ABSTRACT
This opening chapter addresses a range of issues that are pertinent to the host city/country chapters that follow. Specifically, the chapter addresses the legacy discourse, discusses the definitions of legacy, locates when and why the term ‘legacy’ was used within the Olympic/Paralympic system, reflects on differing types of legacies, including mass sport participation, and more generally explores the relationship between the modern Olympic Games and mass sport participation. Following this, the chapter highlights a range of methodological considerations regarding the comparative nature of the study before concluding with details of the analytical framework used in the analysis of the legacy for each host city.
