The Governance of Olympic Games Legacy Rebecca Leopkey Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the PhD degree Human Kinetics School of Human Kinetics Faculty of Health Sciences University of Ottawa January 2013 ©Rebecca Leopkey, Ottawa, Canada, 2013 ii Abstract The purpose of this study was to understand the governance of Olympic Games legacy. Legacy is broadly described as “all planned and unplanned, positive and negative, intangible and tangible structures created by and for a sport event that remain for a longer time than the event itself” (Preuss, 2007a, p. 86). The specific objectives of this study were: a) to map the historical evolution of legacy throughout the modern Olympic Movement (OM) (i.e., 1896-current day) in order to contextualize and conceptualize the major trends (e.g., changes in legacy, network actors/stakeholders, governance structures and processes) over time; b) to understand, explain, and compare/contrast the network governance of Olympic legacy, using Australian and Canadian case settings; and c) to critically analyze the overall structure and process of the governance of legacy within the OM focusing specifically on the aspects of performance, transparency, accountability, and participation to build a framework and provide policy recommendations for the governance of legacy in mega-events. In order to accomplish these objectives, a historical review of legacy within the OM and two descriptive case studies (Sydney 2000 and Vancouver 2010) were built using interviews and archival materials. Findings showed how the growth of the Games has culminated in the increased use and importance of legacy, leading to greater concept complexity. This resulted in the emergence of several trends including: new legacy themes, heightened interconnectedness, and formalization of governance mechanisms. Institutional theory was then applied to further explore the emergence of legacy and its habitualization, objectification, and sedimentation as an accepted norm in the Olympic Field. The examination of the legacy governance networks in the two cases showed four legacy iii network governance phases: legacy conceptualization, legacy planning and implementation, legacy transfer, and post-Games legacy governance, as well as a number of governance mechanisms (e.g., contracts, policies) that had an impact on the overall governance of the event’s legacy. Finally, a critical analysis of the governance of Olympic Games legacy was completed. The end result of the research project was a theoretical framework detailing the levels and fluidity of legacy governance in the OM. iv Acknowledgements This project has been made possible thanks to the support of many people including the faculty and staff of the University of Ottawa, fellow students, friends and family. I would especially like to recognize Dana, Steph, and Mandy for all the time spent discussing our projects and analyzing life as a graduate student. Thank you all so much for your encouragement and support. I would also like to acknowledge Will for his outside-the-bubble wisdom and keeping me on track to finish. A special thank you goes to my research supervisor Dr. Milena Parent. Thanks for continuing to support and encourage me over these past seven years. I really appreciated your open door, quick turnaround, and stimulating conversations. Also to my co-supervisor and supervisory committee, Dr’s Christian Rouillard, Eileen O’Connor, and Benoit Sequin, thank you for your valuable feedback and knowledgeable insight that has helped me stay on track and produce work to the best of my ability. Finally, thank you to all of my stakeholder and Organizing Committee participants from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games who agreed to share their thoughts and perspectives in interviews and to provide additional background information on their organizations. Without your help this project would have been impossible. Funding for this research has been gratefully received from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada in the form of a Doctoral Fellowship grant number 752-2009-1807 ($40,000), a 2008-2009 Ontario Graduate scholarship ($15,000), v the 2008 International Olympic Committee Post Graduate Research Grant ($10,000 CHF), and the International Society for Olympic Historians ($2,000). vi Statement of Author Contributions The author of this dissertation was responsible for the development and design of this project on the governance of Olympic legacy. She was the lead researcher in the data collection, data analysis, and the writing of all three of the individual articles, as well as the introduction and conclusion sections. The author acknowledges the help of her co- supervisors Dr’s Milena Parent and Christian Rouillard in the discussion and review of the project, its subsequent findings, and preparation for the publication and submission process. Dr. Eileen O’Connor is also thanked for her review and helpful comments with regards to article one, which investigated the evolution of legacy from a historical perspective. vii Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iv Statement of Author Contributions ................................................................................................ vi List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. xi List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... xii List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1 .................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Event Legacy ................................................................................................................................. 1 Governance .................................................................................................................................... 4 Literature Review .............................................................................................................................. 6 Sport Event Legacy........................................................................................................................ 6 Governance .................................................................................................................................. 12 Sport and Governance.................................................................................................................. 15 Institutional Theory ..................................................................................................................... 17 Network Theory ........................................................................................................................... 18 Methodology .................................................................................................................................... 20 Research Contexts ....................................................................................................................... 22 Case Study Approach .................................................................................................................. 25 Comparative Case Studies ........................................................................................................... 26 Case Study 1: Australia (Sydney 2000 Games) ........................................................................... 26 Case Study 2: Canada (Vancouver 2010 Games) ........................................................................ 27 Data Gathering ............................................................................................................................. 29 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 33 Quality of Research ..................................................................................................................... 34 Dissertation Outline ......................................................................................................................... 35 Article 1 ....................................................................................................................................... 36 Article 2 ....................................................................................................................................... 37 Article 3 ....................................................................................................................................... 37 Contributions of the Research ......................................................................................................... 38 References ......................................................................................................................................