RESEARCH

ABSTRACT

Research question:The purpose of this study is to examine the Olympic and Paralympic bid exploration process adopted by Calgary, Canada ('Calgary Model') to explore whether it provides a template on how future communities could leverage bid exploration processes to generate social capital though increased network connectivity and community ownership. In doing so, we examine the four research questions: Research Question 1:How did the Calgary Model embed community values as central to all decision-making processes? Research Question 2:How did the Calgary Model engage diverse stakeholders, particularly community interest groups, in the strategic activities? Research Question 3:How did the Calgary Model empower communities to become agents of change? Research Question 4:How did the Calgary Model provide sustained open communication towards mutual learning? Research methods:Guided by social capital theory, the researchers conducted 19 in-depth, one-on-one interviews with a sample of individuals engaged in the Calgary bid exploration process. Results and findings:The results identified ten composite themes with an overall conclusion that the process Calgary used did not sufficiently generate social capital through maximizing network connectivity and community ownership. Implications:Resulting from our data analysis we developed a conceptual social capital assessment tool and five principles to support event organizers in designing processes that help to maximize the generation of community social capital.