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For the past 20 years, the concept of event leverage has underpinned a variety of academic research across different event settings and with diverse goals in mind. Despite the significant increase in event leverage publications as well as growing interest from event planners and policymakers, scholars have yet to synthesize academic contributions in this burgeoning field. Our systematic review addressed this issue and provides a new agenda for event leverage research. We conducted a systematic review of event leverage literature that followed a well-established six-step process. Specifically, we identified and interrogated 92 relevant publications to determine key findings. We identified a growing trend of event leverage publications overall; a publication focus on (sport) business/management and tourism/hospitality journals; a predominance of mega- and large-scale event settings; a concentration on business/economic and social goals; a strong emphasis on empirical studies with qualitative research approaches; and a lack of research contributions from scholars in low-and middle-income countries. Based on our findings, we discuss practical and theoretical implications and conclude by proposing a future agenda for event leverage research that recommends an advancement of leverage conceptualizations; a diversification of research contexts and benefactors; a specification of focal outcomes related to a different event types and sizes; an expansion of perspectives including an acknowledgement of changes over time; and a clarification of terminology used in event leverage scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global, national and regional sport organizations heavily rely on logistics management practices in their operations. However, scientific research in sports logistics is in its infancy, with conceptualizations of the sport logistics domain proposed only recently. In response and by using a reoccurring professional sport event as a case, this study applies the Sports Logistics Framework (SLF) to systematically assess logistics activities, organizational structures, resources and components. Based on semi-structured interviews, unstructured participant observation, internal documents and additional secondary data, our findings not only provide insights into the logistics operations behind a matchday of one of the leading and most valuable sport competitions in the world, but also contextualize, illustrate and refine the logistical tasks of the SLF, thereby providing a template which can be used for further comparison and examination of logistics activities at similar sport events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the commodified volunteer tourist gaze through the use of a case study which contextualizes commercial volunteer tourism. Interviews undertaken with volunteer tourists in Cusco, Peru, and on-the-ground participant observation, provide insights into what we term a 'volunteer tourist gaze' underpinned by neo-colonial tendencies. The findings demonstrate that volunteer tourists are not passive consumers of a destination, but actively engage in a multi-sensory, embodied experience. This is evidenced in the way they describe their interactions with local people, and their views and perceptions of poverty in Cusco. However, the findings suggest that the volunteer-host interactions and experiences do little to foster cross-cultural understanding, particularly given the limitations to these interactions imposed by a significant language barrier. Instead, the commodified volunteer tourist gaze perpetuates neo-colonial discourses by emphasizing the differences between volunteer tourists from the developed world (the haves) and host communities in the Global South (the have nots). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale/purpose: To determine if the field of sport for development (SFD) presents opportunities for the employment of design thinking approaches toward enhancing organizational innovation. Design/methodology/approach: We undertook a scoping study to determine if and how SFD research and practice aligns with five established themes of design thinking practice. Findings: Design thinking indicators are present across the breadth of SFD research. A total of 14 SFD articles display total thematic alignment with design thinking practice, particularly in regard to five key indicators of such alignment: (a) deep user understanding, (b) diversity of perspectives, (c) testing for user feedback, (d) futuristic thinking, and (e) bias toward action. Practical implications: Five key indicators represent logical points of entry for the employment of design thinking in SFD research and practice. Research contribution: Design thinking has become popular in the broad field of management, but this is the first study of the concept in the sport management domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research question: When managed strategically, sport events have the capacity to generate economic, sociocultural, and health-related benefits for host communities. To date, the majority of academic research has focused on the impact components of large-scale and mega-sport events, such as the Olympic Games. In an attempt to provide empirical evidence of management strategies and tactics related to small-scale events, the purpose of this study was to examine how an event business strategically manages and leverages an event to sustain its commercial viability, while focusing on generating social benefits for the community. Research methods: Through the lens of sport-for-development theory and event leverage concepts, we explore the case of an annual, mass participation sporting event on the island