Legacy, resource mobilisation and the olympic movement

Abstract

There has been a growing interest in legacies of the Olympic Games focusing on external tangible outcomes, such as the number of sport competitions, participants and jobs created. Little is still known about the equally valuable internal benefits to individuals and organisational capacities of national sport systems. While the former tends to explore the contribution of the Games to host cities and countries, the latter is concerned with the role of Olympism in developing sport globally. Using a resource mobilisation approach to social movements, this study examines the powers of the Olympic Movement (OM) to generate resources needed for the advancement of its mission. This ability of the Movement is critical if it is to sustain its relevance to the modern world and to deliver on its stated objectives for social change, as well as to leave any lasting legacies from the Olympic Games.