Project management in sport events

A research article authored by CTR Researcher, Dr. Ryutaro Yamakita, has been published in the journal “Routledge Encyclopedia of Sport Studies”.

 

Title

Project management in sport events

 

Author

Ryutaro Yamakita, Wakayama University, Wakayama, Japan

 

Source

Routledge Encyclopedia of Sport Studies

Edited By Vassil Girginov, Milena Parent

Routledge, 2025

https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367766924-RESS209-1

 

Abstract

Sport events can be considered projects because of their unique outcomes (e.g., unpredictable competition results, urban and sport development, and changes in politics, culture, and public life) and the strict time constraints that must be managed. As the number and diversity of event stakeholders involved increase, these projects tend to become more complex and uncertain. In addition, the huge cost overruns often seen in large-scale sport events can create friction between the organising committee and stakeholders, while also posing a risk of leaving host municipalities with long-term financial burdens. Despite the recognised importance of project management in addressing these challenges, its application within the context of sport events remains limited. To share the knowledge required to deal with such challenges, this entry begins by providing an overview of sport events as projects, explaining why and how project management is crucial for their success. It then introduces essential project management tools useful for managing sport events, such as the Work Breakdown Structure and the Gantt chart, as well as software that supports the operation of these tools. Finally, the entry concludes with a discussion on the need for project managers to stay focused on the event’s original purpose, offering heuristic advice from project management researchers as a takeaway for current and future project managers.

 

Keywords

Gantt chart, Sport event management, Stakeholder, Temporal organization, Work Breakdown Structure