PhD A.O. Lantsev¹
PhD E.G. Shurmanov¹
Dr. Hab., Associate Professor A.V. Ponomarev¹
PhD L.L. Tolvaishis^1
1Ural Federal University, Institute of Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Policy, Yekaterinburg

Keywords: global sports events, sustainable development, FIFA World Cup.

Background. Global sports events including the Olympic Games, European and World Football Cups and others attract millions of fans the world over and form new progress options for and images of the host cities and locations [7, 8, 10]. They are always expected to give a big boost for sustainable economic and social development of the host areas. There is still a question if the global sports events really meet expectations of the local communities and effectively promote the host cities? And it is always questionable if the host countries are really capable of taking full benefits of the global sports events – as demonstrated by multiple discussions since the FIFA nominated South Africa and Brazil to host the World Cups and even hotter discussions since Russia was elected to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Objective of the study was to analyze actual benefits of the 2018 FIFA World Cup for sustainable development of the host Russian cities and their appeal for the national youth.

Methods and structure of the study. We widely used as a basis for the study database of the Federal Agency for Tourism of the Russian Federation and analytical reports of the FIFA and Russian Football Union complemented by own research at the Ural Federal University’s Youth Service Department [1, 2, 4, 5]. We supported the study database by a questionnaire survey of the Yekaterinburg young population in February through April 2020 to analyze the local attitudes to the 2018 FIFA World Cup and its heritage plus views on the global sports events and its hosting service on the whole. We sampled for the survey the 14-30-year-old locals (n=119) including the school/ college/ university students, young employed people including those from the governmental system and business communities.

We used for the study the global sports events benefits rating model offered by the German Society for International Cooperation (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit) [6]. The sample model rates the benefits of global sports events on the following scales: 1) political and communicative; 2) economic; 3) infrastructural; 4) social; and 5) environmental. In was in February 2020 that we formed a focus group (n=11) to design the study metrics and group the sample by key expectations prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Results and discussion. The FIFA and Russia-2018 Host Committee came up, on the eve of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with a Sustainable Development Strategy for the Host Region with the following three domains: (1) facilitate the local social progress and human resource training and growth; (2) encourage environmental protection in the area; and (3) give a boost to the local economic growth. A special goal of the sustainable development strategy was to prevent or mitigate the potential negative impacts of the global sports events on the local communities, economy and environment and ensure its benefits being realized in full [4].

It should be mentioned that the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia has become the most costly FIFA World Cup for its history, with only the officially reported costs estimated at RUR 679 billion [3]. Some Western experts argue that these excessive costs are explainable, among other things, by the sports infrastructure development projects beneficial for a few vested interests in the political and business elites [9].

On the other hand, the event was rated the most financially successful FIFA World Cup for its history. As formally reported by FIFA, its income totaled USD 5.357 billion [5]. Total inputs of the event into the host regional economies were estimated at 2% to 20% of the local GDPs [2]. We believe that the regions reporting the higher and steadily growing GRP are more promising for the sustainable development initiatives and more appealing for the national young educated human resource. As reported by the Federal Agency for Tourism, preparatory works for the 2018 FIFA World Cup gave a powerful boost for the local infrastructure and service development projects [1].

In the global sports events heritage rating domain, positive official (governmental and hosts’) reports not always agree with the local people’s opinions on some points. Our questionnaire survey found every respondent being well aware of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Yekaterinburg, and 96.1% reported keeping track of the matches on the stadiums, on TV, mass media/ Internet. Given in Table 1 are the key ranked benefits of the 2018 FIFA World Cup reported by the sample.

Table 1. Key ranked benefits of the 2018 FIFA World Cup reported by the sample

A vast majority of the sample ranked high the infrastructural projects in the city and progress in the political and communicative domain. The young people, however, were found to prioritize rather the social, economic and environmental benefits of the global event: see Table 2.

Table 2. Positive expectations prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup versus its actual perceived benefits

Conclusion. Our study and analyses showed that the 2018 FIFA World Cup was certainly beneficial for the global promotion of the host regions and cities. We believe that the success was largely due to the sustainable development strategy for the Host Region offered jointly by FIFA and Russia-2018 Host Committee. It facilitated the host infrastructure development projects and global promotion of the host cities. New hospitable environments were created in the key locations which have been appealing enough for both the gifted, sporting and creative local youth and for the educated human resource from outside to facilitate the local sustainable development initiatives.

