By John Considine
November 2013 has brought us some differences in international opinions on the hosting of major sporting events. The German people voted against bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympic games. The Irish government announced its intention to back the IRFU in its efforts to bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. In the UK the House of Lords Select Committee on Olympic and Paralympic Legacy presented a report that suggested that the benefits that were supposed to accrue from the London Olympics were not being achieved.
The House of Lords Report (here) is interesting in that it examines the situation over a year after the 2012 London games. The report highlights the arguments over access and use of the Olympic facilities. It also claimed that there was no evidence of an increase in sporting participation despite the expectation that the games would have such an effect. The Lords also questioned the approach of UK Sport that funds elite sport. UK Sport targets money to sports based on past and potential medals. In this respect it has been pretty successful. The Lords suggested that this approach militated against potentially popular emerging sports. One other criticism of the legacy of the London Olympics is the uneven geographical distribution of the benefits.
In Germany the people of Bavaria voted against bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Four regions voted against the proposal with the vote against ranging from 52% to 60%. The victors claimed the vote demonstrated voters’ distrust of international sporting organisations as a result of doping and corruption scandals. They also claimed that the way that the international sporting organisations extract the economic benefits from the event left little for the host region. The losers claimed it would damage Germany’s sporting reputation. They also claimed the voters would regret their decision in years to come.
In the last couple of days the Irish government announced its intention to back the IRFU in its efforts to bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The story was the main headline on Monday’s Irish Examiner (here). The government claim that the event will bring 337,000 fans to Ireland and will benefit the Irish economy to the tune of €800m. The government’s claims are based on a report commissioned by the government. Over the coming days we will look at aspects of this report (when it is published). Overall the proposal seems to be well received.
In Germany the people of Bavaria voted against bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Four regions voted against the proposal with the vote against ranging from 52% to 60%. The victors claimed the vote demonstrated voters’ distrust of international sporting organisations as a result of doping and corruption scandals. They also claimed that the way that the international sporting organisations extract the economic benefits from the event left little for the host region. The losers claimed it would damage Germany’s sporting reputation. They also claimed the voters would regret their decision in years to come.
In the last couple of days the Irish government announced its intention to back the IRFU in its efforts to bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The story was the main headline on Monday’s Irish Examiner (here). The government claim that the event will bring 337,000 fans to Ireland and will benefit the Irish economy to the tune of €800m. The government’s claims are based on a report commissioned by the government. Over the coming days we will look at aspects of this report (when it is published). Overall the proposal seems to be well received.
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