Sporting events have always gained a lot of publicity from people. While some believe organizing an international sports competition can offer the hosting country various advantages, I believe that there are still inevitable challenges it may cause.
To begin with, hosting a mega event can raise the profile of a country. Since the hosting country will be in the limelight during the scheduled time, it may have the opportunity to raise recognition and gain publicity. This can serve as long-term benefits to the country’s development, especially in terms of tourism. For instance, after the Olympics, some cities such as Barcelona and Beijing reported a soar in tourists visiting these cities. In addition, to cater to an influx of visitors coming to the events, a huge amount of expenditure will be spent on upgrading infrastructure. Constructing hotels, improving transportation, and rebuilding roads will contribute significantly to the nation’s prosperity.
On the other hand, such a huge event always comes with potential risks. When holding a sports event, the hosting country will have to pay a prohibitive cost for venue and equipment such as cycling tracks and skiing jump arena. However, those facilities often end up being underused, which leads to resource waste. Moreover, an international event costs a lot of expense, if the country persistently organizes it without considering the budget, it may incur a debt. For example, Rio De Janeiro is now still suffering from financial insolvency caused by the 2016 Summer Olympics. If things go well, the event can bring reputation to the hosting country but if they go badly, the nation’s image can be tarnished.
To sum up, organizing an international sports event can contribute to a nation’s prosperity and help raise the hosting country’s reputation, however, the disadvantages aligned with it such as adverse publicity and financial issues should not be overlooked.