Sports mega-event in times of crisis: European Games Kraków-Małopolska 2023 in Polish media

In 2023, Poland hosted the third European Games. At that time, Polish society experienced a dual crisis. The first was caused by the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The second was related to the Russian-Ukrainian war. The consequence of these crises was a deterioration in the quality of life of citizens.In these circumstances, a costly, contrasting mega-sports event took place. The aim of this article was to examine how engaged Polish journalists who critically covered sports wrote about the 2023 European Games. Qualitative content analysis was used as the research method. It was found that Polish media perceived the event as politicized and placing an excessive burden on Polish society during the crisis. Journalists appreciated the organizers’ use of existing sports facilities.