First and foremost, conducting a special event such as Olympic Games can help the host city to increase local interest for the sports. Locals will be more interested in the Olympic sporting activities such as badmintons, ping pong, swimming, baseball and others. It is sure that people are willing to carry out these sporting activities during their free times because they are interested in them. So, this can help in maintaining their health and the risk of health problems can be reduced. For example, due to the Olympic Game in 1992, there has been an increase of 46 000 new users in the city’s sports centres and the women participations in sporting activities also has an increase from 35% in 1989 to 45% in 1995. (M.Malfas, 2004)
Besides that, Olympic Games can strengthen the regional traditions and values. In fact, values cover a wide range which may include belonging, being member in a group, identity, freedom, responsibility, trust, love, friendship and so on. During the Olympic, the citizens will be more united to support their country participant and the sense of friendship, trust, and love must can be created among the citizens.
Furthermore, it makes no mistake that Olympic Games will build and reinforce local pride and community pride. They will surely feel proud when their country participants win the games. For example, in our country, all the Malaysians felt very proud when Malaysia left Rio Olympic with a total five medals. Some of Malaysians shouted loudly and some of them cried when seeing participants such as Dato’ Lee Chong Wei and Pandelela Rinong succeed in the games. In that moment, all the feeling in hearts is proud and happy. So, Olympic Games can create sense of purpose, improve unity among the citizens and enhance national pride. Citizens will also more love their country and willing to contribute to their country.
Apart from that, Olympic Games also contribute to change the city image. As everybody knows, host country of the Olympic Games will gain the worldwide attention and this is very beneficial to the host country. Sometimes, it may have little impact in changing long-standing perceptions of a region or a country. From this way, some of the small country can be well-known and may have a better future.
Moreover, urban development will happen in the host city or country of Olympic Games. It is undoubted that before the games started, the government of the host city will improve all the community’s services in the host city. All the restaurants, transports, hotels and even shops will be upgraded to give the best impressions to the tourists who visit the city to witness the games. Also, new infrastructures and new sporting facilities such as stadium will be built or restructured well before Olympic. All the roads, public transport such as bus, train, airport, or monorail, leisure facilities, open spaces, commercial centres also help in the city development. For example, for 2004 Athens Olympic, a £1.4 billion new airport was created in 2001 to handle large amount of passengers who visit to the country. Another example is new suburbs were created such as Sydney Olympic Park and Newington, was the athletes’ village during the Games. Both of them are the world’s largest solar-powered suburbs. (Aperian Global, 2016). In 2000, the organizers of Sydney Olympic spent around A$1.5 billion to construct the infrastructure of the city and A$137 million in rehabilitating polluted sites in the area of Homebush Bay to become the sporting centre during the Olympic Games. All of these actions to make the Olympic Games successful also can lead to better lifestyle of the local citizens. The standard of living among the local citizens can also be improved if the facilities are wisely used after the Games ended.
Besides, it is once in lifetime experience for the local citizens of the host city of Olympic Games. It is such a special and wonderful experience to the local citizens because the Games is hosted in their own country and it must be put into their memories for a long time. Either the Olympic Games is in preparation or on-going, it must bring much changes to the local citizens. Local citizens will escape from their routine and experience something new in their life. It may very fun and exciting to them. Also, local citizens can also share their experiences to their friends and family members who are not in that host city and this can help in improving their relationships.
Furthermore, hosting Olympic Games can contribute to strengthen the tie between local citizens and the tourists. This is very important to avoid misunderstanding between the countries. When Olympic Games is carried out, it is sure that many tourists will come to the host country and it is an opportunity for them to know and understand that country. They will know more about the history, cultures, food or traditions of that country and misunderstanding about the country can be reduced. Besides, local citizens can also exchange ideas and opinions with the tourists and the relationships between locals and foreigners must be enhanced. This can also lead to future collaboration between local and foreigners.
