An Olympic Celebration is as a three-act play! Exposition, Climax, Denouement are the three phases that punctuate the event. Through celebrations, cities showcase a sequence of their history and inscribe it into their vision as forward-looking cities. Such events also allow a city to showcase its uniqueness as a City as well as the uniqueness of Olympic Host Cities.

Celebrations focus on the local dimension of the Games: they are first designed for and often by local citizens and representatives and allow ownership on “their” Games that were first dedicated to the entire world. Without world media coverage, they first celebrate a local/regional territory and their inhabitants.

However, they also encompass broader targets, are attractive to tourists and visitors and are an opportunity to animate the city and design beyond-sport activities such as cultural, educational, historical or academic events.

As in a play, Act I is dedicated to set the scene. Celebrations are built upon a vision that cities develop to get the most of their event which is inscribed within a specific context.

Act II is the action part of the event. In defined locations and at defined time, activities take place and the climax is reached.

Act III is witness to the denouement. The outcomes of celebrations take here their full meaning as the legacy of a celebration is the whole reason to celebrate: people’s engagement, educational messages, health and sport promotion, values sharing, etc.

The Toolkit is dedicated to city representatives and sport managers of public administrations. The Toolkit includes examples and best practices as well as guidelines and rules to organise and implement celebrations’ events. Cities showcase their comprehensive celebration projects and some have also focussed on a few specific and emblematic events.

The main objective the Union aims to achieve through the Toolkit is to give more visibility to the Games’ celebrations and their benefits for the cities. The Union’s activities are driven towards showcasing the Games’ celebrations in past host cities and promoting the essential dialogue among the Union’s members to ensure that the Olympic spirit and culture can be re-activated through celebrations.

The second objective is to serve as a tool for any city interested in the implementation of new projects related to the promotion of sport and Olympism (i.e. facilitating the implementation through a methodological guide). Following the Olympic Agenda 2020 and to respond to a mission given by the IOC, the World Union of Olympic Cities collects, contributes and promotes the good practices of the Olympic Cities regarding Olympic Games’ celebrations.

Enjoy reading the various plays already presented to you. We hope that it will inspire more Cities to set their own scene and play their own scenario!

Members are invited to download the PDF version of each case on the Members’ portal. The Members’ version includes addition practical information related to project management, finance and costs, human resources and time involved as well as detailed contacts. For any further information, the World Union of Olympic Cities’ team remains at your disposal at info@olympiccities.org 

On the Members’ area’s Celebrations page are also available IOC forms for Cities interested in celebrate their legacy in a permanent way. Requests for an Olympic Rings’ spectacular of educational signage to be displayed in the city are at your disposal.

Get more inspiration and best practices on how to activate your Olympic legacy! Click on “Keeping the Flame Alive” – Olympic Legacy Toolkit