Developing Countries -The Olympics Hosts
Yazeed Ayish D Almajnouni
Dr. April Yoder
University of New Haven
August 12, 2020
Developing Countries -The Olympics Hosts
Research Question:
Why do Developing Countries Prefer Hosting Big International Events such as the Olympics?
Background
The International Olympic Committee determine the country that will host the Olympic Games after every few years. Many argue that such events put the host country on the map and offer an important platform for host exposure. These events can be transformed into political events that can be used to advance the political, economic and cultural influence of the host country. The host country can also use the platform to signal that it has arrived as a major figure on the international scene. Olympic Games promise the host country an economic windfall. Event promoters predict that large numbers of rich visitors will descend upon the countries that will be lucky enough to host such events. Increasingly, developing countries have started insisting on their right to host these events, and thus achieve the perceived economic benefits. The number of developing countries vying for this opportunity to host the game has been increasing over the years. The big question, however, remains: do mega-international events such as the Olympics offer any boost to the host country’s economy that justifies the high costs and risk? This paper intends to examine a variety of both primary and secondary sources to establish the effects of such competitions and provide a discussion on the benefits of these events on developing countries.
Historiographical Paragraphs
Historians have considered the socio-political and economic advantages for the prospective hosts and event owners when allocating hosting rights. There has been an uproar and a lot of concerns over the relocation of these events to developing countries, which by their nature, mostly lack the economic, political and social ability of the traditionally industrialized hosts. Historically, developing countries do not have the affluent and the ability to deliver large scale sports events than developed nations. Therefore, most historical researchers have questioned if the governing bodies, with all this knowledge, are ethically obliged to withhold hosting rights from the developing countries. Hahm, Jeeyeon, Asli and Deborah in their article “Investigating the interplay among the Olympic Games image, destination image, and country image for four previous hosts’ examined the relationship between the image of the country, destination, and Olympic Games image. They examined the status of Brazil, England, Greece and the United Kingdom before they were awarded the 2016 Olympics. The image for these countries was then measured one month later after the Olympic Games. The results indicated that each country achieved a better image after hosting the competition. The article established that international events raise the reputation of developing countries worldwide.
Peeters, Thomas, Victor, and Stefan examined the effects of the 2010 world on tourism in South Africa. Stadiums cost billions of dollars to establish and the hosting process requires years of planning. The authors found out during the one month of hosting the Olympic Games, hotels accommodate thousands of tourists. Historically, the authors established that international giants were preferred and chosen to host these events. Although the developed countries seem more prepared to host the Olympics, developing nations have been doing anything in their power to have a chance to host them because of the social and economic benefits attached. The authors established that major sporting events advance cultural ideas, identities and products that promote the host’s tourism sector even after the event. For instance, Australia advanced the idea of its indigenous history when it hosted the 2000 Olympic Games. Additionally, when developing countries get a chance to host international events that celebrate achievements and collaboration, they shun the stereotype of suffering and poverty. They examined the case of South Africa, which in 2010 hosted the World Cup. The event changed the attitude of Afro-pessimism that was being advanced by foreign media at that time. All these practices are meant to benefit the tourism sector in developing countries. Large-scale sporting events such as the Olympics raise the real culture of a nation, and that makes visiting a country all the more appealing.
Tien, Lo, and Lin examine whether the economic impacts of the Olympic Games on the host countries is important. The authors established that the economic benefits of the Olympic games on the host country are important based on different parameters such as gross domestic product performance and unemployment in the short term. The findings determine the reason why most developing countries would prefer hosting the Olympics. Decision-makers in developing countries use this comprehensive and multidimensional knowledge about the economic impact of hosting the Olympics to bid for hosting rights. Generally, developing nations that choose to host the Olympics experience the total social and economic impacts of the Olympics. Due to the countless benefits that a country receives from these games, developing countries choose to host the Olympics to get the publicity they want and the economic change they desire.
