Sustainable mega event legacies

Over the years, mega events have drawn popularity because of their economic and social appeal worldwide Given their high profile, they have also become attractive to developing countries such as Brazil and South Africa. Notwithstanding this appeal, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore how mega events can generate social benefits on one hand, but also influence negative impacts that are detrimental to the sustainable development of society. The review in this chapter argues the need to prioritise social capital interests as the social fabric that informs a sense of sustainable social life in a multicultural world. This chapter will explore these questions through reviewing literature on leveraging mega event legacies and the promotion of sustainable practices. The main questions explored are (a) perspectives of mega event sustainability, (b) the long-term reputation of mega events and (c) the development of sustainable mega event practices as they relate to both the developed and developing country contexts. This chapter has gone some way towards enhancing our understanding of global perspectives of sustainable development. This review explores suggestions towards bridging the gap between the developed countries and the emerging and developing countries.