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Why Do Local Residents Oppose Olympic Bids? An Electoral Perspective From Calgary 2026

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Demands for public input on Olympic bids have made local referenda an increasingly common feature of the Olympic bid process. This case study advances our knowledge about the factors that lead local residents to support or oppose an Olympic bid by presenting the results of a representative survey of local residents at the time of an Olympic bid plebiscite in Calgary, Canada. Building on past research, five correlates of Olympic bid voting behavior are identified: sociodemographic characteristics, local civic identity, political partisanship, attitudes towards government spending, and local political leadership. While all five factors are related to support or opposition to the Olympic bid, civic identity and fiscal conservativism were particularly powerful predictors of preferences. The data suggest that pro-Olympic and anti-Olympic coalitions have an unusual character that challenge those involved in Olympic advocacy.

Keywords: CALGARY; OLYMPIC BID; REFERENDUM

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Department of Sociology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada 2: Department of Political Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada 3: Department of Politics and Public Administration, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada

Publication date: June 22, 2024

This article was made available online on February 26, 2024 as a Fast Track article with title: "Why Do Local Residents Oppose Olympic Bids? An Electoral Perspective from Calgary 2026".

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  • Event Management, an International Journal, intends to meet the research and analytic needs of a rapidly growing profession focused on events. This field has developed in size and impact globally to become a major business with numerous dedicated facilities, and a large-scale generator of tourism. The field encompasses meetings, conventions, festivals, expositions, sport and other special events. Event management is also of considerable importance to government agencies and not-for-profit organizations in a pursuit of a variety of goals, including fund-raising, the fostering of causes, and community development.
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