In our contemporary society, there is an ongoing debate about whether the organization of international sports events can benefit the host country. This essay aims to explore both perspectives before giving my support to the organization due to its long-term benefits for the country’s economy and tourism.
On the one hand, the income generated from these events and national tourism are the primary areas likely to have positive influences. First and foremost, sports events often attract thousands of global audiences coming to the country to experience the competition’s atmosphere. As a result, a wide range of additional services, such as accommodation, food and beverage, and transportation, are available during the events’ days, leading to an increase in revenues for local businesses by providing these services and for governments by selling tickets and signing broadcast contracts. Moreover, organizing global events is a great opportunity for the host country to promote its culture and traditions. In fact, cultural promotion is often implemented by the organizers by applying national cultural materials to the opening and closing ceremonies of these events. This seems to allow participants to have a broader understanding of the country, fostering a love and curiosity to explore the country, contributing to a motivation for tourists to travel back later.
On the other hand, the opponents of hosting these events argue that the associated costs and the effects on the local environment are the principal disadvantages. Firstly, organizing such an international event often demands various types of costs, including the construction of new facilities or the renovation of existing infrastructure. Therefore, although some other fields, such as education, transportation, or rural development, face a shortage of investment from the governments, funds are still allocated to such events. In addition, after these events, many facilities and amenities are believed to be no longer in use, which challenges the sustainability that many countries are attempting to pursue and achieve.
In my opinion, the overwhelmingly high costs can be offset by the immediate effects on the national economy and tourism through several previously mentioned activities and the long-term benefits of the increase in the number of inbound tourists. Additionally, when constructing new facilities, governments should consider the flexibility of the buildings, meaning that newly constructed athletes’ accommodations can be converted into residential areas afterward.
In conclusion, although I acknowledge the drawbacks that hosting these events can bring about, it is noteworthy that the advantages are much more significant, and a multitude of solutions can be implemented to minimize the negative effects.