The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us to live in social isolation and has brought an important element of social life, the events industry, to a complete standstill. In resurrecting the events ...industry, the most urgent focus is on managing the risk of any crowd-control measures with a view to reducing to zero the danger of the virus spreading. This research focuses on the main issue of the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the organization of sports events (SEs), and in particular, cycling competitions. This study, therefore, aims to provide deeper insights into (a) the measures introduced to face the health emergency situation in cycling events, (b) the comparison of these measures with previous experiences in similar SE contexts, and (c) the possible evolution of organizational models for cycling events in the post-pandemic era. Fifteen semi-structured interviews with cycling athletes, managers, and officials constitute the methodological basis for this study. The results show that countermeasures have been taken that are effective in dealing with pandemic characteristics and are likely to be applied in the future, while others will be phased out or used again only when necessary. This study enhances scientific knowledge by analyzing a renewed approach to risk management for SEs, with a specific focus on pandemics and medical risks. Finally, the study shows that cycling events need to adapt the specifics of such a new approach to the standards projected on future scenarios for which the COVID-19 pandemic has paved the way.
Attention is directed to the difference in event legacies created by mega-events which often cause dramatic physical changes in urban environments and those which accompany events which leave very ...little imprint on the landscape where they are held. The Tour Down Under cycle race, which is held annually in South Australia, is examined as an example of the latter. The spatial pattern of the event and the range of settings which support it are presented as an eventscape by drawing on concepts such as Bale's 1994. Landscapes of Modern Sport. Leicester: Leicester University Press sportscape and Bitner's 1992. "Servicescapes: The Impact of Physical Surroundings on Customers and Employees." The Journal of Marketing 56 (2): 57-71 servicescape. These interpretations are used to identify legacies. It is suggested that the creation of positive legacies requires communities that are part of the eventscape to engage in imaginative leveraging that is consistent with long-term strategic objectives. The paper offers a new definition of eventscape.
Bridging the divide Holden, Matt; Shipway, Richard; Lamont, Matthew
International journal of event and festival management,
12/2019, Volume:
10, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Purpose
In sport tourism, an undeniable recent participation trend is the gravitation of amateur athletes to participatory sport events, particularly cycling sport tourism events. This trend presents ...numerous policy, applied, and scholarly opportunities and challenges. Contemporary trends are identified to guide future research addressing cycling sport tourism events. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a collaborative initiative between a major global sport event management organisation and established sport tourism scholars. Industry data are drawn upon to identify contemporary sport event participation trends and thus inform a future research agenda.
Findings
This paper draws upon industry data and insights to tease out five emerging trends in the participatory sport event sector which scholars should engage with.
Research limitations/implications
Due to the confidential nature of the company data, there were restrictions in the detail which could be reported.
Practical implications
Increasing growth in premium quality, physically challenging cycling sport tourism events is analysed. A five-pronged future research agenda is proposed to address contemporary sport event management issues around measuring event impacts; strategic management of events; and leveraging globalisation and emerging markets.
Originality/value
Based on trends identified in this paper, theoretical concepts are drawn upon to propose a timely, industry-relevant future research agenda into cycling sport tourism events.
Tourism has been and will continue to be one of the biggest and most profitable industries in the world. Sport is obviously a very important aspect of society in many different ways: culturally, ...economically and socially. Like in the past, local authorities continue to regard all sporting events as a way of promoting and positioning their destination. Participation in sport events relates to tourism because it also involves travelling to host destinations. Therefore, the aim of our study is to compare participation in small and large sport-for-all events in relation to tourism in Slovenia. We analysed the factors determining differences in the travel behaviours of sport event participants and certain aspects of participation (travel behaviour, frequency of sport event participation, reasons for participation) at the largest cycling event in Slovenia (the Franja cycling marathon) and two smaller cycling events (the “Three hearts Radenci” recreational cycling marathon and the “Around the region of Prlekija” recreational cycling marathon). The study analysed the active participants of different cycling sport events. The sample of respondents consisted of 382 participants. We found that over the third of the participants take on the role of a sport tourist in their travels. They are also very sport-active in their leisure time. The majority of them are engaged in sport activities more than three times a week. The results indicate differences in travel behaviour and sport-active lifestyles among the participants of different types of small and larger sport events.
Tourism has been and will continue to be one of the biggest and most profitable industries in the world. Sport is obviously a very
important aspect of society in many different ways: culturally, ...economically and socially. Like in the past, local authorities continue to regard
all sporting events as a way of promoting and positioning their destination. Participation in sport events relates to tourism because it also
involves travelling to host destinations. Therefore, the aim of our study is to compare participation in small and large sport-for-all events
in relation to tourism in Slovenia. We analysed the factors determining differences in the travel behaviours of sport event participants and
certain aspects of participation (travel behaviour, frequency of sport event participation, reasons for participation) at the largest cycling event
in Slovenia (the Franja cycling marathon) and two smaller cycling events (the “Three hearts Radenci” recreational cycling marathon and the
“Around the region of Prlekija” recreational cycling marathon). The study analysed the active participants of different cycling sport events.
