COVID-19, sustainability and Olympic Games: which lessons can we learn from Tokyo 2020?
Sport, Business and Management
ISSN: 2042-678X
Article publication date: 24 May 2022
Issue publication date: 2 January 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to understand how the sustainability theme has been incorporated into the new Olympic planning guidelines based on analysing the case of Tokyo (2020), which was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
For this, field research using the case study method was carried out that involved 21 in-depth interviews with experts from different entities affected by the event.
Findings
As a result, it was possible to identify that some characteristics already presented in the Tokyo project came to break away from the gigantism observed in the past Olympic editions in an attempt to demonstrate alignment with the new principles brought by the IOC (2020) and 2020 + 5 Agenda that had as one of its main objectives to simplify the Olympics, making the event more sustainable and accessible for future host societies.
Originality/value
At the end, some trends for the future of the Olympic Games are also presented in order to guide future studies in the area, as well as help the future host cities and their companies in planning their investments.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçõamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior ‐ Brasil (CAPES) ‐ Finance Code 001.
Citation
Russo, E., Figueira, A.R. and Mataruna-dos-Santos, L.J. (2023), "COVID-19, sustainability and Olympic Games: which lessons can we learn from Tokyo 2020?", Sport, Business and Management, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 93-117. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBM-09-2021-0109
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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