Many countries are now trying to be host nations for global sports events. In this regard, some people assume that being a host country for international sporting events is extremely beneficial for governments, while others argue that it is a significant drawback for nations. In my opinion, hosting international sports events has huge adverse impacts on a country’s development; however, this essay will highlight both aspects of this discussion.
On the one hand, the government can benefit from being a host country by improving tourism. Visitors often explore the host country’s historical and recreational sites before or after attending sporting events, which can encourage them to return there. For example, since Qatar hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the rate of tourism has experienced significant growth. However, the potential disadvantage of organizing an international sports tournament outweighs this benefit.
On the other hand, organizing international sports events can hinder a country’s development. It often diverts resources away from other sectors and presents a significant financial burden for host governments. Officials are likely to spend a substantial amount of money to build new stadiums and improve public services in order to prevent dissatisfaction among guests, resulting in allocating less funds to enhance other domains. Additionally, most of these buildings are abandoned after such events, and they may not be able to cover their expenses. For instance, the previous host country, Germany, for the World Championship spent about 200 billion dollars on these structures, and many of them are not currently utilized.
In conclusion, although hosting a global sporting event is beneficial to improving tourism, I believe it has more significant drawbacks associated with the overall improvement of the country.