The sample of respondents consisted of 382 participants. We found that over the third of the participants take on the role of a sport tourist in
their travels. They are also very sport-active in their leisure time. The majority of them are engaged in sport activities more than three times
a week. The results indicate differences in travel behaviour and sport-active lifestyles among the participants of different types of small and
larger sport events.
The Austrian province of Tyrol positions itself as a leading sport region in the Alps, which is reflected in the number of large sport events it holds. A prominent example is the 2018 UCI Cycling ...World Championship. The study investigates whether, besides promoting the host region as a cycling destination, a large cycling event can also leverage a positive change in residents' travel behavior towards active mobility. The analysis of panel data reveals that respondents have high expectations regarding the event's impact on cycling infrastructure and on their travel behavior, but their optimism decreases considerably after the event. They also cycle less frequently than before. These trends however are far less distinct in the group that spectated the event live. A large sport event, even if positively perceived by local populations, is not capable of leveraging a behavioral change towards active mobility only on its own and must be accompanied by complementary measures. It is recommended to involve residents in active participation in the event as spectators. Besides, an event of this size should result in substantial improvements in local cycling infrastructure. Otherwise, an opportunity to make the behavioral change happen can be missed easily.
•A longitudinal study of the effects of cycling events on residents' travel behavior.•Willingness to cycle more does not translate into actual behavior after the event.•Event's effects on cycling infrastructure fall short of residents' expectations.•However, spectating the event live alleviates the disappointment.•Both active spectatorship and new infrastructure are needed for a behavioral change.
The purpose of our research was twofold: to investigate the motivations for participating in a mass cycling event for amateurs and the motivational differences between men and women in cycling. This ...empirical study involving 385 cyclists was conducted during the fifth edition of the Skoda Bike Challenge held in Poznań in 2018. The event forms part of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series of events organized around the world, which are sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). A diagnostic survey method with a standardized interviewing technique was used to interview cyclists. The interview questionnaire was divided according to the MPAM-R scale (Motives for Physical Activity Measure–Revised). This scale assesses people’s motives for participating in physical activities. The following motivations were examined: appearance, fitness, social, competence/challenge, and enjoyment. Descriptive statistics were used. A chi-square test was used to determine characteristics between responses. Cramer’s φ for statistically significant scores was indicated. The research results show some differences between male and female motives for competitive amateur cycling. Statistically significant differences were found between the following motives: interest/enjoyment, competence/challenge, and fitness. This is important information from the point of view of promoting cycling and for organizers of cycling events in regions wishing to promote sports tourism as a form of sustainable development. An understanding of mass cycling motivations is needed, as such knowledge can be used to encourage cycling, which has a potentially positive effect on future cyclists’ physical and mental health. Learning about cycling motivations also allows us to determine which physical and mental health functions are fulfilled by mass sporting events and how to prepare for them. The motives for participating in mass cycling events for amateurs in Europe constitute an interesting field of research. The first part of the paper presents the literature review related to cycling in the context of motivations, sporting events, tourism, event management, and sustainable development, and the second part presents the results of our empirical study.
In this research, an extension to our previous work published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine in 2009, we studied subjects that differed in terms of age and training status and assessed ...the impact of prolonged exercise on systolic and left ventricular diastolic function and cardiac biomarkers levels, recognized as identifiers of cardiac damage and dysfunction. We also assessed the possible influence of event duration, exercise intensity and weight loss (dehydration) on left ventricular diastolic function.
Ninety-one male cyclists were assessed by echocardiography and serum biomarkers before and after the 2005 Quebrantahuesos cycling event (206 km long and with an accumulated slope of 3800 m). Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography and cardiac biomarkers were assessed in blood serum. Echocardiograms measured left ventricular internal dimension during diastole and systole, left ventricular posterior wall thickness during diastole, interventricular septum thickness during diastole, left ventricular ejection fraction and diastolic filling. The heart rate of 50 cyclists was also monitored during the race to evaluate exercise intensity. Echocardiograph results indicated that left ventricular diastolic and systolic function decreased after the race, with systolic function reduced to a significant degree. Left ventricular ejection fraction was below 55% in 29 cyclists. The decrease in left ventricular systolic and diastolic function did not correlate with age, training status, race duration, weight loss or exercise intensity.
Left ventricular systolic and diastolic function was reduced and cardiac biomarkers were increased after the cycling event, but the mechanisms behind such outcomes remain unclear.
The sporting domain has traditionally been used as a testing ground for new technologies which subsequently make their way into the public domain. This includes sensors. In this article a range of ...physical and biological sensors deployed in a 64 hour ultra-endurance non-stop cycling race are described. A novel algorithm to estimate the energy expenditure while cycling and resting during the event are outlined. Initial analysis in this noisy domain of "sensors in the field" are very encouraging and represent a first with respect to cycling.
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