of Spetses, Greece. Against the background of financial hardship and subsequent social disparity in the country, our qualitative investigation includes 19 semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders of the Spetses Mini Marathon. Results and findings: Outcomes of the qualitative analysis indicated three main thematic categories: (a) managing context, (b) engaged change agent, and (c) involved community. In the midst of an economic crisis, the change agent managed to secure the commercial sustainability of the event, while generating several social, cultural, economic, and sporting benefits for the local community through a participatory community approach. Implications: In discussing our findings, we provide implications for strategic management and leverage of local sport events, and we highlight opportunities and challenges for maximizing the reputational capital for organizers as well as social benefits for communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research into sports officiating at the elite level has primarily focused on factors that impact negatively on sports officials, including experiences of abuse, time pressures and fear of failure. However, factors that have positively influenced the development of elite officials have largely been neglected. This is problematic, as a better knowledge about how elite officials progress to top-tier competitions may improve officiating performance and role satisfaction. This study therefore, aims to identify factors that work positively for individuals who seek to reach elite levels of sport officiating. This is important because it can assist our understanding of how to create a positive environment for the development of young officials, thereby helping with role satisfaction, improved chances of retention and, where appropriate, pathways into career development at the elite level of sport. The context for this study is Australia, with a focus on national competitions in basketball, football (soccer) and Australian Rules football as representative samples for referees and umpires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

League Bilong Laif (LBL) is a sport-for-development (SFD) programme that was established in 2013 as a three-way partnership between the Australian Government, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Government (Department of Education) and the Australian Rugby League Commission (National Rugby League). As a contribution to addressing low rates of school attendance and significant problems with anti-social behaviour within PNG communities, LBL was designed to contribute to (1) improvements in student engagement with education in and out of the classroom; and (2) communication of positive social messages, with a focus on respect generally, and gender equity in particular. This paper discusses the qualitative review of the pilot phase of the LBL project, and the implications for programme design and delivery for education outcomes through a SFD programme. Data were collected through a combination of 23 interviews and focus groups with 33 individual representatives from relevant organisations and government departments in the areas of sport, education and community development. Preliminary findings indicate that despite a challenging beginning, the LBL programme has made some progress in terms of the initial development of programme aims and stakeholder engagement, largely because of the rigorous design process that kept desired programme outcomes at the forefront. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Under the Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) umbrella, an increasing number of sport projects are staged all over the world to improve the social, cultural, educational or psychological circumstances of marginalized and/or fractured communities. In research on such initiatives, only limited empirical examinations exist that focus specifically on garnering the perspectives of key players from local communities regarding value and impact of SDP. In addressing this issue, our study investigates the local lessons learnt from 13 Football for Peace (F4P) partnership projects that featured a mixture of Jewish, Arab, Bedouin and Circassian communities in Israel. Following an interpretive mode of enquiry, 30 interviews and two focus groups with key stakeholders were conducted, with an emphasis on exploring local experiences. Our findings highlight the diversity of community perspectives in relation to the following themes: values and delivery; engagement and commitment; and scope, regularity and sustainability. Specifically, our analysis illuminates the diverse interpretations and responses that exist in relation to the ethos, meanings and achievements of F4P, and calls for an appreciation of the intricacies, complexities and nuances in the way that the programme (and SDP work more generally) is received. Finally, the article demonstrates how the multiple theorizations and interpretations of community found within academic literature are reproduced and literally played out – but also contested, challenged, rejected and reformulated – in the practice of SDP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the growth of sport-for-development (S4D) programs globally because they give important benefits to disadvantaged communities. It explains why the S4D initiatives have increased rapidly around the word, citing the creation of the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace in 2001. It argues that initiatives ranging from one-day sport events to decade-long sport programs combining under the S4D definitional banner give significant challenges for academics and practitioners trying to evaluate, compare and learn from different projects.