A number of global cities and local cities facilitate local economies and development by utilizing sports. However, their strategy is likely to be a short-term and one-time policy, which does not continuously strengthen their development. Therefore, the use of sports needs to be considered as more specific and longer term strategies for local development. This study examines the concept and role of sports city focused on cases of overseas sports cities, and successful and ideal cases of background and features of sports cities were analyzed to promote and lead the direction of improvement of sports cities in Korea. Consequently, strengthening a city’s sport capability and connecting it to local development need to be met to become a city into a successful sport city. To do so, it should premise recognition that sports cannot be treated separately from other urban policy area and it needs to invest in sports facilities, hosting sports events and competitions, and sports clubs based on the recognition for the importance of sports. Moreover, it needs a marketing strategy for branding and differentiation through sports of a city’s expertise. Finally, to make sports act as a catalyst to strengthen the process of an integrated city’s competitiveness, it requires a local government’s strong leadership and organization capacity of stakeholders.
