Social Impacts of Major Sports Events on Host Communities: A Comparative Study of AFCON 2022 Host Cities in Cameroon

Abstract

The study of social impacts of major sports events has mostly focused on individual host cities. The purpose of this study was to explore data from all five host cities of AFCON 2022 in Cameroon on the perceived social impacts of the event, and examine the data for salient differences among the host communities. A quantitative research paradigm was employed, using a structured, closed-ended questionnaire to collect data from 1683 respondents across the host cities. The key finding from this study is that community perception of the social impacts of major sports events is influenced by their sociocultural realities as well as actual activities taking place during the event. Various practical and policy implications are discussed, particularly the need for broad-based consultations during the planning phase of major sports events, and the implementation of community-specific legacy projects at the end.

Keywords

• social impacts
• major sports events
• host communities
• afcon
• cameroon