Human rights issues in host countries of the Olympic Games and resulting differences in consumer evaluations

Research question: Violations of human rights have been reported in host countries of mega-sport events. Yet, the severity of violations differs between hosts. This study aims to find out whether differences in the severity of violations of human rights issues in potential and actual hosts of the Olympic Games lead to differential consumer evaluations of the Games, and whether Olympic Value perceptions influence evaluations depending on the severity of human rights violations. Research methods: Two samples from the U.S. were surveyed. In Study 1, participants were informed about the potential hosting of the Olympic Games in countries outside the U.S. with reportedly high-severity vs. low-severity violations of human rights. Study 2 referred to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and framed the U.S. as a country with either high- or low-severity violations of human rights. It also assessed consumer knowledge about human rights issues and country image. Results and findings: Attitude toward the Olympic Games was lower in the high (vs. low) severity conditions in both studies. Structural equation modeling results showed that two of the three Olympic value factors predicted consumer attitude in the high (but not in the low) severity conditions, and that attitude as well as some value factors related to intentions to follow the event in both studies. Implications: Human rights issues in host countries of Olympic Games have negative effects on consumer evaluations. While consumers might still follow the event, value perceptions are important when violations are severe. This makes ethical concerns salient and affects the Olympic Movement.