Legacy in Action: How Event Legacies Fuel Community Development and Supportive Behavior

This study examines the multidimensional relationship among social impacts, knowledge of legacy, and the intention to support hosting future large-scale sports events. Only limited research has explored how the perceived legacies influence stakeholders’ behaviors, particularly considering the mediated role of knowledge about the legacies from hosting a large-scale sports event. To assess the relationship, factors of legacies derived from social exchange theory reflect both positive and negative social impacts and knowledge of legacy is conceptualized and developed from existing studies. The results suggest that knowledge of legacy significantly mediates the relationship between perceived social impacts and community support for hosting future large-scale sports events. In particular, understanding the legacy of past events diminishes the negative perception of economic costs associated with the future support of hosting large-scale sports events in the community. On the other hand, community development is crucial in directly enhancing support for hosting future events. The findings of this study can serve as valuable insights for prospective communities and event administrators to establish an effective and successful planning process by providing a clear rationale to utilize various managerial and communicational strategies to cultivate the understanding of event legacies toward hosting future events.