Exploring the Legacy of Sport Events on Sport Tourism Networks

An important amount of literature have focused on analyzing the consequences of sport events, particularly on the economic impacts; however as is often claimed, impacts also occur on the environment, culture and society. As sport events are intensive in stakeholders' relationships, the creation and strengthening of networks among these stakeholders should be a first priority of strategies aiming at building events' legacies. The purpose of this study is to explore the generation of effective networks in a regional triathlon event using social network analysis theory and techniques. Ten key stakeholders from the sports and tourism areas were interviewed before and after the first edition of the event in 2009 and the data collected were analyzed by means of social network analysis software. Findings indicate that there is an evolution in the structure and complexity of the network, affecting both the social, personal and economic components of relationships and the connectivity among local and external stakeholders. Subsequent implications for managers are drawn to plan strategies that ensure the effectiveness of the event in terms of positive legacies.