Impact of hosting Olympic Games on national pride:

A cohort analysis

Abstract

　The purpose of this research is to examine the long-term impact of hosting a mega-sport event on national pride. Although previous research has discussed the impact of hosting a mega-sport event on national pride, none have empirically examined their long-term effects.
　It is expected that the Japanese who experienced hosting the Olympic Games in Tokyo 1964, and Sapporo 1972, have stronger national pride because these Games implied Japanese reconstruction after World War Ⅱ and a return to the international community.
　This study examined the group effect of national pride using a quantitative analysis of social survey data. However, results showed that the cohort who experienced the Olympic Games in Tokyo 1964 or Sapporo 1972, showed a lower score of sport-related national pride, as well as statistically insignificant effects on general national pride.
　The nationalistic symbols in the Olympic Games have faded due to their gradual commercialization. Thus, those who experienced the Olympic Games in Tokyo 1964 and Sapporo 1972, with strong implications for the rise of national prestige, may not feel national pride in sports today. Alternatively, researchers imply that the younger generation has increased sport-related national pride due to the prevalence of anxiety in Japanese society since the 1990s. Thus, it is observed that the older generation who experienced the Tokyo and Sapporo Games may have relatively weaker national pride. The results of this research indicate that further investigation of the cohort effect on sport-related national pride is needed.