Impact case study database
Sport Events as Agents of Change
1. Summary of the impact
Major and mega sporting events have been redefined by our research as agents of social change in leveraging diversity and inclusion. Findings have led directly to changes in policy at national and international level for sport event awarding bodies and host organisers with documented policy changes by: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in their Recommendation on Global Events and Local Development, adopted in 38 member countries and used by Paris 2024 Olympic Games; the Canadian Paralympic Legacy Committee, the Commonwealth Games Federation; and in education programmes, guidance and capacity building for the 2020(21) Paralympic Games in Toyko, Japan.
2. Underpinning research
The impact produced is underpinned by research informed by theories from critical events studies, disability studies, urban studies and sport studies. McPherson, McGillivray and Turner have developed and applied public value theory, critical disability theory, media theory and urban geography to the major and mega event context (including disability sport events) to advance arguments for the contribution these events can make as agents of social change. McPherson and McGillivray developed an innovative theoretical framework explaining the public value contribution of events for progressive opportunity and this has been instrumental for policy makers in forming public and private partnerships in events in establishing such outcomes as part of a new normative consensus within the events sector [3.2, 3.3]. McPherson and McGillivray published output from their London 2012 work that informed the policy and the framework for evaluation of Glasgow 2014 [3.5, 3.6]. Output by McPherson, McGillivray and Turner, on bidding for international events and creating public value by leveraging events as agents for social change, has resulted in urban and local development by cities and governments and has been adopted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in developing new policy recommendations [3.2- 3.4]. Leveraging Disability Sport [3.2] developed a theoretical framework for understanding how disability sport events can be used to secure social change and lead to progressive opportunities for nations, states and event owners. This book, along with earlier books on Event Policy and Event Bidding [3.1- 3.4], draws attention to the limitations associated with the use of major and mega events in bringing about sustainable social change within the urban context due to the absence of meaningful infrastructural and attitudinal change associated with planning and delivery of these events. However, our research also proposes a range of mechanisms and solutions to ensure that major and mega sport events can be more progressive, contributing to improvements in sport participation, enhancing the accessibility of urban environments, ameliorating rather than contributing to human rights infringements and ensuring greater public value from significant investments [3.3, 3.5]. Our underpinning research is defined by its focus on the identification of problematic features of major and mega event policy and practice, offering new methods and mechanisms to improve their public value, benefiting citizens, protecting human rights and then seeking to influence significant key policy actors to ensure these insights are integrated into the bidding, planning and delivery of future events. We place events in an international context of the rise of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations and deal with issues of ideology or pragmatism in bidding for events and the role of event owners in supporting developing nations or otherwise demonstrating the potential of events to act as catalysts for change [3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.6].
3. References to the research
3.1 Foley, M., McGillivray, D. and McPherson, G., (2012) *Event Policy: From Theory to Strategy.*London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203806425
3.2 Misener, L., McPherson, G., McGillivray, D and Legg, D., (2019) Leveraging Disability Sport Events: Impacts, Promises, and Possibilities. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315108469 (Output listed in REF2)
3.3 McPherson, G., Misener, L., McGillivray, D. and Legg, D., (2017) Creating Public Value Through Parasport Events. Event Management, 21(2): 185-199. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599517X14878772869649
3.4 McGillivray, D; and Turner, D., (2017) Event Bidding: Politics, Persuasion and Resistance,
London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315563367
3.5 McGillivray, D., Edwards, M.B., Brittain, I., Bocarro, J and Koenigstorfer, J., (2018) A conceptual model and research agenda for bidding, planning and delivering major sport events that lever human rights , Leisure Studies, 38(2): 175-190. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2018.1556724
3.6 McGillivray, D., McPherson, G., & Misener, L., (2017) Major sporting events and geographies of disability. Urban Geography, 39(3): 329-344. https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2017.1328577
Grants
3.A McPherson, G., McGillivary, D., Major Sport Events and Parasport Participation Impacts, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, April 2018 to March 2021, CAD229,352
3.B McPherson, G., Leveraging Parasport Events for Sustainable Community Participation, Sport Canada, Social Sciences and Humanities Social Research Council, January 2014 to December 2016, GBP5,624.
3.C McPherson, G., Scotland's Cultural Plan for London 2012 and Glasgow 2014, Creative Scotland and Glasgow Life, June 2012 to April 2013, GBP39,980
4. Details of the impact
Impact on international sport policy
The research findings have led directly to changes in international sport policies with impact most evident in policy changes made by i) the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), ii) the International Olympic Academy and Japanese Olympic Association and iii) the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the Pan/ParaPan American Games. The group’s research has thus redefined major and mega sporting events as agents of social change, in leveraging diversity and inclusion nationally and internationally.
i) Impact on leveraging local benefit from international sport events
McPherson was appointed as Expert Special Advisor to the OECD (January to May 2018) to advise on the Recommendation on Global Events and Local Development. The reach and significance of this impact is world leading in that the Recommendation was adopted by the OECD Council and at Ministerial level by 38 member countries in May 2018 [5.5].
