AGRUMENTATIVE ESSAY

Does holding the Olympic Games have benefits

for the host country？

In recent years, the Olympic Games have developed into one of the most significant mega-international sporting events (Roche，2000). More and more cities are bidding to host the Olympics and increasingly money are invested in Olympic bids, which is due to the reason that the government believe that they could get benefits from such an event. During the proceeding of the 2012 London Olympic Games, amount of people in the world have been brought into focus on Olympic Games. It is such a big event, holding it successfully will improve one country’s reputation and get more …show more content…

During the Games, the worldwide TV audience watched a cumulative 36.1 billion hours of sport (IOC, 2001). This is one of the most effective ways to improve a nation’s image and attract tourists. For example, in 1996, during the 17 days of the Centennial Olympic Games, it has been reported that 3.5 billion people saw the city on worldwide television coverage in 214 countries and territories and about two million people visited Atlanta, as a result, the tourist industry of the region increased dramatically (Steven and Bevan, 1999). It seems clear that a successful mega-event can enhance cities’ reputations through the global media coverage. Prior to the 1992 Olympics, Barcelona was only a large city in Spain, but it is now a famous destination which attracts numbers of tourists to visit. Furthermore, holding this mega-international sporting event could attract the public’s interest to take part in sporting activities, and also increase local pride and community spirit, which could make a significant contribution to the quality of life of both the individual and community. For example, there is a remarkable increase in Barcelona in the participation of sports activities in the years following the hosting of the Olympic Games. There has been an increase of 46 000 new users in the city’s sports centres following the 1992 Games, with the percentage of women participating in sporting activities increasing from 35% in 1989 to 45% in 1995. Moreover, in 1994, more