ABSTRACT
Sports mega-events, most notably the Olympic Games, have generated legacies that range from beneficial to destructive. Potentially positive outcomes include short-term boosts to tourism and local economies, and improved sporting facilities and infrastructure. Although negative financial, social and environmental impacts are widespread and thoroughly documented, they are overshadowed by the Olympic industry’s ‘feel-good’ mythology and mainstream media’s pro-Olympic bias. An understanding of exaggerated and misleading legacy promises related to recent Olympics will help to inform future ‘resistance’ efforts.
