Government motivations for hosting the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

Abstract

As a major stake-holder, government plays an important role in mega events development. Studies on government's motivations for staging mega events are noticeably lacking and this paper attempts to address this gap by examining the Chinese governments' motivations for hosting the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Such a study can enhance our understanding of governments' events strategy and policies, as well as provide insights on mega event policy making. It is identified that the Chinese government's primary motivations to host the Olympics were to showcase its reform achievements, unify its citizenry, and boost national pride. Other motivations of a developmental nature are also identified and examined.