The Recommendation provided members with a comprehensive overview of the main tenets of conditions required to realise more sustainable global events, more effective delivery mechanisms and stronger capacities to leverage local benefits by setting framework conditions for all future global events. As a result, Japan, Korea, France, China and Italy have amended their legacy planning for current and future events. The OECD Senior Policy Manager, states that McPherson has been instrumental in “ specifically helping to develop agreed international definitions and principles related to cultural programmes and strategies, sport evaluation frameworks and monitoring and governance” [5.1]. McPherson now forms part of an OECD Steering Group (May 2018 to present) influencing international global events policy.
ii) Impact on developing opportunities for people with disabilities
The impact of McGillivray and McPherson’s work on parasport events and social change has also been extended to Japan with their project, Paralegacy 2020: Building Japanese research capacity around disability studies and sport to positively impact the lives of people with disabilities [5.7, 5.8]. The pair secured policy impact in Japan, with their briefing paper (June, 2019) and participation in a policy forum, at the House of Councillors, (June, 2019) in Japan with the subsequent policy report, in both Japanese and English and widely shared in the UK. Impact in the educational sphere comes from the publication of a guide to undertaking research with people with disabilities available via open access in both English and Japanese [5.7, 5.8] and which led to direct changes in teaching materials of the “I’mPossible” project run by the Nippon Foundation and adopted by 36,000 schools across Japan [5.2].
iii) Impact on sustaining the legacy of sport in the community
The group’s UK/Canada parasport research project, funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council for Canada (SSHRC), has secured extensive reach, and significance through substantial knowledge, mobilization and activities in both Canada and the UK. The group’s research led directly to the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) changing its policies to more effectively lever the Parapan American Games and produce positive long-term outcomes for persons with a disability in sport and in the community. McPherson attended the CPC Legacy Committee along with the Principal Investigator (Western Ontario). The group’s new approach to leveraging disability sport events for broader social good was adopted for the 2015 Toronto Pan/ParaPan American Games. The CEO stated : “OPC benefited from the pre-Games research as it led us to refine our impact strategy and create a more strategic alignment between Games opportunities and potential outcomes for the province.... furthermore, this work has significant influence in five of the municipalities, with eight facilities focused on increasing access and participation in parasport and hundreds of coaches being trained and becoming involved in parasport” [5.3].
iv) Impact on leveraging international events to address local urban deprivation
Through the comparative UK/Canada project, clear pathways to impact were developed to inform and influence policy. In Glasgow, McPherson, McGillivray and the Principal Investigator (West Ontario) organised, and participated in, key public engagement sessions in the UK and Canada to disseminate the findings of their work, and to influence public policy. A key example is that McPherson and McGillivray provided evidence at the Independent Living Solutions Series Policy Forum, which included a Scottish Government Cabinet Minister, that focused on improving opportunities for persons with a disability to access and benefit from participation in sport [5.8] as a legacy of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. McPherson and McGillivray also presented their research findings on the outcomes of the Glasgow 2014/Toronto 2015 Games to the Scottish Government Legacy Group at the Scottish Parliament and this research won a Gold Research Award in the Herald Game Changer Awards 2014. They hosted a workshop on Sport and Social Change (approximately 30 attendees) with contributions from Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Life and members of the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee to inform and influence Glasgow’s approach to maximising legacies from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games [5.4]. In Canada, the principal investigator facilitated a workshop of the Canadian Paralympic Committee that led to change in 5 provinces. The work was particularly important in supporting the alignment of parasport strategies with the policy implementation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with a Disability Act [5.3].
5. Sources to corroborate the impact
5.1 Testimonial from the Economic Cooperation and Development
5.2 Testimonial from the Japanese Nippon Foundation
5.3 Testimonial from the Canadian Paralympic Committee
5.4 Testimonial on the influence of our work on disability sport and the Commonwealth Games Federation
5.5 Published report that outlines a framework for impact of events as catalysts for change and which we helped write & produce: http://www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/global-events-recommendation.htm
5.6 Published report on policy forum in Japan’s Houses of Parliament: http://paralegacy2020.net/2020/04/03/policy-report-published/
5.7 Research guide for working with people with a disability that we produced as a result of our joint work with colleagues in Japan and the Nippon Foundation: http://paralegacy2020.net/2020/04/03/research-guide-for-working-with-people-with-disabilities-pwd-published/).