An indicator framework to assess the legacy impacts of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Abstract

Assessing legacy impacts entails monitoring and evaluating the long-terms effects of mega events which is a neglected area of research. Most researchers on mega events focus on projections before and during the hosting of a mega event. Yet, the hosting of mega events is generally explained in relation to long-term and enduring impacts which justify the massive investments often associated with hosting mega events. This is particularly relevant given the considerable investments required from public funds, especially in South Africa that is largely a developmental state with high transformational and developmental demands. The 2010 FIFA World Cup was viewed as a key opportunity to initiate and promote social, economic, environmental and sport legacies (amongst others) in South Africa. It is asserted that legacy evaluations provide a platform for an assessment of lessons derived from a systematic cost-benefit analysis of a mega event. This article provides a critical examination of how legacy is conceptualised in relation to mega events, and specifically in the context of South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It then highlights the key legacy impacts (both planned and unplanned) that are likely to be derived from the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Finally, the article suggests a legacy indicator framework for the medium and longer-tern assessment of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Assessing legacy impacts is critically important since the effects of mega events are increasingly being questioned, specifically in relation to sustainability imperatives. Furthermore, examining long-term outcomes are central to informing future bidding and planning of mega events.