Creating sport participation from sport events: making it happen

ABSTRACTSport participation is a claimed benefit of elite sport events, but the facts do not support that claim, and means to capitalise upon events in order to build participation have yet to be developed. Through a combination of dialectical inquiry, brainstorming, and nominal group, 12 expert panellists were invited to consider the challenges, opportunities, and prospects of leveraging sport events to enhance sport participation at local levels. The model consists of three elements: (1) the hierarchical nature of the context (culture; opinions and attitudes; systems and structures), (2) three types of organisations with a stake in the leveraging process (event, sport, and non-sport entities), and (3) resources needed (human, physical, and knowledge). The centre reflects the core, which is sport participation. A series of strategic questions are presented to guide formulation and implementation of strategies and tactics for leveraging sport events to build sport participation. The findings are consisten...