Kazakhstan and the Global Industry of Mega Events: A Case of Autocratic Management

Abstract

The chapter looks into the roots of the Kazakhstani regime’s aspirations to host significant international events of both a political and sports character, and unveils how such ambitions have been evolving over the past two decades. The author discusses how mega events were represented to the public, both domestically and internationally. The chapter claims that mega events are driven by the ambitions of the elite to affirm their status in the eyes of the international community and legitimize their domestic practices, translated in the subsequent campaigning for internal approval by drumming up patriotic sentiment and diverting attention of the public from political and socio-economic issues.