Edinburgh Napier University

  The Olympic Games have emerged as a significant catalyst of urban change and leave
numerous legacies to the cities and countries that host them. This article will address the
impacts of the preparations for the 2008 Olympic sailing regatta on mass sport development
in the host municipal city of Qingdao, China, and examine the government’s mass sport
policy and development interventions that are linked to the 2008 Olympic Bid and
subsequent preparations.
The research draws on policy-making theory to unravel the nature of change and development
of mass sport in Qingdao, especially how national and local governments create new policies
to promote mass sport development in Qingdao and persuade people to take regular physical
activity and practice sports to improve health.
The article indicates that the preparations for the event generate significant improvements in
mass sport in Qingdao, such as the development of mass sport policies, increase in sports
participation rates, creation of new sporting facilities, and consequent improvement of public
health. Nevertheless, negative effects are also evidenced in the greater imbalance between
rural and urban sports development, and the high fees for using the new water sports facilities.