Discussing the social and cultural héritage of major sporting events. A review of the international literature

More than just a narrative, legacy has become a key component for success in the bidding process to host a major sporting event (MSE). A growing number of studies have looked at legacy in order to measure these events’ effects. The French word héritage can be translated into English using the concepts of legacy, impact and, indeed, heritage, as evidenced by a mainly international literature, representing varied fields of study. Not only do these terms have various meanings, but they also have different uses, which this study will clarify. Therefore, the article aims to identify the complexity of what is commonly called héritage in France by analyzing how English-language terms are used and the range of fields that they cover. This state-of-the-art review of MSEs’ héritage draws on both an extensive literature review and the analysis of seven specialist authors’ stated positions, concluding with a discussion of possible applications of this complex object of study.