It should be noted that many of the performance results expected from a sports event are not a familiar subject to the so-called, "administration evaluation." First of all, sport is not a hard asset but a soft asset, and the evaluation of soft assets is one area in which Japan falls short. Also, it is virtually impossible to evaluate sports as a soft asset on a single-year basis, another reason why sports events are an unfamiliar subject to administration evaluation. Some items included in my survey - specifically, "regional identity" and "sense of unity" - are surely troublesome to handle as subjects of administration evaluation. As expected from outcomes of sports events, however, they are both common and legitimate. From these aspects stems the public nature of sports.
In today's highly informatized society, moments which provide catharsis or a, "break from the routine," are becoming increasingly important. The World Cup in June 2002 reconfirmed that a sports event, because of its very nature as an event and festival, is a precious instrument for providing such an opportunity to everybody. But again, this is neither a familiar subject to administration evaluation, nor something that leaves tangible assets behind. If I dare to try to explain its value, I would say that the value is not in, "gaining something," but in, "not losing something."
