ABSTRACT

Sport events of all forms and sizes have been growing in volume and importance over the past century. Sport events can vary in scale and type and represent a temporary drawing together of resources to provide structured sport activities for participants, spectators and other stakeholders. These activities can feature either informal or formal competition between organised individuals and teams of athletes. Their duration can range from a single day to multiple days, and include local, national and international participants. Sport events are popular in many societies as they can provide people and their communities with both economic and social opportunities such as entertainment, socialisation and the establishment of contacts and networks between people and groups. A growing awareness of the social opportunities by government agencies and community groups has led to sport events being used as a method for fostering community development and delivering broader social benefits. Thus, while the actual sport event is often the key focus for organisers and participants, there is an opportunity for sport events to contribute to wider community development efforts.