Will Brazil Be Left Counting the Cost of Hosting the World Cup and Olympics?

After hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 Olympics, South Africa and China were left with expensive facilities with few alternative uses. Analysts are debating whether the same happens to Brazil when it hosts these same events in 2014 and 2016: Some say that the public-relations value of hosting these events is worth the investment for developing countries, while others say the money would be better spent on education, healthcare and poverty alleviation. The International Olympic Committee now includes legacy issues in its regulations for the assessment of hosting bids, but FIFA does not. Jonathan Watts of the Guardian reports that one foundation representative suggests sports-related construction is already disrupting Rio de Janeiro, with forced evictions and a rise in real-estate prices, while a professor in China suggests that the confidence and other intangible effects of hosting such events are enormous. The global spotlight is a boost for countries if all runs smoothly and there’s no wretched poverty to be scrutinized under the glare. – YaleGlobal