The future of sustainable sports events: environmental, economic, and socio-cultural impacts - the case of the 2022 Women's European Handball Championship

Sports events significantly influence the image of a destination and can also be one of the main motives for tourists to travel. Our society is becoming increasingly sustainability-conscious, which makes the sustainable orientation of events a very important part of their organization. In this research, we defined sports and event tourism, sporting events, and the sustainable organization of events. We also theoretically elaborated on the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural impacts of sporting events. We conducted research interviews and reviewed reports, which provided us with more detailed insights into the effects of the 2022 Women’s European Handball Championship, held in Ljubljana and Celje. We identified the following key concepts: carbon footprint, sustainable mobility, waste separation and materials, involvement of the local population, empowerment of women, local perception and pride, multiplier effects, immediate loss – long-term benefit, tourist consumption, standardization, and the role of local and national authorities. Measuring and assessing the impacts of sporting events is important in order to adopt better and more effective measures for future events, to maximize positive and minimize negative impacts, to gain public and media support, and to ensure the longterm sustainability of sporting events.