Balázs Polcsik

Organising the 2020 European Football Championship was fraught with the uncertainties of the pandemic period. Budapest hosted its four allocated matches during the postponed event without stadium capacity restrictions. Drawing on both social exchange theory (SET) and social representation theory (SRT), the study aimed to investigate how the level of fear of COVID-19 before the start of Euro 2020 influenced the perception of the tournament among residents of Budapest. Data were collected by telephone interview during the five days preceding the event based on a representative sample of Budapest residents (n = 1003, adult population aged 18 years and over), accounting for gender, age and place of residence. Cluster analysis identified three groups of residents based on fear of coronavirus: concerned, neutral and unconcerned. Although our study only investigated the opinions of residents in one host city, the relevance of the research appears compelling in that it highlights the crucial role of COVID-19 in influencing responses to the expected impact of Euro 2020. Examining the views of local residents and understanding the factors that influence their opinions play a key role in more successful and sustainable delivery of sporting events.

Increasing attention has been devoted of late to perceptions of sporting events among host city residents. However, a comprehensive literature review that collects and summarizes the content of research in this area lacks scholarly approaches. This study aims to review the literature published between 2000 and 2020 in indexed, peer-reviewed periodicals on perceptions among host city residents. It also analyses the selected 43 papers in the sample with reference to theoretical approaches, methods and findings. It seems that understanding perceived potential social impacts of sporting events in a particular city is essential to the overall success of these events among local communities. Findings from the wide spectrum of studies reviewed can be used in event planning, communication strategies, implementation and reduction of negative impacts, while capitalizing on opportunities. Highlighting key topics and trends in the literature, this analysis also identifies both limitations and possible new research approaches.