EST3: Sporting events, tourism and territorial transitions

Using a variety of geographical approaches (economic, political, cultural and social) and drawing on related disciplines (territorial economics, political science, sociology), the EST3 project aims to address the territorial effects of sporting events.

The first stage of the project will be to build up a sufficiently varied sample of mountain areas and events. Specifically, these will be areas involved in major cycling, trail, ski-mountaineering or other events (Tour de France, UT4M, Pierra-Menta), as well as similar events of much lesser importance. The terrain will be in the Alps, Pyrenees, Auvergne and Vosges.

In a comparative approach, the second stage of the project will seek to quantitatively and qualitatively assess the direct and indirect territorial effects. Extensive fieldwork will be required to gather figures, as well as to conduct semi-structured interviews with local players and event organizers and participants.

The third stage of the project will focus more specifically on the dual transformation of practices and territories, on the assumption that sporting events can act as catalysts for these transformations. Ultimately, the aim is to assess the extent to which sporting events can be factors in tourism and recreation transitions.