Transforming Brazil: Sporting mega-events, tourism, geography and the need for sustainable regeneration in host cities

Investments in sport, events and tourism in cities and wider regions are part of nascent regeneration strategies linked to transitioning economic bases and place images. While it is important to consider physical regeneration, there is a range of subsequent benefits and opportunities brought about through regeneration that considers social impacts, communities and how investments and developments influence how people interact in transformed spaces. The relationship between sporting mega-events, host cities and regeneration has developed a burgeoning cross-disciplinary literature. Discussions are almost entirely shaped by potential legacies of mega-events, including increased sports participation, social benefits though transformation, and economic returns on investments by host nations and cities. Much work has looked primarily at Western developed nations but a shift in hosting mega-events is turning attention to developing emerging economy countries. Broadly, however, there are still no satisfactory conclusions for clear positive development and legacies that occur for nations or cities hosting sporting mega-events (Coakley & Souza, 2013), but it is important to look at and compare situations in the cities that host events. Yet, sporting mega-events are legitimate strategies and catalysts for social and economic development in emerging economies such as India, China, South Africa and Brazil (Curi et al., 2011; Darnell, 2012). Moreover, such events serve to enhance these nation’s power, economic competitiveness, and prestige in global relations (Maharaj, 2015) with the presumed outcome of attracting international investment, positive media and increased tourism (Curi et al., 2011; Coakely & Souza, 2013).