either on a full-time or a part-time basis. Please email the prospective supervisor for more details.

The project looks beyond ’evaluation studies’ of previous sports mega-events (Olympics; FIFA Football World Cup and other large-scale events) and focuses on the leveraging strategies of hosts. Why has sport become more politically salient in the past 30 years? Why do states increasingly attempt to use sports ’megas’ as part of their soft power strategies? What are the key mechanisms states employ to leverage the most out of these events? How can states use such events to benefit their societies socially, economically and through enhancing the host city’s and nation’s international image? A study answering these questions would be in a position to provide future hosts some guidance on which strategies to adopt.

A number of research methods could be used in this project, including in-depth interviews with previous organising committee members, quantitative surveys and documentary analysis.

____

To find out more about studying for a PhD at the University of Birmingham, including full details of the research undertaken in each school, the funding opportunities for each subject, and guidance on making your application, you can now order your copy of the new Doctoral Research Prospectus, at: www.birmingham.ac.uk/students/drp.aspx