ABSTRACT

Cities and communities around the world are aware of the different possibilities and benefits that may stem from hosting an international sport event. Such events provide a platform for cities to pursue positive effects and financial growth despite history indicating that hosting sport events, especially mega- and major sport events, does not generate only positive outcomes and impacts for communities. One common argument used to justify hosting and investing in sport events is the economic surplus and social welfare generated by the people and organizations that take part in the event in multiple different roles and forms.

Impacts generated by sport events appear in many ways, such as economic impacts, tourism and visitor impacts, social impacts, customer and visitor satisfaction, promotional value and brand image impacts, participation and cohesion, environmental impacts and effects on the lifestyle and vitality of the surrounding community. In this chapter, the direct economic impact generated by three international sport events organized in Finland and the Netherlands are assessed. The magnitude of the studied events can be estimated as medium-sized international sport events with two of them being World Championships tournaments and the other a World Championships race.