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Sports can create connections between folks from different cultures and can give us global exposure however there are some individuals who oppose it. This essay portrays both views and concludes with an opinion.
International sports event increases valuable tourism which upheaves the host country’s economy. Almost all major international sporting events bring more than a million global audiences to the host nation. Billions of foreign currencies are pumped into the host country’s economy by non-native tourists. Evidence for this is provided by Statista, according to them, the FIFA World Cup 2018 generated 5 million tourists for Russia. Thus, it is so obvious that such sporting events boost up the country’s development and it is a wise decision to bid for it.
On the contrary, international sports events can also be considered as a financial drain on the host nation. In other words, to organize such an earth-shattering event, the host country needs to inject a massive amount of money for infrastructure development. There is no doubt that some countries or cities already hold the world-class status for which they do not require to pour money into that. But it has been noticed that, in most scenarios, the host nation ended up giving a huge burden on their citizens’ shoulders. A good illustration of this is the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. Despite the fact that it made Montreal city so much popular, ultimately ended up leaving a 30-year legacy of debt and financial disaster for the city. This proves that budget analysis is the foremost thing before bidding for an international sporting event.
In my opinion, hosting an international sports event with proper risk analysis is one of the greatest drivers for boosting up the nation’s economy and pride.
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