ABSTRACT

The potential of international business and the impact of sport globally are evident when analysing the profit line of sport events and corporations. In its 2005 report, “Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2005–2009”, PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) estimated that the global sport market would expand from US$82.8 billion in 2004 to US$168.9 billion in 2009 (PwC, 2005). In reality it reached US$145.34 billion in 2015 (Statista, 2016). In 2007 the NPD Group announced that worldwide sales in sport equipment, apparel and footwear increased 4 per cent to US$278.4 billion (AllBusiness, www.allbusiness.com). Despite a global economic downturn around 2007, the Beijing Summer Olympic Games showed a surplus of over £189.4 million. According to China’s National Audit Office, the ¥1 billion surplus was more than double the most recent estimate of ¥4 million. The 2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games gained a surplus of approximately £95 million (Thibault, 2009).