Factors Affecting the Hosting of International Sporting Events
- Hosting an international event such as the Olympics or the World Cup is expensive
- Countries lobby to try and persuade organisers of the event that they are the best location
- When a country makes a bid to run the event, they must ensure that they can successfully carry out the building project and host the games
- This includes economic factors including the ability to raise the money for:
- Build the facilities
- Developing the infrastructure
- The following infrastructure would be needed for international games:
- Various stadiums to host all of the different teams or events
- Training facilities for competitors
- Hotels or other accommodations for competitors and fas
- An effective public transport system
- Unfortunately, there have been accusations of corruption in organisations which run the events, such as the International Olympic Committee and Federation Internationale de Football Association
- There are various political factors involved which need to be taken account of when considering whether a country bids for an international event:
- The government will be the primary source of funding and will need to allocate public funds to large infrastructure buildings
- Government must ensure that they can ensure adequate safety for visitors and participants which might be difficult to do if the country is known to be unsafe
- Diplomatic relations also can influence the hosting of the games such as when the USA and Soviet Union boycotted each other’s games during the Cold War
- Countries usually have a cultural link to the event being held
- However, the event may be used to raise the profile of a sport(s) in a country
- Qatar does not have a football tradition but the 2022 World Cup was held there
Advantages and Disadvantages of Hosting an International Sporting Event
| Advantages | Disadvantages | |
|
Economy |
Hosting an international event brings increased tourism Increased temporary job opportunities Infrastructure development, which provides long-term benefits to the host city |
Montreal hosted the Olympic Games in 1976, and made a loss of over $1 billion, which took many years to pay off |
|
Political and worldwide exposure |
Hosting an international event increases the country’s visibility on the global stage and promotes the country for further tourism opportunities |
There were many criticisms of worker abuse in Qatar before the 2022 Fifa World Cup |
|
Sports development |
Inspiring youth to try new sports, this may lead to more international sportspersons in the future |
Many sports do not continue with funding after the event has finished |
|
Community engagement |
As the competition attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators, there is a need for volunteers from the local community to support the event |
|
|
Cultural exchange |
International visitors can share their culture with the host country and vice versa |
