The whole nation is bracing itself for an eagerly anticipated year of sporting events and celebrations in the capital with the London Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee coming to town
However, despite criticism and doubts about the benefits of the Olympic Games, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) are quick to argue that the outcome will be nothing but positive.
Richard Way Editor of www.OverseasGuidesCompany.com (OGC) said, “Critics have and continue to highlight negative aspects of hosting such large sporting events, most notably the financial stresses placed upon a nation. The 2004 Athens Olympics are an example of a small host nation who vastly overspent to such an extent that they found themselves in financial difficulty. Financial issues aside, if such high profile events don’t go well, it is the host nation that will suffer from the bad press generated across the globe.”
With the city of London preparing for the onslaught of close to a million additional tourists come July, OGC has gained further insight into the effect major sporting events can have on an area or city by asking for feedback from some of its resident expat writers.
Sally Veall, author of the SpainBuyingGuide.com who lives on the Costa Brava, comments on the impact of the Olympic Games in Barcelona 20 years ago: “The 1992 Games are widely credited not just with transforming the landscape of Barcelona itself, but also with re-branding a city that has since become one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations”. The Games catapulted the Spanish city into the limelight and even surrounding areas benefited: “Many of the coastal resorts near Barcelona, particularly the Costa Brava and Costa Dorada, became very popular with foreigners following improved facilities which were directly linked to the Olympics in Barcelona.”
The 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver were largely considered a success. Stewart Buchanan of the CanadaBuyingGuide.com, who lives in the city, elaborates: “The Games left their mark on the city in terms of infrastructure, most notably the highway connecting Vancouver and Whistler was significantly improved. Following the Games, the Olympic Village in downtown Vancouver, was released for sale providing an influx of high end condominium units”. Despite being successful, critics were quick to express the opinion that the cost incurred was too great for a city like Vancouver to bear. Despite this, Stewart went on to state that “on the whole the spirit of the Games lifted Canada and brought the whole country together”.
New Zealand was not only victor of the 2011 Rugby World Cup but also the host. Pattie Pegler of the NewZealandBuyingGuide.com and a Christchurch resident highlights the negativity towards the event before it occurred: “As I think is always the case in the run up to big sporting events, there was a fair amount of criticism of the money spent on sprucing things up for visitors”. She continues: “The RWC attracted some 133,000 visitors which can only have raised the country’s profile. It did a lot for the morale of the country if not for the finances”.
Richard Way concludes, “In the previous years I am sure that many UK residents have experienced some form of delay or inconvenience in terms of transport links being upgraded in line with the 2012 Games. Furthermore the billions of pounds spent on the Games have continued to be front page news and has attracted debate at every level throughout the country. However one thing is for sure, the money is spent and the Games will go ahead, one can only hope that this monumental sporting event will help catapult the country into a safer financial climate.”
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