Developing collaborative local sport policies through major sport events: the case of the 2018 Ryder Cup
Résumé
Purpose/Rationale:This article reflects upon the growing use of major sportevents as a way to bring about new forms of collaborations between sportsactors and local governments. It seeks to determine the extent to whichthese collaborations can produce sustainable local sports policies.Design/Methodology/Approach:This work is based on a case study of thecollaboration between the French Golf Federation and the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines community for the hosting of the 2018 Ryder Cup. It draws on aqualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews conductedwith leaders from both organizations.Findings:This work shows how an event-based relationship is a double-sidedopportunity, as it serves to align interests in the short run but fails to drive localsport development in the longer run.Research contribution:The paper adds new perspectives for the analysis ofsport events’legacy by studying a collaborative governance process for theimplementation of a local sport policy. It also questions it through thecollaboration between sports federations and local authorities.Practical implications:Several issues identified in the results are discussed inorder to envision ways to put major sport events at the service of hostterritories and question the utility of event-based local sport policies.