Major Sporting Events as Catalysts for Social and Human Capital Building: The Case of Qatar

Citation

Rocha C, Farrag D, Girginov V, Ghanem M, Al Thawadi O & Mustafa B (2026) Major Sporting Events as Catalysts for Social and Human Capital Building: The Case of Qatar. Event Management. https://cognizantcommunication.com/publication/event-management/

Abstract
The study aims to explore and explain the relationship between residents’ experiences with major sporting events and the development of social and human capital in Qatar. We draw upon social and human capital theories to understand this relationship between personal experiences and capital development. We collected data through face-to-face survey questionnaires with attendees of three major sporting events hosted by Qatar: Asian Men's Handball Qualification – Paris 2024 Olympic Games (October 2023; n = 306), World Aquatics Championships (February 2024; n = 718), and Tennis ExxonMobil Open ATP 500 (February 2025; n = 554). Results show that residents’ experiences have promoted more human capital than social capital. An additional contribution of the current study is the hierarchical order of experiences, where cognitive experiences function as antecedents for affective experiences, which in turn explain capital development through indirect impact. Implications for countries hosting sport events in the MENA region are discussed.

Keywords
Legacy, MENA, Middle East, social capital, sport mega-events