To legitimise the rising public expenditure on elite sport, governments and political stakeholders frequently refer to the beneficial effects of elite sport for society. One often-cited effect relates to the political impact of elite sport, which is believed to serve as a vehicle for the development of national identity and international prestige. In this systematic review, we synthesise the literature on the actual impact of elite sport on national identity and international prestige, focusing particularly on the factors that need to be in place for such effects to occur. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines for systematic reviews, we searched six electronic databases (EconLit, Political Science Complete, PsycInfo, SocINDEX, SportDiscus, Web of Science/Social Science Citation Index), complemented by a reference and citation screening. Two independent reviewers screened all identified studies for eligibility and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Of the 4.510 peer-reviewed articles, 85 were included in the analysis. The findings show no generalisable, at most moderately temporary effects of elite sport on national identity and international prestige, with socio-demographics, political regimes and political socialisation, event hosting, interest and emotional involvement, and sporting success being key factors of influence. The review thus highlights that the effects of elite sport may emerge under certain conditions, calling for a more nuanced rather than general political justification of its societal role.
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