Russia on right track after hosting success

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Note the various pros and cons of sport:

-Fifa, which would have made billions from broadcast rights, sponsors, merchandise and ticket packages

-infrastructure is in place with 12 new or refurbished stadiums across 11 host cities.

Three stadiums will reduce their seating capacity to 30,000-35,000 to fit long-term needs, and plans are already afoot to prevent them from turning into white elephants....Besides the stadiums, a significant portion of the US$12 billion (S$16.4 billion) hosting costs also went to building new airport terminals in five cities and a new airport in Rostov-on-Don, as well as three metro stations and 12 new roads and junctions....."The infrastructure benefits - particularly for the railways and airports - will have lasting benefits to the country and the general population in a huge nation where long-distance travel has a completely different meaning compared to most countries.

-"For so long, Russia has been a black box to international travellers with its challenging visa regime, distance, climate and reputation as an unfriendly location that doesn't welcome foreigners.

"Those who visited for the World Cup will tell a different story though - of welcoming locals, clean and beautiful spaces, and a friendly country packed with culture and history. Those who watched on television would have been inspired to plan visits after seeing the sparkling architecture of Moscow and St Petersburg in particular.

Note useful stats:
the US$12 billion (S$16.4 billion) hosting costs


Qns:
1.     Hosting major sporting events creates more problems than benefits. Do you agree? (Cam. 2005)
2.     Does sport merit the vast sums of money that are spent on it? (Cam. 2010)