Description of Primary Sources
I will examine different articles from newspapers, and press releases to establish why developing countries prefer hosting Olympics and how this has changed over time. I will search through established media outlets and archives of well-established newspapers. The aim is to find articles like “The politics of the Olympic Games” by Richard Espy from the University of California Press. These kinds of articles examine the political influence around who hosts the Olympic Games. My desire to examine whether the Olympic idea of international amity through sports competition and the reality of world affairs have any relationship with politics and if they can advance political ideas. Most developing countries are controlled by the political class and the strive to host these games is done by these people.
The history of the Olympics has been there as much as the history of political strife. My desire to examine the conflict between nationalist realities and the internationalist ideals led me to articles such as “The Olympics—A history of the modern games” from the University of Illinois Press by Allen Guttmann. The book by Guttmann examined the intended and actual effects of the modern Olympics Games from 1896 to 2000. The author examines the entertaining social history through the lens of fiascoes and glories, the triumphs and tragedies. Politics has been a major player in the Olympics. Byzantine maneuvering has been used in the selection of sites and many developing countries have missed the chance before. The need to advance both political and social interests has seen developing countries go for this chance.
Next, I will try to look at how the Olympics allow the nation to demonstrate advancements in different sectors. An example as presented by an article by Refried Elvis; ‘Showcasing the “Land of Tomorrow”’; ‘The Harmonizing Nation’. This is in line with Eric Zolov’s article, “Showcasing the ‘Land of Tomorrow’: Mexico and the 1968 Olympics” published by Cambridge University Press. Mexico hosted the 1969 games and the country presented yellow, blue and pink banners framing a white dove of peace. Throughout the country, commercial billboards were replaced with pictures of cultural and physical activity related to the Games. This is just an illustration of how many developing countries take this chance to showcase their advancement in different sectors. This source will showcase how different countries showcase their advancement to the world during the Olympic Games.
I would also look into the recent issues behind Qatar choosing to be the host country for the 2022 Wild Cup. In my search, I interacted with an article from The New York Times “Qatar Faces a Tight Squeeze for Its Compact World Cup” by Tariq Panja. Qatar is just a small country and its capital has never hosted an event of this magnitude. Qatar takes this as a chance to put on the most compact tournament in history, a soccer celebration lacking only the quadrennial hassle and expense of frequent air travel and hotel hopping. World Cup is a big event for such a small country and it is expected that it might be overwhelmed by customers. This means that Qatar will make numerous developments in a few years which will spur economic growth. This just illustrates one of the expected benefits for the country among others. Most small and developing countries crave for such a chance to boost their economy.
In conclusion, a study on home advantage in the history of the Olympic Games has established that host nations have won more medals than non-host. Among other advantages, the rules for athlete qualifications for the host countries are softened and you find them presenting a larger delegation than other countries. Hosting Olympics opens the country to the international world and creates a positive perspective of the country thus ensuring economic prosperity. Developing countries choose to host world-class events such as Olympics not for the sporting activities involved but for the economic and social advantages that it brings.
Bibliography
Primary Sources
Espy, Richard. “The Politics of the Olympic Games. Berkeley.” (1979).
Refried, Elvis. ‘Showcasing the “Land of Tomorrow”’; ‘The Harmonizing Nation’.
Guttmann, Allen. “History of modern games.” Illinois: University of Illinois (1992).
Tariq, Panja. “Qatar Faces a Tight Squeeze for its Compact World Cup” The New York Times (2019).
Zolov, Eric. “Showcasing the ‘land of tomorrow’: Mexico and the 1968 Olympics.” The Americas 61, no. 2 (2004): 159-188.
Secondary Sources
Hahm, Jeeyeon, Asli D. Tasci, and Deborah Breiter Terry. “Investigating the interplay among the Olympic Games image, destination image, and country image for four previous hosts.” Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 35, no. 6 (2018): 755-771.
Peeters, Thomas, Victor Matheson, and Stefan Szymanski. “Tourism and the 2010 World Cup: Lessons for developing countries.” Journal of African Economies 23, no. 2 (2014): 290-320.
Tien, Chengli, Huai-Chun Lo, and Hsiou-Wei Lin. “The economic benefits of mega-events: A myth or a reality? A longitudinal study on the Olympic Games.” Journal of Sport Management 25, no. 1 (2011): 11-23.