ABSTRACT
Over the past 20 years (1998–2018) scholars, sport administrators, Olympic promoters and politicians have transformed the notion of legacy from a relatively negligible by-product of the world premier sporting event, to a normative concept promoting institutionalised forms of behaviour and capable of delivering benefits to a wide range of stakeholders. A conceptual preoccupation with legacy outcomes has practical implications for politicians and Games organisers because it urges them to clearly identify, plan, manage and evaluate these outcomes. This chapter extends the debate and practical efforts aimed at conceptualising and operationalising legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It submits for debate three questions in the hope that they will challenge the current thinking and help better define this critical issue for the Olympic movement. The chapter is organised around three key questions including ‘what matters most for the Olympic movement that is worth striving for?’; ‘what kind of legacy does the Olympic movement need?’; and ‘what is this about legacy we want to know?’
