Author(s): BRISSON, J., MARCEAU, C., ROUSSEL, E., TRUDEAU, F., GUIMARÃES, R., Institution: UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC À TROIS-RIVIÈRES, Country: CANADA, Abstract-ID: 1702

INTRODUCTION:
Schools and structured programs are established settings for promoting youth physical activity (PA), but sporting events may offer an additional avenue for promoting participation to PA. While mega-events such as the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup are often promoted as catalysts for youth PA and sport engagement, evidence for sustained participation effects is limited and inconsistent. Smaller community and school-based events may be more accessible and relevant to adolescents' daily lives, yet their long-term influence on participation remains underexplored. The aim of the study was to conduct a scoping review of the literature concerning the potential legacies and impacts of local or major sport events on youth PA and sport engagement.
METHODS:
The review was conducted and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines (Tricco et al., 2018). Searches were conducted in July 2025, across 5 databases: Pubmed/MEDLINE, SCOPUS, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO (EBSCO), Education Source (EBSCO), including terms and synonyms related to local and major sport events, young population, PA/sports participation and legacy. All studies classified as ‘legacies and impacts of sporting events on PA and sport practice’ were screened. Studies were included if they explicitly examined any outcomes associated with the potential legacies and impacts of local or major sport events on youth PA and sport engagement. Due to heterogeneity of the methodologies, we focused on PA, sports participation, infrastructure, education and health outcomes.
RESULTS:
A total of 222 records were identified through database searching. Eight full-text articles were assessed, with five excluded due to inappropriate design, publication type, or population. Three studies were included after full-text review, and citation searching identified three additional eligible articles. Six studies were included in this scoping review. Sample sizes ranged from 2,254 to 3,086,068 participants across studies conducted in Canada, Europe, Asia, South America, and Australia. Overall, evidence suggests that large-scale sporting events have little to no long-term impact on PA and sport participation in the general population. Although short-term impacts may occur, particularly among youth, these effects tend to diminish over time. Sport participation and PA were the most reported legacies, while sport education was rarely examined. Studies lacked support from objective data.
CONCLUSION:
The findings highlight that sporting events showed little to no sustained impact on population-level PA or sport participation. Policies that promote sport legacies tend to materialize more successfully in tangible, facility-based developments than in social, behavioral, or educational domains, underscoring the difficulty of converting policy intentions into durable societal benefits.