Benefits and Drawbacks for Host Nations in Conducting an Olympics - Term Paper Example

Benefits and Drawbacks for Host Nations in Conducting an Olympics Introduction Olympics games are conducted in every four years in order to test the skills of sports persons from different countries. Thousands of sports personalities are participating in Olympics sports and games activities in order to bring fame to their native countries. Olympics victories often raise national feelings and proud and it is often utilized for symbolizing a healthy civilized nation. For example, in most of the Olympics, America, China, and England like developed countries excel which reflect the growth and development these countries have achieved so far not only in sports and games but it reflect the general developments as well. It does not mean that, Olympics is an unquestionable event. 2012 Olympics is going to be held in London amidst of stiff protests and supports. The current global recess in economy has strengthened the arguments of the critiques of Olympics. For them, the huge volume of money spent for conducting Olympics must be utilized to improve the living conditions of the poor and to remove the poverty. But supporters of Olympics argue that, the Olympics expenditure is not a wasted one since the money spent for the development of infrastructure for conducting Olympics activities will indirectly improve the living conditions of the people. This paper briefly explains the pros and cons of conducting an Olympics. Benefits of conducting an Olympics Olympics attract lot of foreign investment to the host nations. The economy of the host city will develop immensely because of the infrastructure development for Olympics activities. Lots of hotels, stadiums, road and rail like transportation facilities, water supply schemes, hospitals, communication facilities, etc need to be developed in and around the host city which will definitely improve the city’s economy in many ways. Moreover the visitors from other countries for watching the Olympics will spend lot of money in and around the Olympics village which will boost the economy. The visitors when they go back their home will tell more about the beauty of the city to their neighbours which will provoke interest among them to visit this place. Thus tourism will improve a lot and the economy will get a definite boosting. Many unemployed people will get employment because of Olympics. The infrastructure developments across the city will demand more professionals for different projects and thus unemployment problem can be tackled up to certain extent. Olympics will give an opportunity for the public to protest against the non-humanitarian policies of certain governments. Such protests will attract international attention and hence the pressure on such countries who engage in violating human rights will be increased to rectify or reform their policies. “China is a dictatorship with an appalling record on human rights. Steven Spielberg has set an example by withdrawing from his position as artistic adviser to the Beijing Olympics because of the regime's support for the genocidal government of Sudan” (Using the Olympics to put pressure on China, 2009) The current world is already divided over certain issues like religious fundamentalism and terrorism. In most part of the world, the war on terror is going on. Holding an international event like Olympics will definitely improve the feeling of nationalism and unity which is necessary for the well being of a nation. Drawbacks of conducting an Olympics The main drawback of conducting an Olympics is the huge expenditure on non-productive sectors. Big stadiums will definitely increase the facilities for sports and games, but such huge expenses for the improvement of sports activities is meaningless when lots of people were suffering from the problems of lack of employment, housing, and poverty. The basic needs of a person never contain sports and games; but is contains food, shelter and proper clothing. Once these needs were met, then human kind can think in terms of secondary things like Olympics. Traffic congestion and environment pollution is one of the major problems associated with conducting an Olympics. The increased traffic on roads due to Olympics will result in increased liberation of toxic gases like carbon dioxide to the atmosphere from the vehicles which burn petrol and diesel like fuels. Traffic congestion may often result in big accidents and the threat for the life of civilians is more by conducting an Olympics like event. People cannot attend their duties in the right time because of traffic congestion and some organization may lose businesses because of that. “Athletes around the world compete in events ranging from high school level to world class events. More athletes find drugs and steroids as a way to improve their performance rather than doing the work and training” (Drugs in Olympics: Pros and Cons, n.d) Most of the recent Olympics games have witnessed the intrusion of prohibited medicines like steroids in sports activities. Canadian athlete, Ben Johnson is a best example for utilizing steroids for winning an Olympics medal. Such incidents have already destroyed the authenticity of Olympics events. Most of the public are now watching every Olympics victory with a suspected eye. Corruption and malpractices are everywhere at present and Olympics is also not free from that. Poor nations are visualizing Olympics as an opportunity for the developed countries to exhibit their proud, strength and muscle power. “London's successful bid to host the Olympics will benefit some sectors of the economy, notably construction and transportation, but whether it will be an overall economic boon remains in doubt” (WARDELL, 2005) The current economic crisis has raised so many questions about the validity of conducting such a lavish international event. Many private and public firms who usually sponsor Olympics events have already suffered lots of setbacks and nobody expect such firms to spend more money for sponsoring such expensive events. Thus the success of the 2012 London Olympics is still under immense debate. London is one of the worst cities which were affected badly by the current dip in global economy and because of that the ability of London Olympics to attract public participation in Olympic stadiums is still doubtful to many people. Most of the people in developed countries have already cut their spending on non-essential commodities and most probably, people will think twice before they purchase the expensive tickets for the entry into Olympics village. Conclusions Conducting an Olympics games have lot of pros and cons. The economy of the host city will be improved a lot because of the increased infrastructure facilities and the increase in number of tourists who spend lots of money. The proud and nationalism of holding an international event like Olympics will definitely contribute to the unity of a country which is already divided over issues like religious fundamentalism and terrorism. On the other side, conducting an Olympics games will definitely a lavish activity when we consider the conditions of the poor people. It is ethically wrong to spend such a huge amount of money for the psychological pleasures of some of the citizens in the upper layer of the society especially when poverty and unemployment haunt the lower segment of the society. Increased Traffic congestion and environment pollutions are other cons of conducting Olympics. References 1. Using the Olympics to put pressure on China, (2009), Retrieved on 17 August 2009 from http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/17805,opinion,pros-cons 2. Drugs in Olympics: Pros and Cons, (n.d), Retrieved on 17 August 2009 from http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/59485.html 3. WARDELL JANE, (2005), Retrieved on 17 August 2009 from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-110791249.html 4. Read More