International sporting events are planned large-scale sports occurrences with considerable socio-economic, environmental and cultural impact on the host region.
International sporting events may include Commonwealth Games, Pan American Games, Olympic Games and other special-world sports such as Soccer’s World Cup. Governments’ pursuits to host mega sports events are becoming evident and hot because such events are major economic, developmental, socio-cultural and political boosters. From various studies, there are beliefs that sports generate national and local socio-economic developments and brand host’s cities, promoting tourism (Mcloy, 2002).
Unquestionably, the impacts of international sports events are immense and manifold. Satisfactory evidence is available showing such events produce positive outcomes. This paper elaborates on the direct advantages of such mega sports events, which include economic, socio-cultural, developmental and political boosters.
Socio-economic Impact
Economic benefits to the hosting country are direct and indirect. Direct benefits are those from ticket sales, television show rights and deals from sponsors. However, the economic benefits from the above listed processes are reckoned as partial benefits as they usually cover the costs for the event organization.
The major economic impact on the hosting country is realized through the creation of awareness for the city. This attracts more tourists and provides the basis for many entrepreneurs and investors in the region. The resultant is growth of commercial activities in the region (Burton & O’ Reilly, 2009).
Therefore, the more investors are attracted, the higher the job opportunities in the region, and thus great economic growth in that region. The role of the international sports on the region is profoundly associated with reduced poverty levels and social exclusion. Undoubtedly, mega sporting events do generate job opportunities in abundance.
The opportunities can be those associated with the event directly or those related in other sectors such as tourism and construction industries. For example, Atlanta city hosted the 1996 Olympic Games.
Following the announcement in 1990, it is approximated that $2 billion were made through projects related to Olympic between the periods 1990 to 1996 when the event was held. Consequently, 580, 000 new employment opportunities were generated. Atlanta Convention and visitors bureau research findings estimated the Olympic Games economic impact to be $5.1 billion (Brunet, 1995).
Similar trends have been observed in other mega sports host cities like Barcelona where general rates of unemployment declined from 18.4% to 9.6% between 1986 and 1992 when the Olympics games were held. However, the jobs generated by International sports are often low payable and temporary. Studies on Barcelona Olympic Games impact indicated few numbers of permanent jobs were obtained (Malfas, Theodoraki & Houlihan, 2003).
Economic development of the cities hosting such events boosts the tourism industry of the hosting nation. For example, the 1998 Football World Cup held in France attracted over 15 million tourist who spent around half a billion pounds on travel, food, accommodation and entertainment.
Arguably, the events sometimes impact the low-income residents negatively. For instance, the erecting of new infrastructure and other preparations such as city cleaning can result to relocation or increase housing and rents creating problems to low-income earners of the host city (Cheng, 2009).
Socio-cultural Impact
Such mega events benefit the socio-cultural aspects of the host region immensely. The activities strengthen regional traditions and values; promote local pride and the community’s spirit.
This was evidenced by the jubilation held by Africans when Africa was awarded football’s showcase competition for the first time ever. The event symbolized regeneration of the continent causing the elation. Sports participation leads to improved quality of life to individuals and to the locals.
It also brings about a sense of well being, fun, enjoyment bringing about self-fulfillment and achievement. The activity also encourages social interaction and cohesion for the locals and the tourist. For example, Catalan’s transformation to increase sporting activities spirit resulted from the Olympics held in 1992 (Truno, 1995).
Developmental Impact
International sporting activities generates opportunities for physical development and improvement of the host city. Hosting international sports often involves construction of sporting facilities and renovating the existing ones to meet the international requirements. More so, the increased numbers of participants, officials and tourists require improvement of infrastructures such as public transport network for ease movement of people to the sporting venues.
Other developments include leisure facilities, commercial centers as well as open spaces with the aim of improving the physical appearance of the city. For example, Barcelona’s 1992 Olympic Games led to advanced transport system and rejuvenation of the coastal lands. The coast region to date is well-known for its sporting activities. It significantly contributes to the country’s income (Malfas, Theodoraki & Houlihan, 2003).
Hosting the mega sporting activities is usually a chance to fund and establish long term projects that could stagnate for long time; this was the case for Portugal when it was given the right to host the 2004 European Football Championships. Prior to this, it had poor stadiums and transport systems. Hosting the tournament was a way of helping the country’s football and the other developments related to sports. Sydney’s Games in 2000 brought about the theme of urban change. Approximately, $1.7 billion was spent on construction of sport facilities with additional $1.15 billion spent on infrastructure.
In Athens, the Olympics of 2004 led to construction of $1.4 billion new airport that could accommodate 16 million passengers and approximately 220, 000 tons of cargo. Others include the $ 820 million expansion of the city’s underground transport system that could carry about 150 million passengers in a year. This brought 3,000 permanent job opportunities to the locals (Yu, 2004).
In the telecommunication system, a high standard is maintained. Sports also introduce the latest technologies into the host country to meet the demands of the participants and the visitors. Such advances continue to exist even there after the events thereby becoming long-term benefits for the country.
The benefits of hosting international games to the hosting city in terms of development can be summarized as constructions of new sports facilities, city beautification, accommodation, transport system and in industrialization (Institute of International Trade, 2011).
Another important outcome from hosting international sporting events is the long-lasting public health legacies. These legacies are visible long after the international event. For example, the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 in Australia left public health legacies in the form of increased coordination, enhanced surveillance systems and advanced medical care systems (Raymond & Cooper, 2009).
Other Benefits
The staging of international sports yields benefits to the central governing body, regional and the local constituents. The international events are considered to be of utmost importance for the projects of modernity. Hosting the event is often an international indicator of esteem on the developmental achievement (Manzenreiter & Horne, 2005).
Technology advancement is very important in every country. The hosting country benefits from technology transfer in the form of designs, technical documents, engineering knowledge, blue prints and the like.
Hosting international sports events requires a high level of competitiveness that conforms to the international standards. The private sector of the host country also attracts investment and aid from the technologically advanced nations through technology license agreements, technical consultancy, international subcontracting and in the form of capital goods acquisition.
These are supreme channels for advanced technology flow. For example, India accessed great pool of new technology by hosting the Commonwealth games in Delhi, from which the country will continue to harvest long term socio-economic benefits for its economic growth (Institute of International Trade, 2011).
More so, the sporting events build the brand of the host destination. The sport event incorporates the host nation in the marketing plan. Event promoters vigilantly plan the event portfolio by integrating sporting with the hosting nation’s culture and the beauty of its sceneries. Arguably, the cities do not prosper from profit gains as much as they do from awareness and brand destination. Lillehammer, Norway and Japan have enjoyed worldwide attention by hosting the winter Olympics (Chen et al., 2009).
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, hosting international sports leads to economic development through improved infra structural projects and investments. The investments lead to increased capital accumulation and in the overall local and foreign enterprises. This way, the investment becomes more attractive to the private investors. More so, the transfer of the first class technology to the host country helps in improving the GDP of the nation.
The sports outcomes are improved infrastructure conditions and better standards of living. Also there is a nation awareness that is promoted leading to outburst tourism industries. The above described practices are of help in future mass gatherings in the countries which have already hosted international sports events. It makes the host nation to be prepared adequately for emergencies and its response, health promotion and surveillance.
References
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