ABSTRACT
In order to understand the social impact of sporting events, it is important to analyse the perception of residents, with special interest in different sized events in the same city in a short period of time. This makes it possible to compare in terms of costs/benefits, or inconveniences derived from the celebration of sporting events, and can serve as a basis for organisers/promoters and governments for the elaboration of a tourism strategy linked to sporting events. The aim of this study is to analyse residents’ perceptions of the impact of three small and medium-scale sporting events: Valencia Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Valencia Open 500 ATP World Tennis Tour and the Valencia Popular Marathon. Residents completed a questionnaire consisting of 35 items, the sample of each event (N = 335; N = 352; N = 295) results in a common scale of 30 items and eight factors. The results show that the impact factor on image and promotion is the one most valued by residents, while the impact on infrastructure is the one with the lowest score. The factors studied showing different results depending on the type of event studied. For the residents, F1GP and the O500 Tennis have great potential as enhancers of the city’s external image, but are perceived by residents as elite events, with few direct and short-term benefits for residents. For the marathon, the aspects that influence support for future events are related to community pride, the level of enthusiasm of the event and the impact on the promotion of sport.
