Community capacity and the 2010 Winter Olympic Games

Abstract

The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) adoption of a third pillar of the environment marked the prospect of a new standard in sustainable mega-events. In this article, case study research of a community-based coalition formed to monitor the sustainability mandate of the 2010 Olympic Games offers an inside view into community capacity building in the planning, organizing and hosting of mega-events. Evidence of community capacity building was gathered from video, questionnaires and participant observations of this coalition. According to a conceptual framework of community capacity, the evidence suggests that, although a mega-event's sustainability mandate is a good prospect for community capacity, precise timing, binding commitments and clear consequences for mega-event organizers are necessary for a community-based coalition to gain capacity. A generative model of the conditions for building community capacity is proposed to promote successful mega-events.