Sport events connect generations and continents. There are hardly any other types of meetings which have a similar mass appeal as the Olympic Games or World Championships in soccer. However, what is left after these meetings? What effects do they have on the host country? In the international cooperative project "EventRights", the Chair of Sport and Health Management examined the legacy of such large events and how these can be better managed. The European Union supports the project with a total of €773,000. From this promotional support, the Chair of the Dean of Studies, Prof. Dr. Jörg Königstorfer, will receive €271,400 over the course of the coming four years.
"Sport mega events and their progeny have thus far only been the subject of relatively little high-quality research - which was then additionally only carried out in very special contexts. In this project we are interested in the question of how it could be possible to minimize the negative accompaniments from such large events and to arrange these better for all of those involved," explains Prof. Königstorfer. Thus, EventRights stands as a follow-up to the research project "CARNIVAL". Between 2013 and 2017, CARNIVAL made it possible for professors, doctoral candidates as well as masters and bachelor students at the TUM to perform empirical studies in South Africa and Brazil in the framework the Soccer World Championships and/or the Olympic Games (Rio de Janeiro) which were held there.
Problem: Preferential Treatment of the elite, corruption & resettling of the socially weaker subpopulations
"We could carry out various investigations and found a whole set of negative effects stemming from these large events. Among these were, for example, the preferential treatment of the elite, corruption or also the resettling of individuals in socially weaker subpopulations, who were completely torn away from their accustomed social environment. The primary problem of these large meetings is that these groups have almost no possibility of being heard in the context of the planning for such an event," says Königstorfer.
EventRights is therefore dedicated, among other things, to solving the question of how it could be possible to give all of the groups affected a voice and to promote human rights. At the same time, the researchers examine how an event can be organized without any negative side effects. A goal of the project is to establish concrete recommendations for the planning and control of such large events.
Travel and research budget
The project resources consist of both a travel as well as a research budget. "In the context of the project, we will have the chance of developing our network with international researchers. Coworkers will also spend several months abroad together with our partners," explains Königstorfer. Planned as well are also studies in places where large sporting events are to take place, for example in Tokyo (Olympic Summer Games in 2020) or Peking (Olympic Winter Games in 2022).
The project is guided by Coventry University. Aside from the TUM, the University of the West of Scotland (GB), the University of the Peloponnese (GRE) and the University of Gothenburg (SWE) are further participants. Cooperative partners to the project group are the University of Western Ontario (CAN), Waseda University (JPN), North Carolina State University (USA) as well as the Fundacao Getulio Vargas (BRA).
To Homepage of the Chair of Sport and Health Management
EventRights project description
Contact
Prof. Dr. Jörg Königstorfer
Chair of Sport and Health Management
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 Munich
Tel.: 089 289 24559
E-Mail: Joerg.Koenigstorfer(at)tum.de
Text: Dr. Fabian Kautz
Photo: TUM Caption: Dean of Studies, Prof. Dr. Jörg Königstorfer