Everything much have its opposite site, even though hosting Olympic Games brings a lot of benefits to the society, but it also brings some disadvantages to the society. One of the negative effects of hosting Olympic Games is local citizens may face the congestion during the Games. Hosting Olympic Games will bring many inconveniences to the locals. Let me give an example, hosting Olympic Games will create an increase in traffic and cause traffic jams on the roads. Crime rate in the host city may also raise due to the increase of population which includes locals and foreigners. Robbery, theft, and burglary easily to occur and this may threaten the safety of local citizens. Besides, noise and visual pollution will also happen and bring inconveniences to the locals especially those who live nearby to the Olympic stadium. Before and during the Olympic Games, it is not surprising when you can see people mountain and people sea at all the places. All the places in the host city must become overcrowding especially the public transports and shopping centres. This can disturb the normal routine of local citizens and disturb the privacy of local citizens especially those living nearby to the locations of Games.
Apart from that, hosting Olympic Games may also lead to serious social problems. This make no mistake will deepen the existing divides among the citizens. The relationships and the unity between the citizens will be influenced. For example, in Atlanta, the Olympic organizers broke the promises regarding to the poverty issue cause the social problem among the citizens. (M.Malfas, 2004). At the time of the bid, there were 30% of the population lived below the poverty line and estimates of the number of homeless people ranged from 22 000 to 28 000.
In addition, the local citizens also need to afford the city debts if the country facing financial problem. Basically the debts will cost a lots because Olympic Games is such a very huge event and need a lot of money. Normally, the tax money will be used for the Games and the taxpayers need to pay off these debts. This will surely increase the burden of the local citizens especially those who with low or medium incomes. So, the standard of living of the locals will also be influenced. For example, Nagono, the host city in 1998 Winter Olympic Games, facing the financial problems and the taxpayers needed to pay the debts up to £20 000 per household to balance the city’s book. (UKEssays, 2015) Besides, the 1976 Montreal Olympic also faced the same trouble, which left the city with a C$1.6bn debts.
Furthermore, hosting Olympic Games may also cause environmental problems. This problem exists when temporary structures or facilities are built for the need of the Olympic Games. For instance, in 1996 Atlana Olympic, there are four sports hosted in temporary facilities and those facilities had been demolished after the Games ended. (UKEssays, 2015) These temporary facilities were limited usefulness to the local citizens and may cause waste of spaces in that host city. Besides, another example happened in Athens, which was the host city in 2004, almost all the sporting facilities built for the Olympic Games are now derelict. (M.Malfas, 2004) In my opinion, it is known as a waste when the government of the host city fail to repurpose and reuse the sporting facilities or accommodation built for the Games. The inefficient use of resources actually bring a loss to the taxpayers. This is because they pay the tax for many sporting facilities but will not get any return in the term of public services.
Moreover, local citizens may lose their homes when the country decided to host Olympic Games. Those unlucky citizens will lose their homes when the organizers of the Games make a decision to choose their home area as the location to build the sporting facilities or building such as stadium. They will be evicted from their homes to continue the construction programs for the Games. The neighbourhoods were destroyed and the citizens removed to other places which is far from their friends, families, and working places. Even though the organizers will pay them compensation, but it is not easy to find another place to settle down their families, especially for those who are low-income. Although some of them are not willing to move, but there is no choice for them. For example, 1.5 million Beijing citizens were evicted from their homes to create space for 2008 Olympic infrastructures. (UKEssays, 2015)
Sometimes, local citizens in the host city will face another trouble which is their benefits are threatened. This happens when the government of the host city does not have extra money to conduct the Olympic Games. Therefore, the government will cut the spending on the government programs to get enough money to host the Games. And this will result in lost opportunity costs as the money that could be spent on things such as healthcare, education, charity, and so on. So, citizens’ benefits must be reduced.
Last but not least, hosting Olympic Games has a risk to cause poor reputation and image to the host country. This problem exists if the Olympic Games is badly organized by that country. For example, insufficient audience seats, security problems, or cheating. These reasons will give a chance for the public around the world to criticize the country and the reputation and image of that host country undoubtedly will be influenced. The image of a country is very important and if the image become bad, the economic of that country will also be influenced.