Sustainability dilemmas for Brazil in hosting mega-sport events

Introduction The impacts of major sport events on host communities have received significant attention from scholars of various disciplines (Cashman and Hughes 1998; Lenskyj 2007; Waitt 2003). Of particular interest have been the direct and indirect economic impacts of such events on the local, regional and national communities (Preuss 2000), and, more recently, the environmental impacts that mega-events may have on their hosts’ communities (Collins, Jones and Munday 2009). These impact studies have been important in developing an understanding of the sustainable management of the event and sport tourism industries. However, despite the growing inclusion of sustainability initiatives in the bidding for and awarding of mega-events, there are still frequent protests and legal actions against host cities/nations and/or organizing committees that stem from a breach of community expectations of sustainability and/or breaches in statutory obligations concerning environmental protection in the development and staging of mega-sport events (Chappelet 2003; Dredge et al. 2010; Lowes 2004). Therefore, there is still a significant gap between the written commitment of host governments and organizing committees, and the actual implementation of environmentally responsible events.