Essay Sample: International Sports Events
International sports events have a long tradition on our planet, especially the Olympic Games. What began as a competition between different cities in Ancient Greece developed into a world-wide event of competing nations and a distinction between summer and winter games. Even soccer games have their own international events where countries compete against each other. While some enjoy and celebrate these events, others view them in a more critical light. In this essay, I will show reasons behind both points of view and state my own opinion about international sports events.
The majority in favor argues that the country will benefit from the high number of visitors. Since the country is put under a spotlight by hosting such an import event, people will travel to the country. Once there, the tourists will be encouraged to explore the country more or visit attractions near the stadium. This can cause a better reputation of the hosting country.
Another argument for hosting international sports events is the improved financial situation of the country. Once again, more visitors often result in higher profit of stores and markets. Many smaller stores without attachments to online markets depend on customers who visit their shops. Such a big event could improve their financial situation. Because people do not want to spend their time waiting in the stadium between games, they may take a stroll around the city and find these little stores. They may even suggest the store to other tourists.
This is where people against such events see the problem. As long as the event takes place, the overall situation of a country and the people living in it improves. But as soon as it is over, locals return to their routine and the country’s financial situation declines. It is most likely that countries who hosted an international sports events are more in debt compared to countries who did not. The reason is of course the construction or renovation of stadiums and gyms. While countries are sponsored by the international committee of the sport, the money is often not enough. This could force countries to cut expenses. A prominent example of this is Qatar. This country is hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and several articles report of death migrant workers who worked at the construction site of a new stadium.
Another problem is the declines use of new built stadiums and gyms after the event. Some countries try to rent it out for school events, but it will most likely never cover the paid expenses.
The final problem I am going to talk about is the changed reputation of a country. A country hosting an international event may make papers about their bad political situation, but because they are hosting such an important event, people do not believe it can be that bad. An example for this could be China and the Olympic Winter games of 2022. Although China has been criticized for their behavior towards minorities, they were still allowed to host the event and many people watched and participated in it.
In conclusion, international sports events can help countries to attract tourists and to show their good side. Whereas they also encourage to overlook the mistakes of a country, especially when it is about the event. In my opinion, we should not ban international sports events. Instead, we need to change our ignorance and stress the importance of fair play not only during the games but also their preparation.
