Risk Management Strategies by Stakeholders in Canadian Major Sporting Events

The purpose of this article is to identify and characterize the use of risk management strategies in major sporting events from the perspective of the organizing committee members and other stakeholders. Two Canadian sporting events—the ISU (International Skating Union) 2006 World Figure Skating Championships and the U-20 FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup Canada 2007—provided the platform for a comparative case study that was built using archival material and interviews. Key findings included a breakdown of risk management strategy types and an analysis of common strategies used across the various stakeholder groups. Seven risk strategy categories were identified by the various stakeholder groups: reduction, avoidance, reallocation, diffusion, prevention, legal, and relationship management. As a result, a strategic framework for dealing with risk management issues experienced at sporting events is provided.