Ratings of the actual 2018 FIFA World Cup benefits and heritage by the sample may facilitate preparations for the upcoming 2023 World Student Summer Games in Yekaterinburg. Based on the study data, we developed the following recommendations for the World Student Summer Games hosts:

(1) Our study showed that the local youth expects mostly infrastructural changes from the global event. The World Student Summer Games concept requires 9 new sports facilities being constructed plus 26 rehabilitated and adapted for the event; whilst the General Plan of the World Student Summer Games Village provides for every sports facility being efficiently used later on for sustainable development goals;

(2) The International University Sports Federation (FISU) was urged to pay more attention to promotion of the Yekaterinburg and Sverdlovsk host regions in the relevant marketing, communication and PR projects under development, and we hope that the Federation will respect these recommendations; and

(3) Based on a few prior studies including this one, the authorities decided to establish a Cultural Events Organizing Department reporting to the 2023 World Student Summer Games Directorate, and include a range of artistic nominations in the World Student Summer Games program (vocal and instrumental performances, dances, public arts etc.). We would recommend the Directorate to consider benefits of a public awareness and World Student Summer Games service personnel training program in Yekaterinburg, and make due provisions for some of the events being covered online for a wider audience.

References

1. Head of Rostourism Oleg Safonov took part in the conference "Tourism in Russia: chances and challenges of 2018 World Cup". Website of Federal Tourism Agency (Rostourism), 28 February 2018. (https://www.russiatourism.ru/news/14938/)
2. Research on the economic, social and environmental impact of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Final report of the organizing committee "Russia-2018". Website of the Russian Football Union, October 17, 2018. (https://rfs.ru/news/208313)
3. Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of June 20, 2013 N 518 "On the Program of Preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the Russian Federation". Official website of the Government of the Russian Federation (http://government.ru/docs/2701/)
4. Strategy of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia in the field of sustainable development (on Russian). FIFA and the Organizing Committee "Russia-2018" for the preparation and holding of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. FIFA Productions, July 2015. 28 p.
5. FIFA Financial Report 2018. Official publication of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association. FIFA Website (https://resources.fifa.com/image/upload/xzshsoe2ayttyquuxhq0.pdf)
6. Kotlyarov M.A., Rapoport L.A. GIZ GmBH (2016). Mega-events as drive for sustainable development. Analysis and factors of success. Mega sports events and development of territories (foreign research). Ekaterinburg, 2016. Part 2. 123p.
7. Horne J. (2012). The Four ‘Cs’ of Sports Mega-Events: Capitalism, Connections, Citizenship and Contradictions. Olympic Games, Mega-Events and Civil Societies, pp 31-45. Palgrave Macmillan, London
8. Matheson V. (2006). Mega-Events: The Effect of the World’s Biggest Sporting Events on Local, Regional, and National Economies. Website of College of the Holy Cross (https://crossworks.holycross.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=
9. 1067&context=econ_working_papers) 
10. Müller M. (2017) How mega-events capture their hosts: event seizure and the World Cup 2018 in Russia, Urban Geography, 38:8, 1113-1132.
11. Roche M. (2017). Mega-events and social change: Spectacle, legacy and public culture. Manchester University Press, Manchester. 329 pp.

Corresponding author: a.o.lantsev@urfu.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to analyze actual benefits of the 2018 FIFA World Cup for sustainable development of the host Russian cities and their appeal for the national youth.

Methods and structure of the study. We widely used as a basis for the study database of the Federal Agency for Tourism of the Russian Federation and analytical reports of the FIFA and Russian Football Union complemented by own research at the Ural Federal University’s Youth Service Departmen. We supported the study database by a questionnaire survey of the Yekaterinburg young population in February through April 2020 to analyze the local attitudes to the 2018 FIFA World Cup and its heritage plus views on the global sports events and its hosting service on the whole. We sampled for the survey the 14-30-year-old locals (n=119) including the school/ college/ university students, young employed people including those from the governmental system and business communities.

Results of the study and conclusions. Our study and analyses showed that the 2018 FIFA World Cup was certainly beneficial for the global promotion of the host regions and cities. We believe that the success was largely due to the sustainable development strategy for the Host Region offered jointly by FIFA and Russia-2018 Host Committee. It facilitated the host infrastructure development projects and global promotion of the host cities. New hospitable environments were created in the key locations which have been appealing enough for both the gifted, sporting and creative local youth and for the educated human resource from outside to facilitate the local sustainable development initiatives.