When ecosystem design shapes strategizing: exploring public value creation in Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

Mega sport events are promoted to generate long-term public value for local communities as legacy. This paper uses an embedded single-case study to examine legacy-oriented strategic practices within the MilanoCortina2026 ecosystem from a local perspective. The analysis reveals that a partially centralized ecosystem design shapes strategizing practices, making intangible-oriented legacy initiatives more inclusive than tangible ones. Political-institutional barriers and multi-level coordination challenges hinder collaborative practices, while cultural factors and informal communication enhance trust among ecosystem actors. These findings offer critical insights into how ecosystem design shapes strategizing in mega sport events and provide practical implications for legacy-driven public value creation.