The ongoing discourse surrounding the importance of major international sporting events has sparked a contentious debate in contemporary society. A segment of the population believes that those tournaments greatly contribute to the promotion of tourism of a country, while others strongly argue that they can seriously damage the national environment. In the following paragraphs, I will examine the validity of both views before presenting my own opinion.
First of all, one compelling advantage is that sporting events could promote the national tourism industry. Tournaments and matches are often well-organised at popular stadiums and unique cities. In light of this, activities about entertainment and tourism can be widely promoted to attract visitors’ attention, which showcase the beauty and uniqueness of a country. Also, those activities primarily stimulate customers’ spending from food and beverage to souvenirs. In the long run, those sporting events generate massive revenue, which contributes to the national funding to solve existing problems, including upgrading infrastructure and providing financial support for marginalized communities.
Conversely, sporting events may gradually worsen environmental degradation. During matches and tournaments, many spectators discard a large amount of waste indiscriminately, including bottles, plastic cups and straws. Hence, those kinds of trash gradually contribute to the pollution of the cities, since they seriously damage drainage systems and urban aesthetics. Worse still, the living standard of citizens can be negatively affected. Their working and living environment is surrounded by waste and nylon bags, which can produce unpleasant smells and toxins. In other words, their cities have to address severe pollution from waste, acting as a springboard for exacerbating environmental issues and people’s living conditions.
From my perspective, I firmly believe that hosting major sporting events can promote the values of national culture and history. While attending matches and supporting favorite teams, people are provided with a multitude of opportunities to visit various museums and historical sites. In this way, visitors easily access a vast repository of knowledge and captivating content, thereby promoting the cultural identity and historical legacies through artifacts or distinctive culinary traits.
To summarize, despite the severe impacts on the environment, I strongly advocate that hosting sport events can be a potent catalyst to promote tourism and national values regarding culture and history. A passion for sports serves as a bridge that allows fans to gain a deeper understanding of the country’s culture and history through tourism.