I had a feeling that Sri Lanka could pull off the bid to host the next Commonwealth Games in Hambantota (in 2018). It was a close thing but the Gold Coast prevailed in the end.
Hosting a big sports event is a huge PR exercise. It brings in a lot of publicity but reaping long term benefits can be tricky. After co-hosting the last cricket world cup Sri Lanka Cricket is now virtually bankrupt and has asked for a bail out. The same thing, on a far larger scale would have been likely had Hambantota won the bid, so on the whole the country probably better off having lost the bid.
I have a theory that the straw that broke Greece was its hosting of the Olympics in 2004. Originally expected to cost $1.3bn, later revised to $5.3bn and now thought to have cost $20bn (the official cost was $14.2bn but others estimate it to be higher). Total Greek debt in 2009 was around €374bn.
Hambantota is a sleepy little town, with charm of its own. The comparison, with the Gold Coast could not be more stark, as these pictures testify.
I would rather it remained that way.
2 comments:
Hear hear to the last comment!
Congratulations Gold Coast for the win! Gold Coast will have a modern light rail system fully operational for the Commonwealth Games. This is the main benefit. Why Queensland is wasting money on these games when its infrastructure, both in the city and in regional Queensland, is in such disarray and needs billions of dollars. The Gold coast is famous for it's poor work performance. Good hard working & reliable people simply don't exist on the Gold Coast. Good luck Gold Coast!!
Nalliah Thayabharan
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