The Eastern European Mega-Event Decade: Sports, Geopolitics, and War at the Start of the Twenty-First Century
Journal: Mega event planning
Year: 2025

Abstract This chapter explores the diversity, political significance, and legacies of Eastern European countries’ experiences with sports mega-events in the twenty-first century. It also discusses Russia’s “mega-event decade” and draws connections between hosting and Russia’s recent hostile geopolitical actions, examining its legacies in the stark geopolitical reality of the Russo-Ukrainian war. While Russia’s mega-events may have impressed domestic and international publics through spectacle an