Hosting a Major Sporting Event — Pre-Event & Bidding
Types of Major Sporting Event
Not all major sporting events are alike. Before examining what it takes to host one, it is important to understand the three categories that appear on the specification. Getting these right is a common mark-scoring opportunity — and a common source of lost marks when students muddle the definitions.
The three types of major sporting event are: one-off (held in a host city once in a generation — e.g. the Olympic and Paralympic Games); regular (held repeatedly but in a different city each time — e.g. the UEFA Champions League Final); and regular and recurring (held repeatedly at the same venue — e.g. Wimbledon or the Monaco Grand Prix).
Students frequently swap the categories. Here is the clearest way to remember them: One-off — the same city is unlikely to host again in your lifetime (Paris previously hosted the summer Olympics in 1900 and 1924, returning in 2024 after a hundred-year gap from its last hosting). Regular — the event happens every year or two years, but in a different city: the Champions League Final has been held in Madrid, Istanbul, Paris and Wembley in recent seasons. Regular and recurring — same event, same location, every year: Wimbledon at the All England Club, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Always anchor each category to its named spec example in an exam answer.
The Nature of Participants and Spectators
Major events draw participants and spectators from very different backgrounds depending on their type. A one-off event like the Olympics attracts athletes from every nation on Earth and millions of global tourists — the 2024 Paris Games sold over 9 million tickets. A regular event like the Champions League Final has a smaller but intensely passionate fanbase that travels with the finalists. A regular and recurring event like Wimbledon draws a stable, often high-income, domestic and international audience to its permanent home in south London every June and July.
Why Host a Major Event? The Bidding Process
Cities and nations bid to host major events. For the Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) assesses bids from candidate cities. For the FIFA World Cup, FIFA makes the award to a national federation. Bidding requires submitting a detailed proposal covering: stadium and venue capacity, athlete village accommodation, transport links, security plans, broadcasting infrastructure, accommodation for spectators, and plans for what happens to facilities after the event — the legacy plan.
The bidding process is expensive in itself. Major bid campaigns can cost tens of millions of pounds before a single ticket is sold. Cities that lose their bid have spent that money for nothing, which is why many cities are now reluctant to enter the race. Several candidate cities withdrew from the 2024 Olympic bid before Paris and Los Angeles were selected for 2024 and 2028 respectively — concerns about cost and public opposition were the main reasons cited.
A successful Olympic or World Cup bid must address: venue and infrastructure; transport; security; accommodation; legacy planning; and financial viability. The IOC (for the Olympics) or FIFA (for the World Cup) evaluates bids against these criteria before awarding the event.
Pre-Event Positives
Even before the opening ceremony, hosting a major event delivers tangible benefits. Infrastructure development begins years in advance: new roads, rail lines, airports, and broadband networks are built or upgraded to meet event requirements. These improvements benefit local residents long after the event ends. Construction employment surges as stadiums, athlete villages, and media centres are built — providing thousands of jobs in an often short space of time.
Commercial investment flows into the host city as businesses respond to the opportunity of an arriving global audience. Hotels, restaurants and retail all benefit from advance bookings. The host nation also gains international profile and prestige — the Paris 2024 Games showcased France on the world stage, with the opening ceremony along the Seine attracting a global television audience estimated at 1.5 billion viewers. Tourism in the months and years following the event can also increase, as the host city gains new visibility.
Not everyone is delighted when their city wins a major event bid. Hosting costs can be high. The Paris 2024 Organising Committee’s final budget was about €4.48 billion, while the French Court of Auditors estimated public spending connected to the Games at €6.6 billion. Displacement is another concern: building venues and athlete villages often requires demolishing housing in less affluent areas, with residents relocated — sometimes with inadequate compensation. Local communities may face years of construction noise, disrupted roads and reduced access to their own neighbourhood. Political opposition can also mobilise: residents may vote or campaign against the event, causing friction between government ambitions and public sentiment.