This review is intended to inform action in countries that host MSEs [major sporting events] and to provide some suggestions on how hosting countries can avoid past pitfalls and mistakes in relation to child exploitation, especially economic and sexual exploitation. Importantly, it also acts as a call to action by those responsible for commissioning and staging MSEs, such as FIFA and the IOC, to anticipate, prepare for and adopt risk mitigation strategies and interventions…The review found that: [1] some commercial enterprises associated with MSEs - both legal and illegal - still use child labour; [2] children are frequently victims of the community displacement typically associated with MSEs; [3] child sexual exploitation linked to MSEs appears to be hidden behind other social problems such as diverted services, family stress, poverty and domestic violence; [4] human trafficking for sexual exploitation associated with MSEs appears adult-focussed, responsive to advocacy interventions and difficult to measure. Where it does occur it is likely to mask harms to children