Abstract
This study examines the relationships between financial commitment to Olympic teams and tourism in participating countries following the conclusion of a major Olympic competition. This study views the connections between government commitment to athletics and Olympic success as well as between Olympic success and tourism. Informed by scholarly literature on tourism promotion, Olympic funding, and governmental budgetary theory, I posited that increased government funding would lead to increased Olympic success and, ultimately, produce an additional bounty to the sponsoring governments in the form of increased tourism in the year following the Olympics. Through a series of multivariate regressions, however, I found that all elements of this hypothesized relationship did not appear to be statistically significant. While funding does appear to contribute to success, I did not find support for the concept that Olympic success leads to a rise in tourism. While my findings contribute to the literature, this is still a topic that deserves more attention.
Advisor
Lantis, Jeffrey
Department
Political Science
Recommended Citation
Wells, Theodore, "Are Olympic Medals Worth Their Weight in Gold? A Political Economy Study of Governmental Financial Commitment to Olympic Teams and Potential Economic Benefits" (2021). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 9610.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/9610
Disciplines
Business | Political Economy | Political Science | Sports Management
Keywords
Olympics, Tourism, Political Economy
Publication Date
2021
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2021 Theodore Wells