Olympics a test for ambitious developing countries

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Olympics a test for ambitious developing countries
By JOE McDONALD
AP Business Writer

BEIJING (AP) -- Playing host to the Olympics or World Cup can showcase an ambitious country's rise and cast a harsh light on its weaknesses.

This week in Sochi, the eye-popping cost of Russia's Winter Games and logistical fumbles got as much attention as figure skaters and snowboarders. But organizers say the problems will be forgotten quickly, while the infrastructure improvements, international attention to the region and new winter resort built for the games will be a legacy benefiting Russia for decades.

Russia is hardly alone. Brazil, South Africa, India and other rising star economies that shoot for an image boost by hosting sports mega-events can be forced to contend with accusations of mismanagement, graft and misplaced priorities.

This has been going on for half a century. The 1964 Tokyo Games helped post-war Japan show off its postwar revival and technical prowess, as viewers around the world marveled at rebuilt cities and the new bullet train. In 1988, South Korea used the Seoul Games to highlight a modern industrial economy. And just four years ago, South Africa used a successful World Cup to show how the nation had emerged from apartheid.


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$51 billion dollars is eye-poping? Shit, we spend that every six months occupying Afghanistan.