EVIDENCE OF A SOCIAL LEGACY FROM VOLUNTEERING AT THE SOCHI 2014 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES

Abstract

Mega-sport events, like Olympic and Paralympic Games, typically promise host communities that beneficial legacies will remain beyond the life of the event; however, there is little postevent research supporting these claims. Conducted 3 years after the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, this research is one of few to explore the social legacy of volunteerism following an Olympic and Paralympic Games. A previously developed anonymous online survey was distributed via the event’s 26 volunteer centers. Analysis included principal components analysis and independent samples t tests. The results demonstrate that social legacies can be achieved, albeit at a level lower than may be indicated by surveys conducted at the time of the event. By being strategic in their recruitment and training of volunteers, future mega-sport event organizers may be more effective in achieving social legacies, in sport, events, and tourism, that add to a host community’s social and human capitals.